Dr. Michelle Chrétien earned her BSc in chemistry from Dalhousie University and a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Ottawa. She is currently the Vice President, Research & Innovation at Conestoga College, where she oversees six applied research centres and labs spanning social innovation, biotechnology, food science and advanced manufacturing. She also oversees the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective.

Before transitioning to the public sector in 2018, Dr. Chrétien spent more than a decade in research and development at Xerox Corporation. She held various leadership roles, including Global Program Manager (Electronic Materials), Senior R&D Manager (Materials Science), and Program Manager (Strategic Partnerships). With extensive experience in applied research, she has led advancements in 3D printing, automation, robotics, and printed and flexible electronics. While at Xerox, she served on the Xerox Technology Assessment Panel, evaluating invention disclosures for novelty, patentability and strategic alignment.

Throughout her career, Dr. Chrétien has been dedicated to leading and enabling applied research across a variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) domains and helping businesses and entrepreneurs innovate, solve challenges and achieve their business and technology goals. She is passionate about the commercialization of innovation, public engagement in science, and equity and diversity in research. As Co-Chair of Joint Working Group on Commercialization Metrics, established by Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON) and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, she helped develop strategies to mobilize and measure the impact of academic intellectual property. She was also an inaugural recipient of IPON funding to support novel commercialization pathways in post-secondary education.

In August 2023, Dr. Chrétien led the creation of the Centre for Commercialization at Conestoga College. Under her leadership, the centre helps entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) unlock the full potential of their intellectual property and enhances Conestoga’s services and support for industry partners. The centre also helps SMEs develop effective commercialization strategies and offers a full suite of intellectual property services to help research partners understand and monetize the intangible assets behind their services and goods.

Dr. Chrétien has published 23 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and has been granted more than 90 US patents on novel materials and manufacturing technologies. Her PhD thesis was nominated for a Governor General’s Medal and awarded the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Prize for Young Chemists. She was an NSERC post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Biological Applications of Mass Spectrometry in Montréal. She has been recognized with several awards, including the Xerox Certificate of Excellence and the intelliFLEX Innovation Award for Women in STEM.

Dr. Chrétien has engaged the innovation community through service on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors of the NSERC Green Electronics Network, the Accelerator Centre, the intelliFLEX Innovation Alliance, the Milton Chamber of Commerce, the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, and the Altitude Accelerator. She has also served as member and chair on review committees for NSERC, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, the Ontario Centre of Innovation, and others. She is an appointed member of the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council.