Magali Millecamps

Ph.D. (doctor), Regular member

Expertise
Neuroscience

Principal Interest
Other

Secondary Interest
Comorbidities

Primary Affiliation

Université de Montréal

Secondary Affiliation
Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA)

Biography

After studying animal physiology, evolution, ecology, and the biology of populations and ecosystems, as well as nutrition and food science, I obtained a PhD in neuropsychopharmacology in 2003 (Université d’Auvergne, France).
Following a first postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago, I joined McGill University for a second postdoctoral training and later became an associate researcher in Professor Stone’s team. Over nearly fifteen years, I developed new animal models and experimental approaches to better understand low back pain linked to intervertebral disc degeneration and epigenetic mechanisms associated with chronic pain, laying the foundations of my current research program on geriatric well-being. From 2021 to 2024, I worked as a private consultant and then as Scientific Director of the ABC (Animal Behavioural Characterisation) Platform at McGill University.
In December 2024, I joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Université de Montréal as an Assistant Professor, where I enjoy sharing my expertise in animal behavior, physiology, pharmacology, and molecular biology with the students I work with.

What has been a defining moment in your career?

I would say that there isn't a single defining moment in my career, but rather a series of detours, bursts of energy, and failures that have shaped me. Not being accepted into a program I wanted, seeing funding slip through my fingers, or missing out on a job I hoped for were, at the time, doors closing. Looking back, they were mostly paths opening up elsewhere. Each of these setbacks nurtured my resilience, sharpened my creativity, and pushed me to chart my own course, sometimes a little off the beaten track. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and collaborators who, through their kindness and trust, supported me along the way and encouraged my “slightly crazy scholarly side.” In the end, it was these detours that gave my career its energy and meaning.