Michèle Prévost

Michèle Prévost is a tenured Professor at Polytechnique Montréal's Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering. She holds the NSERC Industrial Chair on Drinking Water (CIEP) and founded the CREDEAU water technology platform. With over 25 years of experience in drinking water R&D, her expertise covers source protection, water treatment (disinfection, biological processes, contaminant oxidation), and distribution network issues like bio-stability and Legionella control.

• 2024 - King Charles III Coronation Medal
• 2021 - Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
• 2017 - Acfas Michel-Jurdant Prize
• 2016 - A.P. Black Award from AWWA

Her research focuses on:

• Drinking water contamination risks
• Emerging pollutants (toxins, pharmaceuticals)
• Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in plumbing
• Climate change impact on water supply
• Advanced monitoring systems for water quality
• Lead pipe removal strategies

The 15 most recent publications (2024-2025) analyze: Legionella transmission mechanisms, real-time water monitoring tools, lead mitigation, chlorine management, cooling tower safety, and emerging contaminant oxidation. Trends show strong emphasis on microbial risk modeling, climate resilience, and hospital water system optimization.

Students she has supervised include 30 PhD and 48 master's graduates, with recent work on Legionella airborne transmission, cyanobacteria monitoring, and waterborne pathogen dynamics. Media mentions since 2015 highlight her warnings about lax water regulations and lead contamination in Quebec schools.