Message from Interim Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies
Welcome to the Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Office at Vancouver Island University. Driven by curiosity, passion and imagination, researchers at VIU pursue important questions that address issues of public concern. You can read more about the VIU’s research priorities in the Strategic Research Foundation Plan 2022-27. A key aspect of the plan is the focus on applied research that strongly aligns with regional needs and community priorities.
At Vancouver Island University, we believe in transforming learning through knowledge creation. Engaging in research is a well-established high-impact practice in education, as it deepens understanding and the development of problem-solving, critical thinking, time management, teamwork, leadership and communication skills. For this reason, we embed scholarship, research and creative activity into the student educational experience in various ways. Mentored by skilled and dedicated faculty, VIU students can complete a classroom project, research thesis or capstone course. Many are employed as research assistants and work with a VIU professor on an externally funded research project. Ranging from lab-based studies in the natural sciences, field research, health promotion, community-engaged research, and the fine arts, the opportunities are diverse and rewarding.
Each year, we celebrate the outcomes of student scholarship, research and creative activity at the annual CREATE conference, ensuring that students have the opportunity to communicate their learning to a wider audience. In this way, students at VIU can be proud knowing that as contributors of new knowledge, they are having a positive impact on the mid-island region, coastal communities and the well-being of its people.
Kind regards,
Eve Stringham, PhD (she/her)
Interim AVP Research and Graduate Studies
Vancouver Island University