Born February 23, 1949, in Quebec City, Canada. Received a bachelor of science degree in engineering physics from the Royal Military College of Kingston in 1970, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England, in 1973. Attended the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College of Toronto in 1982-83.

Dr. Garneau reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He completed a one-year training and evaluation program and is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Dr. Garneau initially worked technical issues for the Astronaut Office Robotics Integration Team. He subsequently served as spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control during Shuttle flights.

In February 2001, Marc Garneau was appointed Executive Vice President, Canadian Space Agency. He was subsequently appointed President of the Canadian Space Agency, effective November 22, 2001.