Gilles Brassard is a faculty member of the Université de Montréal, where he has been a Full Professor since 1988 and Canada Research Chair since 2001.

[2][3] Brassard received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University in 1979, working in the field of cryptography with John Hopcroft as his advisor.

[17] His nomination reads: Gilles Brassard is one of the earliest pioneers of quantum information science in the world.

Through his visionary thinking and groundbreaking research, Professor Brassard has played a pivotal role in transforming the field of quantum information science from what was initially perceived to be merely a fringe pursuit into an area of vigorous and dynamic international activity.

In 2018, he received the Wolf Prize in Physics[18] and in 2019 the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences.