Chief Technology Officer, Advanced Photonics
Jean-François Cormier possesses vast, deep, and diversified expertise in high-tech physics and scientific leadership acquired over a career spanning more than 30 years. A graduate of the Université de Montréal and later Université Laval, he obtained both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in laser physics from the Center for Optics, Photonics and Lasers (COPL). His solid academic background is paired with hands-on experience in innovation management and the strategic alignment of technology roadmaps.
He began his career as a Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC – Industrial Materials Institute in Boucherville) before joining INO. Within this organization, he leveraged his scientific leadership by successively holding the positions of Researcher, Assistant Operations Manager, Technology Manager, and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Chief Technology Officer. His technical skills and interests are broad and extend to cutting-edge areas of innovation, such as nanophotonics, biophotonics, lasers, optical fibers, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), quantum technologies, and the integration of applied artificial intelligence into photonic systems.
Highly active within both the scientific and industrial communities, Mr. Cormier has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Photons Canada (the Canadian Photonic Industry Consortium), co-chair of industrial events for the Photonics North 2026 international conference, and is an active member of the Forum des Innovateurs de Québec.
Following the recent merger of INO with the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM) to found Luqia—Canada’s premier industrial innovation laboratory in photonics and artificial intelligence—he was appointed Chief Technology Officer, Advanced Photonics. In this role, he drives the strategic technological directions and propels the organization’s vanguard research and development programs.