Hugo Asselin

Hugo Asselin is a Professor and Regular Researcher at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), holding multiple leadership positions including Director of the School of Indigenous Studies, Director of Customized Graduate Programs, Holder of the Desjardins Chair in Small Community Development, and Director of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Observatory. He joined UQAT in 2004 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in paleoecology and became a professor in the Department of Human and Social Development Sciences in 2007. Since 2016, he has been affiliated with the newly established School of Indigenous Studies.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Biology (Paleoecology) from Université Laval (2005), an M.Sc. in Biological Sciences (Forest Ecology) from the University of Montreal (1999), and a B.Sc. in Biology with Ecology concentration from Université de Sherbrooke (1997). From 2008 to 2018, he held the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Forestry, and since 2020 has held the Desjardins Chair in Small Community Development.

Asselin's research uniquely bridges natural and social sciences, with natural science projects focusing on forest ecology and paleoecology—particularly climate and disturbance impacts on forest ecosystems—and social science projects centered on Indigenous forestry, traditional knowledge documentation, governance, and social acceptability of forestry practices. His work integrates Indigenous knowledge systems with scientific approaches to address environmental change and sustainable resource management.

His 15 most recent publications reveal strong trends in Indigenous knowledge integration (40%), paleoecology and fire history (30%), and climate change impacts on boreal ecosystems (30%). Key subfields include traditional ecological knowledge application, Holocene vegetation dynamics, fire regime analysis, and culturally significant species conservation.

• 2020 Acfas Jacques-Rousseau Prize for multidisciplinary work
• 2019 Excellence in Research and Creation Award (Leadership component)
• 2018 Graduate Supervision Award
• 2017 Member of the Circle of Excellence of the University of Quebec

Asselin has supervised an extensive network of students including 15 doctoral candidates and 12 master's students as primary advisor, plus numerous co-advised students and postdoctoral researchers. His research has been supported through multiple chairs including the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Forestry (2008-2018) and the Desjardins Chair in Small Community Development (2020-present). He leads the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Observatory and the James Bay Observatory (since 2025), focusing on sustainable land use planning and community development in Indigenous territories.