Saint Mary's University is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science faculty widely recognized for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts faculty and a vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. 

With 29 graduate programs (including 5 PhD programs) across all three faculties in various areas of strength in the Social Sciences and Humanities, Business, and Natural Sciences and Engineering, research activity at Saint Mary’s continues to grow rapidly. 

These themes encourage innovative scholarship within the Arts, Science and Business faculties to contribute collaboratively to raising the overall impact of Saint Mary’s University research.

Climate Change and the Environment

Monitoring, Impact Assessment, Solutions

Objectives

• Engage in research that focuses on the environment, particularly the impacts of climate change, through leadership in monitoring, assessing impact and investigating/implementing solutions.

• Engage in research that studies societal impacts of climate change, including leadership in public policy solutions.

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers (within and external to Saint Mary’s) and community partners to monitor, assess impact and develop solutions to issues arising from climate change.

Research Theme in Action

Dr. Danika van Proosdij’s world-leading research restores salt marshes

Dr. Adel Merabet focuses research on renewable energy sources

Connecting To Communities

Engaging, Partnering, Supporting Atlantic Canadian communities

Objectives

• Engage the community in our research involving collaborative partnerships with community groups to support the social and economic development, health and wellbeing of these communities in Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada and beyond.

• Enhance the interdisciplinary study of culture, peoples and their history, the natural environment and its resources and health and wellbeing as it relates to – and extends beyond – Atlantic Canada.

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers, within and external to Saint Mary’s, who will engage with community groups to conduct research relevant to supporting and improving the lives of people in these communities.

• Build and maintain sustained relationships with Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities, so that Saint Mary’s can be a trusted partner on research in areas these communities identify as important.

Research Theme in Action

Innovative Science

Exploring Fundamentals, Developing Applications

Objectives

• Engage in applied natural science research involving collaborations with industry and government agency partners to advance the technical challenges presented, provide quality experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers, from within and external to Saint Mary’s University, to develop innovative scientific approaches for projects aimed at improvements in industry, government or other technical applications.

• Develop and enhance national/international collaborations in the pursuit of advances in fundamental natural science research, with a particular emphasis in the fields of Astrophysics and Subatomic Physics.

Research Theme in Action

Modern Global Citizenship

Migration, Development, Big Data

Objectives

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers, from within and external to Saint Mary’s University, to develop innovative approaches (involving social sciences, humanities and/or computing/analytics) for projects addressing important issues related to the broad concept of Modern Global Citizenship.

• Develop and enhance national/international collaborations in the pursuit of advancing the understanding of issues related to the migration of peoples, including (but not restricted to): driving forces behind migration, experiences of migrating people, impacts and role of immigration in host/receptor regions and integrative experiences of immigrant people.

• Provide critical, evidence-based and justice-focused policy guidance to strengthen global efforts to support people on the move.

• Develop and enhance the use of data analytics to support research within the broad thematic area of Modern Global Citizenship.

Research Theme in Action

Innovation in Business and Workplace Studies

Objectives

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers, from within and external to Saint Mary’s University, to foster research in finance to create in-depth understanding of financial markets, in order to optimize the interaction of corporations with their environment and enhance investor education.

• Maintain a national leadership position in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology and Human Resource Management, in recognition of its vital importance to a knowledge-based economy and Saint Mary’s record of excellence in these fields.

• Enhance and develop research targeted at psychological health in the workplace, with particular attention to job-related stress, coping mechanisms, burnout and balanced-living strategies – areas that have emerged critically through the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

• Enhance and build interdisciplinary networks of researchers, from within and external to Saint Mary’s University, to foster research on information systems and technology that will help local, regional and national businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed in the marketplace.

• Support and enhance knowledge translation to transfer new research findings in Business and Workplace Studies to academic and business communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Research Theme in Action

Dr. Ethan Pancer investigates consumer behaviour

Dr. Debra Gilin’s work to prevent healthcare worker burn-out during COVID -19