USask earns top grades for social and economic impact
With world-leading research infrastructure and expertise, the University of Saskatchewan is making a difference in diverse fields, including food and water security ( left and middle) as well as disease research and vaccine development (right). left and middle, supplied; right, gordon waldner
With an established atmosphere of discovery across diverse disciplines – combining leading researchers and academics with some of Canada’s most outstanding academic and research facilities – the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has the bold vision to confront the world’s “wicked problems.”
According to USask president and vice-chancellor Peter Stoicheff, the university’s four guiding principles – sustainability, creativity, diversity and connectivity – have created a culture where success is possible across a wide range of disciplines. “What we discover through these principles, we put into practice on campus and around the world,” he says. “USask’s commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals is clear. For the second year in a row, we have ranked in the top 100 of The Times Higher Education worldwide rankings of universities for our social and economic impact.”
As a member of the U15 group of Canadian research-intensive universities, USask’s 2025 strategic plan aims to leverage inspired communities, courageous curiosity, boundless collaboration as well as innovative programs and partnerships to help address humanity’s greatest challenges and opportunities.
USask’s recognized areas of excellence include several notable highlights.
World-leading disease research and vaccine development
USask’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development. While gaining national prominence in 2020 for its advancement of COVID-19 vaccines, VIDO has been researching and developing vaccines since it was originally established in 1975. Over its history, VIDO has produced eight commercially available vaccines, including six world’s firsts, with four more currently in regulatory review.
“VIDO houses one of the largest and most advanced containment level 3 facilities in the world, and we are now constructing a vaccine manufacturing facility,” says
Dr. Baljit Singh, USask’s vice-president, Research. “To strengthen Canada’s response to emerging disease threats, VIDO recently received financial support from municipal, provincial and federal governments, and several private donors to establish a National Centre for Pandemic Research here at USask. As the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly shown, this will be a critical resource for all Canadians.”
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USask’s commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals is clear. For the second year in a row, we have ranked in the top 100 of The Times Higher Education worldwide rankings of universities for our social and economic impact.
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Advancing Indigenization
“USask is seen as a leader in Indigenization among Canadian universities, committed to transformative decolonization, leading to reconciliation, fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and creating a welcoming environment for Indigenous students and faculty,” says Stoicheff. “The Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre is one example among many of our deep commitment to this work.”
The Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre is an inclusive, intercultural gathering space for the entire campus community. The centre is named in memory of the spiritual and community leader Gordon Oakes Red Bear, who believed in education and in honouring one’s culture and traditions.
Douglas Cardinal, the centre’s renowned architect, is of Métis and Blackfoot heritage. The inspiration for the building’s striking design comes from Cardinal’s observations of nature.
Food and water security
“Food and water. Other than air, nothing is more important to life on this planet,” says Singh. “Combining global expertise, unprecedented support and incredible research facilities, USask is leading the search for answers to the world’s most pressing challenges of food and water security, ensuring future generations have the necessities of life, across the globe.”
Research in food and water security at USask occurs throughout the university within an innovation ecosystem that involves government, industry and other partners. The Global Institutes for Food Security and Water Security, the Crop Development Centre, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the Livestock Forage Centre of Excellence are just a few areas in which USask is focused on providing solutions to local- and global-scale problems.
“USask is ranked number one for water research among Canadian universities and leads the world’s largest university-led international freshwater research program, Global Water Futures, with more than 170 partners worldwide,” says Singh. “The collaborative work of researchers and academics located throughout the USask community allows for informed decision-making and discovery for the world’s food-water nexus.”
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Combining global expertise, unprecedented support and incredible research facilities, USask is leading the search for answers to the world’s most pressing challenges of food and water security, ensuring future generations have the necessities of life, across the globe.
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Integrated health sciences
The single-campus, multidisciplinary span of USask’s health sciences complex is unique among Canadian universities. The collection includes medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and nutrition, kinesiology, and rehabilitation science.
According to Dr. Airini, USask’s provost and vice-president, Academic, the university’s innovative integrated health sciences complex is “an investment in the future of collaborative health education and practice, offering a highly integrated experience for students in all health-care fields.
“Through collaboration among the health sciences programs, USask introduces leading teaching concepts, conducts broad research investigations that advance the understanding of health issues, and explores how to best provide clinical services that respond to patient needs now and in the future,” she adds.
Canadian Light Source Synchrotron
Recognized as “the brightest light in Canada,” USask’s Canadian Light Source (CLS) is a national research facility with a focus on innovation in the health, agriculture, environment and advanced materials sectors.
The CLS has contributed to world-changing research in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and geology, among many others. Data can be rapidly collected with a wide range of experimental techniques, providing researchers with a depth and breadth of knowledge unique to the only science facility of its kind in Canada.
Campus experience
As those who have visited, studied or worked at USask would attest, the main campus in Saskatoon, a city known for its arts, culture and innovation, is a beauty.
“I believe our historic main campus is one of Canada’s most beautiful, with plenty of green space, stately greystone buildings, tree-lined walkways and breathtaking river views,” states Stoicheff. “Embodying USask’s well-rounded approach to being the university the world needs, the campus boasts welcoming social spaces, seven on-campus museums and art galleries, and some of the nation’s top university sports facilities.”
More than 26,000 students – including more than 4,000 graduate students – from over 100 countries attend USask, finding their study of choice among 130 academic programs that range from agriculture, business, law, and arts and science to engineering and medicine, and many more.
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