André Torre is Director of Research in Economics at INRAE, currently attached to the University of Paris-Saclay and Agroparistech. He holds a PhD in Economic Sciences from the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis (1985) and the Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches (1988). He was a researcher at the CNRS, before joining the INRA research laboratory in Corte, between 1994 and 1998, as Director of Research. He then worked in Paris, where he worked on issues of regional planning and territorial and sustainable development. In particular, he was interested in the development of rural areas, conflicts of use and neighborhood, proximity relations and circular economy issues. He has published around twenty books in French and English on these issues, as well as numerous articles. His achievements are reflected by the Stanford University Ranking 2021, which placed him among the top 1% most cited researchers in the world.
André Torre is a member of the French Academy of Agriculture and the Academia Europaea. Between 2008 and 2020, he directed the PSDR Programs (For and On Regional Development), which bring together research dedicated to the development of rural territories and agricultural activity in the Region. Between 2017 and 2019, he directed the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSH CNRS) in Paris-Saclay. Between 2018 and 2023, he was the President of the European Regional Science Association, which brings together scientists working in Europe on issues of territorial development. He was President of the French Association of French-Speaking Regional Sciences between 2008 and 2011. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Revue d’Economie Régionale et Urbaine.
Nelson Michaud is a jurist, historian and political scientist. He is a full professor and former director general (rectorate) of a Quebec higher education establishment, the National School of Public Administration (ÉNAP), an establishment in the University of Quebec network, and he is a member of the Bar of Quebec. Nelson Michaud is the Professor at École Nationale D’administration Publique (ÉNAP) based in Canada.
He has worked with various Canadian federal departments. He was subsequently a lecturer at Laval University, then an associate researcher at the Center for Foreign Policy Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He joined the National School of Public Administration in Quebec in 2000, as an associate professor. He is director of the International Study, Research and Training Group (GERFI). At the same time, he founded and took charge of the Laboratory for the Study of Public Policies and Globalization (LEPPM).
Professionally, he has participated in projects in Europe, Africa, Brazil, Viet-Nam, Haiti and Latin America. In addition, he has worked in numerous Canadian and international research centers and networks.
A prolific author, he has published several articles in refereed journals and his texts have also appeared as chapters in collective works and as encyclopedic articles. His peer-reviewed publications have attracted the attention of specialists in history, political science and law.