Paul Dufour

Paul Dufour has been senior adviser in science policy with several Canadian agencies and organizations over the course of the past 40 years. Among these: senior program specialist with the International Development Research Centre, and interim Executive Director at the former Office of the National Science Advisor to the Canadian Government advising on international S&T matters and broad questions of R&D policy directions for the country.

Born in Montréal, Mr. Dufour was educated at McGill, the Université de Montréal and Concordia University in the history of science and science policy, and has had practical S&T policy experience. He is on the board of several organizations, including  that of the student-based  Science and Policy Exchange.  In 2019, Mr Dufour received the first ever Canadian Science Policy Centre award for Exceptional Achievement in Science Policy.

Mr. Dufour lectures regularly on science policy, has authored numerous articles on international S&T relations and Canadian innovation policy. He was series co-editor of the Cartermill Guides to World Science, and in 2019 co-edited two books on the history of the Science Council of Canada, as well as the collected speeches of Nobelist Gerhard Herzberg on the value of science and society in culture.   He is the author of the Canada chapter for the forthcoming UNESCO 2020 Science Report.