Armand Soldera: a man of conviction

Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, Armand Soldera has been awarded the honorary title of Doctor honoris causa by the University of Montpellier. A well-deserved honor for this teacher-researcher in chemistry, who is as committed as he is to forging lasting links with the UM and its constituent parts, including Polytech Montpellier.

Armand Soldera is a man of conviction. The Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) readily admits that his commitment is " profound ", whether from a social, civic or academic point of view.

You only have to look at his background to understand that there's no question of half-measures for this son of Italians. When he sets out to do something, he doesn't give up. Starting with his studies. Armand Soldera tells it with a touch of humor, his unfailing smile on his lips: " I wanted to do short studies, to be a high school teacher, but I loved research too much! "

After a DEA in physical sciences, he embarked on a PhD in molecular physical chemistry at the University of Strasbourg, which he obtained in 1992. Fascinated by research, he did a postdoctoral internship at the University of Laval (Quebec, Canada), during which he fell in love with the Belle Province, before being hired as a research engineer at the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA) in Tours, in 1994. But the call of academia was too strong. In 2002, Armand Soldera resigned and returned to the academic world... on the other side of the Atlantic.

At the crossroads of physics and chemistry

Director of the Molecular Physicochemistry Laboratory and lecturer in the Chemistry Department at the Université de Sherbrooke, Armand Soldera has regained "the freedom we enjoy in the academic world, which I really wanted ". His area of expertise: soft matter. " This refers to complex intermediate systems between liquids and solids, such as gels, pastes and slurries," explains his sponsor Éric Anglaret, who teaches materials physics and is the Director of International Relations at Polytech Montpellier.

Armand Soldera is particularly interested in statistical thermodynamics, and conducts multi-scale studies, from the molecule to the material, using computer experiments. He excels in a field at the crossroads of physics and chemistry, and is passionate about the sciences as well as literature, philosophy...

Focusing on student success

In 2018, Armand Soldera became Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science, Development and Partnerships, which led him to strengthen ties with the University of Montpellier. The two cities, which became twins in 2013, have already been collaborating on the Rencontres scientifiques Montpellier-Sherbrooke organized every two years since 2006. This is where Éric Anglaret meets Armand Soldera in 2019. Together, they set up joint training programs, including a dual degree program that welcomes a handful of Polytech Montpellier engineering students to Sherbrooke every year.

In 2020, they founded the International Laboratory for Learning about Technological Nanomaterials (LIANT), bringing together teacher-researchers from Polytech Montpellier, the IUT Montpellier-Sète and the faculties of science, engineering and education at the University of Sherbrooke. " I'm proud that the UM is honouring Armand, because he's a colleague and friend who's committed to all aspects of our profession: research, of course; pedagogy, in particular the pedagogical innovation so dear to our Quebec friends; and innovation, in close collaboration with companies , which has led him to register several patents," his sponsor readily admits.

1300 km by bike!

The two men also share a civic concern: ecological issues. Thus was born a crazy project designed to promote eco-responsible mobility: in 2022, Armand Soldera will cycle over 1300 kilometers from Paris to Montpellier, passing through eight of France's fifteen Polytech schools. He will be accompanied on the final leg by around fifty UM students and teachers. In return, the Montpellier residents have pledged to make the trip to Quebec by sailing freighter in the years to come.

Another " out of the box " project was the creation of a beer designed and researched at Polytech Montpellier, and produced at the Sherbrooke factory-school in partnership with Siboire microbreweries. Entitled Debryde, this "hybrid beer challenge" was tasted by participants in the 2024 edition of the Montpellier-Sherbrooke meetings.

Since spring 2024, Armand Soldera has been Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Université de Sherbrooke. This appointment comes just a few months after his four-month stay in Montpellier as a guest researcher on the MAK'IT program. Rarely has a candidate for an honorary doctorate known the UM so well, as its president Philippe Augé pointed out in his speech. " None of this is about me, it's about us ", insists Armand Soldera, as a promise of a deeper commitment and the creation of lasting links.