2026 Walston Chubb Award for Innovation
Richard Boudreault is a Canadian physicist, engineer, entrepreneur, professor, and governance leader whose career has linked scientific discovery with technological deployment across aerospace, energy, environmental technology, biomedical devices, and Arctic research. He is a researcher at the Université de Sherbrooke, an adjunct professor at Polytechnique Montréal and the University of Waterloo, and the founder and CEO of Awn Nanotech, where he leads the development of nanomaterial-based atmospheric water generation technologies for remote, Arctic, and water-stressed environments.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Boudreault has founded and led science-based companies, built research organizations, and advanced technologies in space systems, advanced materials, clean energy, water, medical technologies, and environmental monitoring. His work has emphasized the translation of applied physics and engineering into practical systems, including technologies commercialized through major industrial partners and deployed in sectors of strategic importance to Canada.
Boudreault has also played significant roles in national research and innovation governance, including board and advisory roles with universities, Crown corporations, research institutions, and science organizations. His Arctic and northern work includes research on climate solutions, infrastructure, water security, Indigenous engagement, and technologies for extreme environments.
He is a fellow of major Canadian and international scientific and engineering academies and has received national and international recognitions for innovation, entrepreneurship, astronautics, and service to science. His career reflects Sigma Xi’s emphasis on creativity, interdisciplinary research, and the public value of scientific innovation.