Until recently, Dr. Champagne was professor in civil and chemical engineering and Tier II Canada Research Chair in bioresources engineering at Queen’s University, where she earned international renown for her research on the development of alternate water and waste management strategies and environmentally sustainable approaches on integrated bioresource management. In September 2021, she was appointed as Scientific Director of the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, the leading academic institution for research intensity in Canada.

She has made a substantial impact on the improvement of wastewater treatment by optimizing passive wastewater treatment systems as low energy technologies for Canadian climate applications. This technology provides effective, low-maintenance, and low-cost treatment of domestic wastewaters, agricultural runoff, landfill leachate, and acid mine drainage. Her work on the assessment of urban water systems incorporated important health and operational factors, defining best practices for management and control of disinfection by-products in drinking water.

​Dr. Champagne’s contributions to bioresource engineering are equally impactful. Two projects have established her as a world leader in this field: the conversion of micro- and macroalgal biomass to fuel using CO2 switchable solvents, and the replacement of petroleum-based materials with renewal natural resources. In 2019, she received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Researcher Council (NSERC) Brockhouse Prize for her contributions to interdisciplinary research.