My Northern Project | Five Talented Quebec students to Represent the Province on the International Stage

Institut nordique du Québec is pleased to announce the names of the five young researchers who will proudly represent Quebec at the international finals of the My Northern Project competition, to be held in October 2025 in Reykjavik as part of the Arctic Circle Assembly.

Selected during the provincial finals held on May 12 as part of INQ’s Annual Symposium, these emerging talents impressed the jury with the clarity, rigor, and passion with which they presented their northern research. The jury — composed of Jean-Éric Tremblay (Scientific Director of INQ), Anne de Vernal (Professor at UQAM), and Valérie Borde (science communicator and founder of the Centre Déclic) — highlighted the outstanding quality of their science communication.

The 2025* winners (from left to right in the photo):

• Jean-Éric Tremblay – Institut nordique du Québec, Scientific Director

• Elisabeth Guillet-Beaulieu* – Université de Montréal, candidate for doctorate in biological sciences

  Abeille-toi, il fait froid! : Caractérisation des insectes pollinisateurs du Nunavik

• Victorine Lambert* – McGill University, Master's candidate in renewable resources

  Dans l’assiette des épaulards : une enquête isotopique en Arctique

• Cindy Dumais* – Université Laval, PhD candidate in microbiology

  Air du Nord : quand les moisissures s’invitent

• Michaël Thibault* – INRS, candidate for Master's degree in Earth Sciences (public's favorite)

  Sous nos pieds, une chaleur insoupçonnée : la géothermie aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest

• Alexandrine Roy* – Université Laval, Master of Public Health candidate

  Comment les antioxydants dans les aliments traditionnels pourraient contrer les effets néfastesdu méthylmercure sur les globules rouges des Nunavimmiut

• Brigitte Bigué – Institut nordique du Québec, Director of operations

As ambassadors of Quebec’s next generation of scientists, they will have the opportunity to present their work to an international audience, alongside finalists selected by our partner UArctic. Their participation will also be part of Quebec’s official delegation to this major event, recognized as one of the world’s leading forums on the Arctic and circumpolar cooperation.