Team

Training highly qualified professionals for the hydroelectric industry

Professors

Sébastien Houde

Ph. D., ing.
Director, Associate professor
Department of mechanical engineering, Université Laval

Professor Houde has more than twenty years of experience as a researcher in hydrodynamics applied to hydraulic turbines, both at Hydro-Québec and Université Laval. His expertise includes numerical and experimental hydrodynamics, vortex flow dynamics, and fluid-structure interactions.

Yvan Maciel

Ph. D., ing.
Professor
Department of mechanical engineering, Université Laval

Professor Maciel primarily has expertise in fluid dynamics, especially in the turbulence and aerodynamics fields. His research topics are related to engineering problems, especially in the aeronautics, energy, and biomedical fields.

Yves St-Amant

Ph. D., ing.
Department of mechanical engineering Director
Professor
Department of mechanical engineering, Université Laval

Professor St-Amant specializes in vibration dynamics, with a particular focus on experimental measurement and signal analysis. His research involves dynamic systems in general, energy recovery from vibrating structures, structure vibratory behavior, and the use of intelligent materials.

Frédérick Gosselin

Ph. D., ing.
Professor
Department of mechanical engineering, Polytechnique Montréal

Professor Gosselin’s research interests revolve around instability phenomena and fluid-structure interactions. He has studied various engineering problems such as component vibrations in hydroelectric turbines and water hose instability in a geoengineering project.

Research professionals

Sophie Bélanger-LeBel

Administrative coordinator

Sophie holds a bachelor's degree in International Studies and Modern Languages, as well as a graduate diploma (DESS) in Business Administration. Before joining the team in 2019, she worked in coordination and financial management in the field of rehabilitation and neuroscience research.

Jean-David Buron

Ph. D.
Simulations and data processing coordinator

Jean-David completed his master's and Ph.D. studies in Mechanical Engineering at Université Laval. He joined the team as a research professional in 2023, contributing his experience in flow simulation for hydraulic turbines and in the development of data analysis and processing tools.

Maxime Coulaud

Ph. D.
Experimental measurements coordinator

Maxime holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Université Laval. He joined the team in 2020. As a viable and sustainable source of energy, he believes that improving hydraulic turbines is key for developing future generations.