The Quebec government has appointed Jérôme Dupras — a bassist with the folk-rock group Les Cowboys Fringants and also a professor of ecological economics — as the province’s next chief scientist, one of Quebec’s most influential science-policy roles.
Economy Minister Bernard Drainville and Minister Delegate for the Economy and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Daniel Bernard made the announcement Wednesday. He succeeds Rémi Quirion, who has served as Quebec’s chief scientist since 2011.
Dupras holds a doctorate in geography from the Université de Montréal and a postdoctoral fellowship in biology from McGill University. But he has since built a career that bridges academia, environmental policy and publicity, including involvement with a UNESCO research chair.
His candidacy emerged from a formal selection process conducted this spring, the ministers said.
“Science plays a vital role in Quebec’s development and advancement,” Drainville said in a statement, describing Dupras as someone capable of bringing research “even closer to government action and the people of Quebec.”
And it also comes at a moment when governments face ever difficult decisions tied to research and public trust in science and also the need to drive innovation.
“The chief scientist plays a strategic role in supporting government decision-making,” he said.
Dupras said he accepted the role “with great humility and a profound sense of responsibility.”
“Science has an essential role to play in informing collective choices and supporting Quebec in the face of the economic, environmental and social challenges we face,” he said.
Alejandra Zaga Mendez, Québec solidaire’s economy critic, called Dupras “brilliant, rigorous and deeply humane,” adding he had never been afraid to engage beyond academia “through research, activism and, of course, music.”
What is in the Quebec chief scientist’s responsibility?
• promoting scientific advice and scientific diplomacy in Quebec and internationally;
• strengthening ties between science and society and encouraging scientific culture and participatory science;
• promoting ethics and responsible conduct in research;
• helping expand Quebec’s influence in scientific research and international partnerships.
The position also includes serving as president and chief executive of the Fonds de recherche du Québec.