Pierre Hansen appointed Professor Emeritus posthumously
December 1, 2025
HEC Montréal announces the posthumous appointment of Pierre Hansen as Professor Emeritus, a distinction that recognizes the importance of his contribution to the School and the scientific community.
A pillar of the Department of Decision Sciences
As a professor in the Department of Decision Sciences for over three decades, he left his mark on research and teaching through his passion, commitment to the advancement of knowledge and the scope of his work.
Pierre Jansen joined HEC Montréal in 1990 and held several key roles, including those of Tenured Researcher and the Data Mining Chair. He was also Director of the Group for Research in Decision Analysis (GERAD) from 1996 to 2001, helping to strengthen the School’s position in the field of operational research. His death in January 2025 has left a void in the academic community.
A scientific contribution of international scope
Professor Hansen was a leading figure in scientific research, who published over 400 papers throughout his career. He is among the most cited in his field with nearly 38,300 citations.
His work covers a wide range of topics that mainly focus on metaheuristics, mathematical chemistry, and computer-assisted scientific discovery. He and Nenad Mladenovic founded the Variable Neighbourhood Search method, now used to solve complex issues in many sectors, including logistics and telecommunications. His remarkable multidisciplinary vision has helped bridge seemingly disparate disciplines.
A legacy for the academic community
As a teacher, he supervised a large number of PhD and postdoctoral students. Several of his colleagues are currently pursuing research directly inspired by his approach.
His scientific contribution also earned him various awards and recognitions during his career, including the 1986 Association of European Operational Research Societies (EURO) Gold Medal, the Jacques Rousseau Acfas Award in 2008 and the HEC Montréal Award for Research Excellence in 2013. He was also a member of the International Academy of Mathematical Chemistry and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
The appointment of Pierre Hansen as Professor Emeritus is a testament not only to his key role in developing the Department of Decision Sciences and in promoting GERAD, but also to the impact he had within the international scientific community.
HEC Montréal wishes to honour his memory and highlight the legacy he has left behind to the School. His work, intellectual rigour, and multidisciplinary approach will continue to influence research projects, collaborations and teaching in the future.