Lakehead University’s establishment in 1965 coincided with two major developments in the world: Canada’s adoption of the maple leaf flag and the tech industry’s pronouncement of “Moore’s Law”. The former affirmed our national pride, identity, and sovereignty; the latter – that computational capability will double every two years – heralded the widespread and relentless progress of advanced technology. At this pivotal time, 60 years later, both imperatives are being upheld in unique and indispensable ways by Lakehead’s research and innovation ecosystem.

We are strengthening our collaborations with industry, government, Indigenous communities, and other community partners to support advancements in the responsible exploration, extraction, and processing of rare earth and critical minerals in northwestern Ontario, including the Ring of Fire. This line of research, along with pioneering work in biorefining agro-forestry waste, is bolstering Canada’s supply chain, providing materials and fuels crucial to the innovation economy and national security.

At the same time, Lakehead is elevating our world-class expertise in advanced technologies. Ranging from nanoscale devices and computational techniques to mechatronics and cybersecure systems, our researchers are addressing both the fundamental concepts and practical implementation of many of the building blocks that will underpin next-generation intelligent and autonomous systems. Such research is essential to maintaining

Canada’s competitiveness and future growth in a wide variety of tech-intensive industries. With the launch of the Barrie STEM Hub, a new, high-tech learning and research space focused on engineering and computer science, we’re building a corridor of innovation in central Ontario – from Orillia to the GTA – and positioning Lakehead University as a creative incubator for ideas, discovery, and progress.

While the two areas of research above are integral to Canada’s future, Lakehead has a broad research portfolio and excels in many other domains through our collaborative approach to research.

The ethos of Research and Innovation at Lakehead is to meet community-driven needs – whether through the training of highly qualified personnel, applied research, or knowledge mobilization. In so doing, we organize ourselves according to the unique needs of the regions we serve. Lakehead researchers typically work inclusively and collaboratively – in teams and across disciplines – to define problems and assemble the required expertise and resources to solve them. This, in turn, confers a natural propensity for system thinking, the pursuit of sustainable solutions, and the transfer of locally-developed practices to national and global stages. Our teams truly are models of creativity and “can-do” spirit!

What does this mean for tackling the grand challenges now facing Canada and the world? Lakehead is extraordinarily equipped to champion the well-being of humanity in a holistic way. Applying cross-disciplinary methodologies and leveraging our partnerships, we have outstanding research programs in brain and mental health, population health, and personalized/precision medicine – many prioritizing and carried out in collaboration with Indigenous communities. We are also working toward human augmentation in its broadest sense, from enhancing physical performance and rehabilitation with novel biomechanics to conducting deep humanistic explorations of AI as an era-defining tool.

Ultimately, it is at the macro level where Lakehead’s style of research and innovation shines the brightest. Our system thinkers cross boundaries and unite diverse experts and stakeholders in pursuit of ever-improving environments. Principles of inclusion, ethics, cohesiveness, engagement, and eco-sustainability guide our studies of natural and social environments, leading to transformative results. In tandem, the intertwined goals of safety, security, and energy-sustainability shape our research in built and cyber environments, promising Canadians a future of greater infrastructure resilience and digital sovereignty.

Throughout, we consider AI to be a core competency that powers all research to accelerate innovation and achieve maximum impact.

With our strong cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach and our deeply entrenched sustainable systems mindset, Lakehead University is creating a research ecosystem that will play a pivotal role in ensuring Canada’s future prosperity.