Robert Beauregard

Robert Beauregard has supervised or co-supervised over 40 master's and doctoral students and is the author of over 120 scientific articles. He has received more than$24 million in research funding over the course of his career. Dr. Beauregard spent much of his research career developing products, processes, and business models aimed at helping wood product manufacturers add value to their products through secondary processing and services. Lately, the focus of his research interest has turned to the ecodesign of wood products and the role of forests and wood products in climate change policies.

Building on sustained efforts to promote existing programs as well as to restructure and expand courses and program offerings, during his tenure as dean (2008–2016), student enrolment at the Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics rose from 900 to 1,300. As part of the move to streamline its program offerings and to attract more students, the Faculty collaborated with other Université Laval faculties to create new synergies between departments. This gave rise to new interdisciplinary program options, including an integrated bachelor's degree in natural and managed environments and a diploma in sustainable development. Distance education also got a major boost—the number of courses rising from three courses to over forty. The new distance courses were developed in synergy with existing courses and programs and were expressly designed for students who needed to pursue their studies remotely. Coupled with tight management, the enrolment increase allowed the Faculty to improve its long-term financial sustainability. Under Dr. Beauregard, the Faculty also worked closely with La Fondation de l'Université Laval in order to hire a director of philanthropy and structure its philanthropic endeavours. Important developments, including the creation of a student philanthropy club and the first student-run philanthropy activities, have been held for the past two years.