Portrait of Xavier Linker, Coordinator of Major Programs and Initiatives

Xavier Linker joined our team just over a year ago, mainly to coordinate the Innovateurs(trices) en Résidence programme. In this profile, we invite you to find out a little more about him.

My mission at the TransMedTech Institite is twofold. Firstly, I am responsible for coordinating the Innovateurs(trices) en Résidence programme, a unique programme offering opportunities for entrepreneurs to carry out scientific or clinical validation projects in a real healthcare environment.

Xavier Linker

Tell us about you:

I didn’t really plan to study life sciences, but it was the subject in which I did best. Looking back, it wasn’t a bad choice! So, after obtaining a University Diploma of Technology in Biological Engineering, I had the opportunity to continue my engineering studies and obtain an engineering diploma in Biochemical Engineering. I then had to make a difficult choice: to continue with a PhD or not? But I wasn’t very convinced by my research placement experiences, so I finally decided to go on and do a Specialised Masters in Biotechnology Management.

Once in the world of work, I started by working for Charles River Laboratories for 11 years. First in France (in charge of the French sales team and customer support), then in Canada from 2012 to 2016. This was followed by three years in which I held various business development positions in industry without managing to breathe new life into my career, until I joined McGill University in 2019, first as a Business Development Advisor, then quickly as Associate Director of NeuroSphere, McGill’s neuroscience innovation accelerator supported by the Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives initiative. This experience marked a turning point in my career and my entry into the world of innovation and scientific entrepreneurship.

What is your role at TransMedTech Institute and more specifically at Innovateurs(trices) en Résidence?

My mission at the TransMedTech Institute is twofold. Firstly, I am responsible for coordinating the Innovateurs(trices) en Résidence programme, a unique programme offering opportunities for entrepreneurs to carry out scientific or clinical validation projects in a real healthcare environment. Secondly, I’m involved in a number of TransMedTech initiatives aimed at sustaining its activities, in particular through the MedTech Innovation Lab.

What are your values at work and in life in general?

Listening, pragmatism, respect, transparency and efficiency. My nature is to try to keep things as simple as possible so as not to lose sight of the objectives.

There are different ways of looking at success. What would that be for you?

I tend to distinguish between success and achievement. My conception of success would be more general; it would not be limited solely to whether or not I succeed professionally, but rather to finding a satisfactory balance between all the aspects of my life.

At the same time, I see achievement as something more specific, like the satisfaction of seeing a strategic initiative unfold, a collaboration with a partner come to fruition, a technological innovation move towards commercialisation or a professional project come to life.

As a child, what did you dream of doing?

When I was a teenager, I didn’t have a specific career in mind, but rather a desire to develop in the mountain bike world. In the end, I realistically decided to pursue a career as an engineer like my father. Nevertheless, I’m keeping this dream in a small corner of my mind for the end of my professional career.

Who inspires you and why?

I don’t recognise myself in the notion of a role model or hero, but rather I build myself by drawing inspiration from the qualities and life experiences of others, particularly those close to me. In the end, there’s bound to be something that inspires me in each of them.

What reading(s)/podcast(s) would you recommend?

Lately, I’ve been tackling David Goudreault’s la Bête, whose writing style and gritty humorous tone suit me well.

I also take this opportunity to highlight a friend’s podcast series on OHdio (Radio Canada) about abortion in Canada « Avortement : un pays pas comme les autres ».  A subject that unfortunately remains topical in 2024.

Source : Communication Department, TransMedTech Institute