Chantal Trudel is the inaugural Director of Carleton University’s Centre for Community Engagement. The Centre for Community Engagement was established in 2021 with a mandate to provide infrastructure to support the community engagement priority outlined in Carleton’s Strategic Integrated Plan and serve as a focal point to align this priority across the university and with partners.

 

Chantal is an Associate Professor in the School of Industrial Design (Faculty of Engineering and Design), member of the Human Computer Interaction program and cross-appointed to The School of Information Technology. She is an industrial designer (BID, Carleton University), a human factors professional (MSc, University of Nottingham) with an Honours BA in Philosophy (University of Ottawa). She works in inclusive and accessible design to support health and wellness through various initiatives including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) CREATE Research and Education in Accessibility Design and Innovation (READi) program; the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Abilities Living Laboratory (ALL); the National Research Council’s Aging in Place Challenge Program; and as technical subcommittee member on the CSA Z8004:22 Long-term care home operations and infection prevention and control.

 

Prior to her appointment at Carleton University, Chantal worked as a product designer going on to specialize in the design of healthcare facilities. Throughout her profession, she was a strong proponent of participatory design, facilitating the early and consistent engagement with members of the community in the design and development of ‘their’ projects. Chantal continues this work with her students and colleagues working with partners like the Bruyère Research Institute, the Ontario Centres for Learning and Innovation in Long-Term Care, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, the National Research Council’s Centre for Air Travel, the Canadian Standards Association, the World Health Organization, among other collaborators actively advancing design to support all individuals.