Global menu

Michel Labrecque, researcher in ecophysiology

English
Michel Labrecque
Photo: IRBV / Amélie Philibert
Michel Labrecque
  • Michel Labrecque
  • Excursion to the Boisé-des-Muir Ecological Reserve, Huntingdon. From left to right: Michel Labrecque, French botanist Francis Hallé, and IRBV’s Jacques Brisson.
  • Michel Labrecque in the middle of willows on a phytoremediation site in Varennes, Québec.
  • Michel Labrecque in discussion with students in the laboratory. On the far right, Professor Mohamed Hijri of IRBV.

Researcher at the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV) and head of research and scientific development at the Jardin botanique, Michel Labrecque is a specialist in the field of phytotechnologies, which use living plants as solutions to various environmental issues.

  • Head of research and scientific development  at Espace pour la vie
  • Adjunct professor, Department of biological sciences, Université de Montréal 
  • Read his articles on our blog

Areas of research and expertise

  • Ecophysiology of woody species
  • Productivity and yield of fast-growing tree plantations for biomass production purposes
  • Nutrition and assimilation under various environmental conditions
  • Bioremediation and phytoremediation of contaminated sites

Education

Doctoral recognition – Biological sciences, 2000
Université de Montréal

Master’s – Biological sciences
Université de Montréal

Shaping the development of the Jardin botanique and phytotechnologies

Michel Labrecque has been curator and head of research and scientific development at the Jardin botanique de Montréal since 1997. He is also an associate professor in the department of biological sciences at Université de Montréal. He thus combines managerial roles at the Jardin botanique with research in the field of phytotechnologies.

With his research group, Michel Labrecque focuses, for example, on the rehabilitation of industrial wastelands, former oil and mining sites, or the phytotreatment of contaminated waters. He has led several large-scale projects, often carried out in collaboration with private partners, municipalities, or public organizations.

Michel Labrecque is internationally recognized in his field and is often invited to give training courses abroad. In June 2022, he received the highest recognition awarded by the Government of Quebec, when he was made a knight of the National Order of Quebec.