Louis-Charles Fortier Biography

Contact me

Full professor and principal investigator of Fortier’s Lab

Head, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (since 2024)

Director of the Infection & Inflammation research thematic of the faculty of medicine and healh sciences of the UdeS (since July 2021)

Academic training and previous work experience

2004-2007 Postdoc training at Université Laval, Québec in Sylvain Moineau’s lab
  • During my postdoc in Sylvain’s lab, I studied phages infecting the lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis, as well as abortive infection systems. This is also where I started studying phages of Clostridium difficile.
2002-2004 Research assistant in the lab of Chantal Guillemette, Centre de recherche du CHUL, Québec
  • As a research assistant, I was responsible for clinical trials and to perform various experiments related to the study of UGT enzymes.
2000-2002 Professor of biology, Cégep de Shawinigan, Qc
  • For 2 years, I taught various classes in biology, immunology and experimental biology to students from the technical programs in biotechnology, and medical laboratory. I also taught to students from the general program in natural sciences.
1996-2001 Ph.D. Université McGill, Montréal, Lab of Byong H. Lee and Jean Guzzo (ENSBANA, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France).
  • During my PhD, I spent my first year in the lab of Dr. Jean Guzzo at the ENSBANA in Dijon (France), where I learned how to work with the lactic acid bacterium of wine Oenococcus oeni. Then I came back to Canada and worked in Byong Lee’s lab at McGill (MacDonald Campus) and Agriculture Canada (Saint-Hyacinthe). I studied acid stress response in O. oeni, in particular the H+-ATPase.
1994-1996 M.Sc. Université de Sherbrooke, lab of Pierre Bourgaux
  • During my master program, I studied homologous recombination in the polyomavirus.
1991-1994 B.Sc. Université de Sherbrooke, Biology program, Biotechnology concentration

Prizes and recognitions

  • 2021 – Pharmacology prize awarded by the students of pharmacology in recognition of the quality of my teaching in the pharmacology program at the U. de Sherbrooke
  • 2017 – Pharmacology prize awarded by the students of pharmacology in recognition of the quality of my teaching in the pharmacology program at the U. de Sherbrooke
  • 2012 – Junior 2 salary award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S)
  • 2008 – Junior 1 salary award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S)
  • 1998 – PhD scholarship (FCAR)
  • 1998 – First prize – oral competition – Biotechnology section (Institute of Food Technology meeting, Atlanta)
  • 1996 – PhD scholarship (French Government)
  • 1995 – MSc scholarship (Medical Research Council of Canada)

Courses and teaching

  • MCB 103 – Microbiology laboratory in pharmacology (B.Sc. program in pharmacology)
  • VIR516 – Virology laboratory (B.Sc. program in microbiology)
  • PHAGE HUNTING PROJECT (as part of the undergraduate course VIR516)
  • VIR500 – Virology course (B.Sc. program in microbiology)
  • MCR 717/718 – The microbiome in the physiology, immunology and metabolism of the host (graduate level)