Research Strengths
The University of Regina endeavours to develop and maintain a supportive and diverse research environment and a culture of excellence for all scholars. Specifically, we intend to be recognized as leaders nationally and internationally in our thematic areas of strength identified in our four research clusters.
Formalizing our signature areas of research will address the specific objectives of the institutional Strategic Plan to broaden partnerships, provide focus for Institutional Identity, and produce social impact. Research clusters streamline institutional resources to better support research and creative work, as well as enhance technologies for research.
Climate and the Environment
Many members of the University of Regina’s research community work on the most serious threats to environments in semi-arid regions in Saskatchewan and elsewhere. The U of R has maintained a long commitment to researching and mitigating societal impacts to climate and the environment. This is clearly evident in the number of research centres that are aligned to this signature area and work together to address grand challenges via multi-disciplinary approaches; including: the Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute, Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Communities, Institute for Environmental Change and Society, Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, and the Centre for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy. Their research provides information to decision-makers on how to alleviate negative impacts on climate, land-use and pollution on hydrology, degradation of water quality and food-web integrity. We develop adaptive management strategies and policies for the impacts of anticipated climate change, population growth and increased development of natural resources.
Researchers in this signature area evaluate the impacts of natural and anthropogenic effects on grassland, forest and aquatic habitats, develop environmental low carbon technologies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions associated with climate change, and study other aspects of clean energy such as smart grids, intelligent transportation systems, and lean and agile manufacturing.
Living Heritage
Living Heritage, as defined by UNESCO, is also referred to as intangible culture. Research in this area examines the practices, production/reproduction, expression, spaces, and knowledges that protect the diversity of human creativity and humanity’s collective heritage. Every day, University of Regina researchers focus their efforts on understanding and preserving the dynamic and evolving elements of cultural heritage – oral histories, food heritage (traditional, sustainable cuisine), music, dance, ceremony, the natural world, and aesthetic and spiritual beliefs. Through this work, researchers across our campus create partnerships and produce scholarship that positively impacts our communities and our world.
Researchers in this signature area are highly engaged in the diverse and creative works that support Living Heritage scholarship and are examining a range of diverse activities that center on it. Through our commitment to creating a culture of Living Heritage on our campus, we envision the University of Regina as a living lab of intangible culture – a space to ask questions, to research, and to experiment – a place where we embrace existing and emerging opportunities within the realm of Living Heritage research. The U of R’s Humanities Research Institute plays a vital role in actioning our Living Heritage signature area.
Digital Futures
The growth and continuous expansion of the data culture provides constant opportunities for our researchers to innovate, partner, develop and produce across fields such as commerce, science, education, healthcare, public administration, the arts and culture industries.
Digital Future researchers are leading the way through innovation and creativity in computing and digital media. They are performing research in data mining, wise computing, visualization, data security, and policy design, creation and analysis of emerging technologies, as well as within the digital humanities. They are emphasizing effective, efficient and sensitive decision-making by working with new information accumulated from diverse sources in scaled quantities of heterogeneous, electronic data.
Health and Wellness
The University of Regina has an exceptional research reputation and international recognition in mental health and wellness. This is particularly evident by the strengths in our institutional research centres including: Centre on Aging and Health, Child Trauma Research Centre, and Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment, and Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit. Emerging areas of research within the Health and Wellness signature area include neuroscience, therapeutic recreation and nutrition and training.
Pain, anxiety, depression, and stress can be understood as being part of a self-perpetuating cycle. Understanding, evaluating, managing and mitigating this cycle is the focus of this signature area. Researchers are tackling complex and costly human problems related to anxiety, stress and pain, their clinical evaluation, manifestation, causal factors and their management, with the goal of improving functional ability and quality of life for millions of people. The Health and Wellness signature area also builds on the University’s strategic commitment to mental health literacy and research, strengthening connections with communities; providing positive social, environmental, economic, and health impacts through our reciprocal relationships with our communities. Our research in mental health leads to discoveries that have measurable impacts on our communities.
The University’s research is not limited solely to these areas of strategic priority, and they do not diminish the important contributions of individual researchers and creative practitioners. In fact, individual research strengths collectively formed the foundation of the University’s strategic research directions and will continue to foster new opportunities.