Matthew Hatvany is a full professor in the Geography Department in Université Laval’s Faculty of Forestry, Geography, and Geomatics. He specializes in the historical geography of North America, environmental change, and salt marsh paleoecology.

In August 2018, Mr. Hatvany received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Canadian Association of Geographers.

Thanks to his commitment, the combined International Geographical Union Regional Conference, Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, and National Council for Geographic Education Annual Conference were held in Québec City in August 2018. Mr. Hatvany took home Event of the Year honours for this combined event, which drew 1,300 attendees and generated $3.3 million in economic spinoffs in the Québec City area.

The International Geography Olympiad was held at Université Laval in conjunction with this event, bringing together nearly 300 students from 43 countries.