The 26th “Entretiens Jacques Cartier”  were opened on 24 November 2013 at the ENS de Lyon. As every year, they started with a ceremony to award the Doctorate Honoris Causa for partner universities. The ENS de Lyon and the University of Waterloo celebrated their alliance that evening: the school awarded this prestigious grade to André Roy, Dean of the Environment Department at the University of Waterloo.

PRAISE FOR ANDRÉ ROY

A well-known geographer with international recognition, André Roy embodies the school of river geomorphology in Canada.

After studying at the Université de Montréal, André Roy received his doctorate at the State University of New York (Buffalo) in 1982. His thesis focuses on the application of the principle of optimality to the geometry of arborescent networks that carry fluids such as rivers and arteries. Back in Montreal, he was a professor in the Department of geography at the Université de Montréal, where he taught until 2011. Holder of the Canada Research Chair in fluvial dynamics from 2003 to 2011, André Roy has over 150 publications in journals in geography, Earth Sciences, and engineering including the journal, Nature. He has won numerous awards, including the Canadian Association of Geographers' award for distinction in research and, in 2012, the Michel Jurdant Award from the Francophone Association for knowledge. An active member of the scientific community, André Roy chaired the Canadian geomorphology research group and the Canadian Association of Geographers. He has participated in the Organization of numerous conferences, including a Conference in the framework of the Jacques Cartier talks. Finally, André Roy has been very involved in academic institutions, he was Vice-Dean in the research of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the Université de Montréal. He is now Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo.

Andre Roy has made some groundbreaking work. Many of his students are currently working at a Canadian University, contributing significantly to the influence of his discipline in Canada and around the world. His vision of fluvial geomorphology is very interdisciplinary and contributes to the development of inter-actions with practitioners and decision-makers, particularly on public water policies.
Also, as he is very attached to the French speaking countries, André Roy plays a leading role in fostering the scientific exchanges between Canada and France, welcoming many French students, participating in thesis juries in France and fostering partnerships between researchers from both continents.
For all these reasons, the École normale supérieure de Lyon is proud to honor Professor André Roy by awarding him the insignia of Doctor Honoris causa within the framework of the Entretiens Jacques Cartier 2013.