Overview

Athabasca University is a Comprehensive Alberta Research University (CARU) committed to the highest professional standards of scholarly research and research ethics. AU's research includes a wide range of creative and innovative scholarly activity.

Our areas of research

Athabasca University’s existing and emerging research strengths can be grouped into four broad themes and serve to identify the University’s strategic research directions for the upcoming five years. The themes are not inclusive of all the research being conducted at AU. The themes foster development of a critical mass of researchers to cultivate the growth of leading edge disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and afford opportunities to align strategic research infrastructure investments with research capacity. 

Environmental and societal dynamics of sustainability encompasses research related to the complex social, economic and ecological dimensions of sustainability

Disruptive pedagogies advance pedagogical theory and practice by calling into question traditional views of education and training, including commonly held assumptions about how people learn and how learning can be nurtured and measured.

Society, culture, health and well-being addresses questions related to the human experience, be it individual or collective, past, present or future.

Digital futures embody the design, application and impact of digital technology on society and the potential of open data and open science to advance knowledge and address social, economic, and environmental concerns.Strategic Research Plan

Research chairs

Research chairs play a vital role in enhancing AU’s research and research training, and in attracting and retaining other exceptional researchers. AU currently holds provincial, national and international research chair positions.Learn more about our research chairs

Student research

Research is a key part of the graduate degree experience. That’s why we place a high priority on providing our students with research opportunities.

Through your graduate research, you will make your own contributions to your field of study while completing an important milestone in your academic career. AU recognizes both inquiry-based and creative learning, so you can investigate the questions that move you.Learn about graduate student funding opportunities

Hands-on experience

In addition to completing your own master’s or doctoral research project, as a graduate student you may have the opportunity to work with AU faculty as a research assistant. Openings are posted as they become available.Learn more about research assistant opportunities

Undergraduate research

AU also supports undergraduate research. If you are studying engineering or the natural sciences, you can apply for NSERC’s $4,500 Undergraduate Student Research Awards. AU provides an additional financial supplement to award winners.

Each award provides 16 weeks of full-time research work experience in an academic setting.

If you would like to work with an AU faculty member in your area of interest, please contact the Research Centre.