Alain d’Astous and Jacques Desrosiers appointed Professors Emeritus

Alain d’Astous was a Full Professor in HEC Montréal’s Department of Marketing from 1999 to 2020, and he enjoyed a remarkable academic career, excelling in all aspects of his scholarly mission. A specialist in consumer behaviour, Professor d’Astous made his mark on the field through his research on country image, responsible consumption, arts marketing, and marketing communication.

He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and his research has been published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Advertising and Psychology & Marketing. He is also the author of 10 textbooks in French, English and Spanish, and several book chapters. His work has been cited more than 12,000 times, with an h-index of 49 and an i10-index of 102.

He has received numerous honours throughout his career, including an appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2020, the International Marketing Trends Award as well as several awards for excellence in teaching and publishing such as the François-Albert Angers Award and the Minister of Education Award, each of which he was granted twice.

In matters of pedagogy, he has supervised or co-supervised 117 master’s theses and participated in the direction or supervision of 18 doctoral dissertations, several of which have received awards. He has taught at nine universities around the world, including Paris-Dauphine, Università Bocconi (Italy), ESSEC (France), and University of Canterbury.

His commitment to HEC Montréal is also evidenced by the key administrative roles he has occupied: Director, Department of Marketing, Assistant Director, Academic Affairs and Strategic Planning, PhD Program Director, and member of the Academic Council for eleven years. He has left an indelible influence on the academic trajectory of the School.

Jacques Desrosiers joined HEC Montréal in 1978 and dedicated over 45 years to the School, including 34 as a Full Professor in the Department of Decision Sciences. He is internationally recognized for his work in mathematical optimization, particularly in the field of transportation. His research has had an extraordinary influence on scheduling and resource allocation in transportation networks, with concrete applications in urban and air transportation systems.

Author or co-author of over 100 publications in scientific journals, three books and several hundred presentations in scientific conferences, he has accumulated more than 22,000 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 60 and an i10-index of 93. He has supervised 12 doctoral students, 29 master’s students and 20 postdoctoral researchers, several of whom have gone on to become professors or recognized experts. He has also served as a guest and associate editor for renowned scientific journals, and as a plenary speaker at over 30 international conferences.

He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 2001 and was ranked 12th among Canada's top scientists in the field of mathematics, according to Research.com in 2024. He has won 15 awards for excellence in research, including the Pierre Laurin Award for Research Excellence, the
J.-Armand Bombardier Medal for Technological Innovation from ACFAS, as well as the Synergy Awards for Innovation – University Partnerships, awarded jointly by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Conference Board of Canada.

His influence extends far beyond academia: in collaboration with his Montreal-based partner AD OPT Technologies, he has helmed major industrial projects for several transportation giants including Air Canada, Bombardier, UPS, VIA Rail, CN, and the Canadian Department of National Defence.

He was Director of the Department of Decision Sciences at HEC Montréal for two terms and served on several strategic committees. His contributions to applied research, to the training of the next generation and to the School’s reputation are outstanding.