Dr. Alain Musende is a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa where he teaches biopharmaceutical science courses. He is currently on a necessary leave of absence from his full time position as the Manager at the Marketed Health Products Directorate, with Health Canada in order to allow him to run as the PPC candidate in the Carleton riding.

Alain has more than 19 years of professional experience at the management level in the pharmaceutical industry and with the federal government. He possesses a B.Sc. in chemistry from the Université du Québec à Montréal, a M.Sc. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and a Ph.D in experimental pathology also from UBC.

His academic journey started when he left his native, French speaking Democratic Republic of Congo upon high school graduation, earning a scholarship to study petrochemical engineering in China…in Chinese! After living in Beijing for 1 year and in Shanghai for 2 years, he moved to Canada to study chemistry. As a foreign student, he was obliged to pay international tuition fees, which were six times what Canadian students paid. Following the unexpected death of his father 6 months after Alain arrived in Canada, he was no longer able to count on financial support from his family in the Congo. Instead Mr. Musende owed his academic survival to grueling but financially rewarding seasonal tree planting jobs in northern Ontario and British Columbia.

Professor Musende is highly respected by his students, many of whom regard him as their mentor and inspiration. When reflecting on his academic and professional accomplishments, he is overwhelmed by his immense gratitude to Canada as an exceptional and welcoming country. He is justifiably proud that his life journey, and that of his family, represent another Canadian immigrant success story!

Professor Musende is a well-rounded and well-travelled individual. When he is not passionately discussing science or politics, Alain enjoys a variety of activities, including spiritual growth and healthy eating / living. Dr. Musende lives in Greely with his wife and his son and three daughters, all of whom are enrolled in University courses.

He is fluently bilingual in English and French, in addition to two African languages, and maintains conversational proficiency of Mandarin Chinese.