Research Priorities

The Faculty of Social Sciences at uOttawa drives impactful research in social justice, health innovation, governance, sustainability, and technology, with a focus on la francophonie and Indigenous knowledge to shape thriving, inclusive societies locally and globally.

Vision for Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences

The aim of research in the Faculty Social Sciences is to produce theory and evidence that challenge and shape our understanding of the conditions that promote thriving societies at local, national, and global levels. We aim to achieve excellence in research that has local and global impact in two cross-cutting research themes – “la francophonie” and Indigenous research – and our five focus research areas:

Social Justice, Equity, Social Groups, and Inclusion
Health and Human Development
Governance, Policy and Open Societies
Environment, Sustainability and Society
Media, Technology and Society

In order to help promote these research areas within the Faculty, the University and beyond, we have invited researchers to represent these priorities as champions of their importance and value. In addition, the five research priorities adopted by the Faculty align with the Strategic Areas of Research chosen by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, as well as uOttawa's strategic plan, Transformation 2030.

Learn about our champions and their research with our video series.

To achieve our research goals and fulfill our vision, the Faculty of Social Sciences recognizes the importance of, and supports, a wide range of research-related activities, including:

Theory Development
Basic Research
Field and Applied Research
Community-Engaged Scholarship
Interdisciplinary Research
Knowledge Mobilization

Research Priorities

Social Justice, Equity, Social Groups and Inclusion

Through theory building and research, researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences aim to increase our understanding of how social justice, equity and inclusion can be advanced in Canada and globally.

Health and Human Development

From the genetic level to the global level, researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences strive to be world leaders in basic, applied, and intervention research to understand and improve biological and social conditions that promote optimal physical and mental health and personal development in Canada and globally.

Governance, Policy, and Open Societies

Researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences work on understanding the complex and thorny challenges of policy-making and governance in our increasingly complex societies and across a wide range of actors and settings.

Environment, Sustainability and Society

Through research, knowledge mobilization, and policy advocacy, researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences aim to confront the local and global challenges of a changing environment and its impact on societies, as well as prospects for sustainability and responsible growth that can provide opportunities for all peoples.

Media, Technology and Society

Researchers in the Faculty of Social Sciences examine the changes in our world brought on by advances in our media and technology and their effects on health, social practices, and political participation and discourse.