Maximilien Debia is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal and a researcher at the Public Health Research Center. He created the Industrial Hygiene and Pollutant Metrology Laboratory (LHIMP) with Professor Jérôme Lavoué in 2012. His research aims to control occupational exposure to chemical and biological contaminants, from the elimination at source of hazards to personal protection of workers through monitoring of exposure levels.

In the field of substitution, Professor Debia was trained in the team of Professor Michel Gérin and his collaborator Denis Bégin and now directs this research program at the Montréal University. The research team's most significant work has led to the publication of 12 substitution sheets by type of use, a monograph on green solvents, and the updating of the Solub Web site in collaboration with the Robert-Sauvé Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute (IRSST).