Réjean Roy appointed Director of Training and Knowledge Mobilization at IVADO

Montréal, December 4, 2023 – IVADO, an interdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium for research, training, and knowledge mobilization in artificial intelligence led by the Université de Montréal with the support of four university partners – Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, Université Laval, and McGill University, is pleased to announce the appointment of Réjean Roy as Director of Training and Knowledge Mobilization. Réjean Roy succeeds Mélanie Bosc, who has held this position since 2022 and now assumes the role of Deputy General Manager. He officially begins his duties on December 4, 2023.

For over 25 years, Réjean Roy has specialized in strategic mandates in the digital world. He was involved in the early work carried out by the Quebec and Canadian governments on natural language processing in the 1990s. He has co-directed the creation of organizations such as the Quebec chapter of the Internet Society, the IA Quebec Forum and the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (Obvia).

Réjean Roy has co-edited key documents such as the Stratégie pour l’essor de l’écosystème québécois de l’AI and the first report of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie on digital technologies. He has also carried out numerous studies and transfer activities on themes such as e-government, the impact of digital technology on official languages, e-learning, the environmental effects of technologies, and their appropriation by businesses and public organizations. He has also launched innovative initiatives, such as an award-winning project to send text messages to pregnant women in northern Peru. Réjean Roy holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce (McGill), a diploma in international relations (Louvain-la-Neuve) and a master’s degree in political science (Laval).

“As the cornerstones of AI adoption, the training of skilled workers and the mobilization of knowledge remain crucial societal issues. With my involvement in the development of the R3AI project with the IVADO team, I am committed to devoting my expertise and energy to meeting these challenges, as well as to building a robust, reasoning and responsible AI ecosystem and democratizing it for the benefit of Quebec society.”

— Réjean Roy

“Réjean Roy is a well-known and much-appreciated player in the Quebec AI community. In particular, he played an important role in the development of IVADO’s R3AI vision, which the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) program recently supported, and he is deeply involved in the AI framing exercise led by the Conseil de l’Innovation du Québec. We couldn’t think of a better person to lead the training sector in its efforts to increase the number of AI-savvy students, managers, civil servants and professionals. I’m delighted that he’s joining IVADO, and I’m convinced that he will make an enormous contribution to the national and international reputation of our consortium.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest thanks to Mélanie Bosc, who brilliantly led this IVADO department before becoming its Deputy General Manager.”

— Luc Vinet, Chief Executive Officer, IVADO