Benoit-Antoine Bacon

• Bishop's University
• Concordia University
• Queen's University at Kingston
• Carleton University
• University of British Columbia

Benoit-Antoine Bacon
Benoit-Antoine Bacon in 2018
17th President of the University of British Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office November 1, 2023
Thesis	Etudes des Substrats Neurologiques de la Stéréopsie Chez le Chat  (1999)
Doctoral advisors	Franco Lepore Jean-Paul Guillemot

Benoit-Antoine Bacon is a Canadian neuropsychologist who has been serving as the 17th president of the University of British Columbia since November 2023. ^[1] He previously served as the 15th president of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, from 2018 to 2023. ^[2]

Early life and education

Born in Montreal, he graduated from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec with a B.A. (Honours) degree in psychology in 1995. He received his Ph.D. in neuropsychology from the Université de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec in 1999, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. ^[3]

Career

His first academic appointment was in the Department of Psychology at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. ^[4] Following serious labour strife at Bishop’s, he was asked to serve as Chief Negotiator for the union and led the settlement of several collective agreements. ^[5] He later served as Chair of Psychology, Dean of Arts and Science, and Associate VP Research at the institution. ^[6]

In 2013, he was hired as Provost and Vice-President (Academic Affairs) at his alma mater Concordia University. ^[7] In 2016, he moved to Ontario to serve as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at Queen's University. ^[8]

On May 1, 2018 he was announced as the 15th President of Carleton University in Ottawa, succeeding interim President Alastair Summerlee. ^[9] He began his mandate on July 1, 2018, at the same time as Carleton Board Chair Nik Nanos. ^[10] Together they announced Yaprak Baltacioğlu as the 12th Chancellor of the institution in December 2018. ^[11]

On July 20, 2023, Dr. Bacon was announced as the 17th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, with his term to begin on November 1, 2023. ^[12] Bacon's term as President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University ended on August 31, 2023. He was succeeded by Jerry Tomberlin as interim President and Vice-Chancellor. ^[13]

Personal life

To contribute to breaking down the stigma around mental health and substance use, Bacon has shared his difficult upbringing in a dysfunctional family ^[14] and subsequent challenges in early adulthood ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon named UBC president". 20 July 2023.
2. "Carleton University appoints new President and Vice-Chancellor". ctvnews.ca. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
3. "Carleton University names Benoit-Antoine Bacon as president". obj.ca. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
4. "Announcements – May 2018". universityaffairs.ca. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
5. "A Q&A with Benoit-Antoine Bacon". queensjournal.ca. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
6. "Provost at Queen's U appointed new president of Carleton University". ottawacitizen.com. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
7. "Benoit-Antoine Bacon appointed provost". concordia.ca. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
8. "Benoit-Antoine Bacon appointed provost". queensu.ca. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
9. "Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon Appointed as Carleton University's 15th President". carleton.ca. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
10. "Nik Nanos Appointed New Chair of Carleton University's Board of Governors". carleton.ca. July 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
11. "Yaprak Baltacioğlu Named Carleton University's New Chancellor". carleton.ca. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
12. "Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon named UBC president". ubc.ca. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
13. "Carleton President Benoit-Antoine Bacon Leaving University to Take on UBC Presidency". Carleton Newsroom. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
14. Dault, Meredith (2017). "Clarity of vision". queensu.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
15. "Installation Address – November 10, 2018". carleton.ca. November 10, 2018. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
16. Bacon, Benoit-Antoine (October 15, 2018). "On Mental Health". carleton.ca. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2019.

Academic offices
Preceded by Alastair Summerlee (interim)	15th President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University 2018–2023	Succeeded by Jerry Tomberlin (interim)
Preceded by Deborah Buszard (interim)	17th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia 2023–present	Incumbent