Bernard Moulin

Professor Bernard Moulin's work on knowledge modelling and intelligent systems design has helped propel Université Laval to the forefront of computer science and software engineering. His multidisciplinary approach has spawned numerous applied research projects across a range of fields, including computer science, information systems, linguistics, geography, geomatics, geology, archaeology, environmental health, agronomy, and geomorphology. As a leading professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, he has nurtured students' creativity and developed the talent that is pushing technology ever-forward today.

Lab to market

Bernard Moulin has taken an active interest in the technological advances that have revolutionized all sectors of human activity. He has also been deeply involved in undergraduate and graduate training, supervising over a hundred graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research professionals at his lab. The PhD program created under his leadership in 1992 laid the foundations for computer science and software engineering research at Université Laval and ensured a bright future for the discipline.

Professor Moulin is recognized as an international expert on computer systems analysis and design and knowledge representation and has been awarded over$7 million in research grants and contracts. A true visionary, he began investigating artificial intelligence (AI) in the 1980s. To promote the then-underdeveloped field in Québec, he joined forces with research teams at five other universities in the province to form the Inter-University Research Group on Cognitive Informatics in Organizations in 1986, serving as the group's founding president. Their objective was to promote AI and cognitive science research and find application for it in organizations.

In 1995 he joined the Geomatics Research Centre, where he developed innovative AI applications in geomatics, including representation of spatial knowledge, on-the-fly mapping, and multi-agent geosimulation. In 1998 he helped found GEOIDE, a network of centres of excellence in geomatics hosted by Université Laval, which bolstered geomatics research in Canada from 1999 to 2012. At GEOIDE, he headed up numerous projects with prominent partners, including the Public Health Agency and the Department of National Defence.

Bernard Moulin's work has generated multiple technology transfers. Between 1994 and 1996, he supervised a joint industry and university team that developed MOOM Tutor software for teaching object-oriented systems analysis and design methods. Software company Logiciels Action subsequently brought the system to market. In 2004 he transferred the results of a GEOIDE project to startup Nsim Technologies, which developed its own products based on the software agents, cartography, and artificial intelligence he delivered.

From 2004 to 2008, he was deeply involved in the eFez e-government project in Morocco, providing methodological guidance and project management expertise. The eFez software was taken to market by Moroccan startup Enhanced Technologies. The project won several prestigious awards, including a 2007 United Nations Public Service Award for improvement of service delivery.

Bernard Moulin's many publications, including his countless articles and numerous books, and his participation in international events has earned Université Laval a worldwide reputation in computer science and software engineering. His outstanding contributions are a source of pride for the entire university community.