Signature Areas of Research

Areas of research and scholarship that bring the University of Saskatchewan distinct recognition and help to position USask among the most distinguished universities in Canada and among the very best in the world.

Agriculture

Food and Bioproducts for a Sustainable Future

Projections show that food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population. We are working to strengthen Saskatchewan's agricultural leadership with new science, technology and policies to help feed a hungry world adequately, safely and sustainably. 

Energy and Mineral Resources for a Sustainable Future

Developing Clean Energy Solutions and Working for Equal Access for All

As Saskatchewan and the world transition from fossil-fuel-based energy systems, innovative solutions are needed to meet energy needs in a sustainable manner that goes hand-in-hand with public policy development to ensure all communities receive equal access to affordable and secure energy sources.

Indigenous Peoples

Engagement and Scholarship

By 2050, half of Saskatchewan's population may be of Indigenous ancestry, a demographic shift that creates challenge and opportunity. Our shared journey will help advance Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing and prepare a new generation of Indigenous youth for the global knowledge economy. 

Synchrotron Sciences

Innovation in Health, Environment and Advanced Technologies

With Canada's only synchrotron and the largest number of synchrotron users of any university in Canada, we are harnessing powerful imaging and analytical techniques to solve challenges in health, environment, materials science and other areas of global social and economic importance.

One Health

Solutions at the Animal-Human-Environment Interface

Health for all species is inextricably linked to challenges such as emerging diseases, water and food safety, and environmental degradation. We are working to develop scientific, public health and policy approaches that integrate human, animal and ecosystem health.

Water

Health, Equity, Access, Security and Sustainability of our Planet’s Freshwater Resources

As the population continues to grow and as water becomes more and more an issue of political and social importance, well-managed safe drinking water and water quality are pervasive needs across Earth and environment. We are developing new interdisciplinary science, technology and policy to address these urgent issues.

Communities and Sustainability

Exploring the Interrelatedness of Human Communities and Natural Ecologies

Understanding the relationships among different peoples and the natural world and ensuring that they are maintained in a good way — a philosophy embodied in the Cree/Saulteaux concept of wahkohtowin — is crucial to overcoming urgent environmental, social, and political hurdles.

Health and Wellness

Combining the Arts, Social Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, and Medicine to Make Humans Healthier

Research that combines aspects of the arts, population health, public health, biomedical, clinical, Indigenous, social and political science has the potential to increase the effectiveness of health care, health promotion and disease prevention in society.

Quantum Innovation

Creating Big Changes from Tiny Particles

Applying science, engineering, and a study of the challenges faced by individuals and societies to design new technologies that leverage the special behaviour of quantum particles can help to make our world a better place.