Smith Engineering will build on a trajectory of success – a 50% increase in research funding, and the hiring of 30 new faculty members over the past four years – with dramatic improvements to our human and physical capital.
We will increase our faculty complement and recruit graduate students in areas of strength and impact such as energy research, sustainability, resilient infrastructure, climate change, biomedical technologies and intelligent systems.
Multidisciplinary collaboration will strengthen and grow our research clusters. We will support our early-career researchers with mentorship, networking, and funding to accelerate their research careers.
Smith Engineering will ensure that outstanding research is valued, recognized and visible. Our research environment will provide the physical infrastructure, tools, training and support necessary for our students and faculty to reach their full potential.
Objective 1. Increase research capacity
- 1.1 Increase the number of faculty members by 30% by the year 2026, through the creation of endowed chairs for teaching and research.
- 1.2 Grow the number of graduate students by 50% by the year 2026.
- 1.3 Compete for graduate students by committing to being in the top five universities nationally for financial support of both international and domestic doctoral students.
- 1.4 Develop new research infrastructure, core facilities, and equipment.
- 1.5 Grow research funding by strengthening our partnerships with private, nonprofit, and public sectors.
Objective 2. Support Research Excellence
- 2.1 Develop research clusters in areas of international leadership and prestige such as sustainability, resilient infrastructure, climate change, biomedical technologies and intelligent systems.
- 2.2 Ensure early-career faculty members receive intensive support including mentoring and networking opportunities to help them build momentum and accelerate research impact.
- 2.3 Ensure graduate students have appropriate support including professional development opportunities, space, and opportunities to build community.
- 2.4 Develop mechanisms to support cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations within and outside Smith Engineering, including those to support international collaboration and mobility of scholars.
Objective 3. Increase research visibility in Canada and beyond
- 3.1 Enhance our global ranking through international collaborations.
- 3.2 Develop and deploy marketing campaigns to communicate and showcase Smith Engineering research and its impact on the world to broader communities. Expand our media outreach to celebrate our status as a recognized leader in research.
- 3.3 Develop a new marketing campaign targeting excellent graduate students across Canada, communicating broadly about any new doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships at Smith Engineering.
