Gilles Gauthier

Gilles Gauthier is renowned as a builder in the field of Arctic research, adding considerably to Université Laval’s visibility and reputation.  His expertise has certainly marked the academic and scientific community.

Knowledge sharing

Throughout his career, Professor Gauthier has spread his passion for research among students in the Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Integrated Bachelor of Science in Natural and Developed Environments. He is a five-time Star Professor Award recipient for his involvement in seven undergraduate-level courses and two at the graduate level. He has supervised or co-supervised 47 master’s students, 23 doctoral candidates, and 12 postdoctoral fellows. Six of his former students now hold professorships at various universities.

His knowledge has been shared with the scientific community in more than 250 scientific papers published in such journals such as Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Science, and Proceedings of the Royal Society. He has also contributed to 22 chapters of books, monographs, and government publications, 61 scientific reports, 3 technical manuals and 8 online databases.

His expertise has been sought in many invitations to national and international conferences, seminars, and symposiums. He has appeared 35 times as a guest lecturer and presented 174 scientific papers.

Gilles Gauthier has also been brought in as an expert consultant for numerous committees including Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Migratory Game Bird and Greater Snow Goose Management Round Tables, Parks Canada’s Sirmilik National Park Resources Description and Research Priorities Workshop, and the Canadian Polar Commission’s (now Polar Knowledge Canada) Arctic and Subarctic Research Infrastructure Renewal Committee.

Driving research forward

As an individual, Professor Gauthier brought in $3,928,400 in research grants, $169,300 in research contracts, and $152,000 in infrastructure grants. As a research-team member, including those on which he was the lead researcher, the amount was $24,660,500 in research grants, $355,700 in research contracts and $17,364,800 in infrastructure grants.

Gilles Gauthier has become a prominent figure in the scientific community, having founded Nunavut’s Bylot Island Research Station—the busiest such station in the Canadian Arctic—which he led for more than 30 years. Its long-term environmental monitoring program is internationally recognized and has inspired similar programs elsewhere in Nunavut and in other northern countries such as Norway.

He is known for having put in place a new model of research station co-management in Nunavut to promote joint projects with First Peoples and the construction of new first-class research stations in the Arctic.

Professor Gauthier is renowned for his work on Arctic ecosystem dynamics. He was the leader of Arctic WOLVES (Arctic Wildlife Observatories Linking Vulnerable EcoSystems), an ambitious international project funded by the International Polar Year and involving more than 100 researchers and students. His research on managing the goose populations hunted in Canada and the United States inspired other countries, such as the Netherlands and Russia, to change their policies.

Gilles Gauthier was the scientific director of the Centre for Northern Studies for six years and has been involved in numerous international projects, including ADAPT (Arctic Development and Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition) and the Circumpolar Assessment of Ecological Mismatch between Avian Herbivores and Plant Phenology.

Gilles Gauthier is also an influential member of numerous research networks, including Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada’s ArcticNet, the Sentinel North research program, the Herbivory Network, and the Tundra Conservation Network.