Montréal, May 29, 2025 – Polytechnique Montréal is extremely proud to learn that its President, Maud Cohen, along with full professor of Chemical Engineering Gregory Patience, were recently elected Fellows of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Announcing the new cohort, Academy President Catherine Karakatsanis said she was “delighted to welcome new Fellows to the Academy whose impressive accomplishments and leadership in their respective fields have significantly advanced engineering in both Canada and around the world. Their outstanding contributions and dedication to excellence serve as an inspiration to us all.”

The CAE is the national institution through which individuals having made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession in Canada provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to the country and its citizens. All CAE Fellows are nominated and elected by their peers in recognition of their remarkable achievements in the field and career-long service. Fellows also commit to ensuring that Canada’s engineering expertise and experience are leveraged for the benefit of all Canadians.

Stellar journeys

Ms. Cohen has been President of Polytechnique Montréal since August 10, 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Polytechnique (1996), an MBA from HEC Montréal (2004), and a designation as a certified corporate administrator from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés of Université Laval (2012), and has an impressive track record in managing organizations that play key roles in society.

From 2014 to 2022, Ms. Cohen was President and CEO of the Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine. Prior to that, she was President of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (from 2009 to 2012). Her career has also included director roles with Invensys Systems Canada and then CGI Group, where she managed large-scale projects in Europe and the United States. In addition, she has been a member of several boards of directors for a number of years, including those of Loto-Québec, Gestion FÉRIQUE and Aéroports de Montréal.

“Being named a Fellow is an important and far-reaching acknowledgement, but above all it signifies a responsibility: that of guiding the next generation and engaging engineers in the service of society by ensuring that they remain attentive to its needs and act as true agents of change,” Ms. Cohen said upon her election as a CAE Fellow.

A true luminary in the field of chemical engineering in Canada, Professor Gregory Patience is committed to the well-being of society’s most vulnerable populations. His tremendous contributions to the fight against malaria in African countries were recognized and commended by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec in 2022. He also collaborates with industry partners to reduce the adverse effects of natural gas and improve plastics recycling processes, and conducts research into synthesis of materials used to produce batteries.

He received the University of Calgary Schulich Technical Achievement Alumni Award in 2020, and was elected Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 2023. Dr. Patience said he was “honoured” that his CAE peers have recognized his contributions to engineering: “More important, though, I am pleased to help advance its mission in shaping the future of our profession.”

Polytechnique Montréal alumni Éric Baril, Constantin Christopoulos and Michel Julien were also among the engineers elected Fellows of the CAE for 2025. This year’s induction ceremony took place on May 27 in Montréal.

About the Canadian Academy of Engineering

The Canadian Academy of Engineering comprises over 800 Fellows who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada and around the world. They have demonstrated their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles to advance social, environmental, economic and technical solutions. The Academy is an independent, self-governing and non-profit organization established in 1987 to serve the nation in matters of engineering concern. It is a registered charity.

About Polytechnique Montréal

Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's largest engineering education and research institutions. It is located on the Université de Montréal campus, the largest French-language university campus in the Americas. With some 61,500 graduates to date, Polytechnique has educated over 22% of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec's current membership. Polytechnique offers more than 120 programs taught by over 300 professors, and welcomes in excess of 10,000 students yearly. It has an annual operating budget of $300 million, including a research budget of $100 million.

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Media inquiries

Christian Merciari
Communications
Polytechnique Montréal
C. 514 742-8586
christian.merciari@polymtl.ca