Western University
AC-7: Center for Sustainability Research

Centre for Building Sustainable Value: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/sustainability/about-us/

The Ivey Centre for Building Sustainable Value (BSV) was one of the first sustainability centres in a business school globally, and is recognized for its excellence and 20-year track record in research and teaching. 

Network for Economic and Social Trends (NEST): https://nest.uwo.ca/about/nest_mandate.html

The overall goal of NEST is to use advanced data creation, management, and analytic techniques to conduct theoretically driven and evidenced-based research that will inform social and economic policy and practices in Canada and North America more broadly.

Centre for Human Capital and Productivity: https://nest.uwo.ca/chcp/about_us/mission/index.html

The Centre for Human Capital and Productivity has a broad mandate to study and provide policy advice on issues related to human capital and productivity.
CHCP researchers study a wide range of issues under the general themes: Early Childhood, Primary and
Secondary Schooling; Post-Secondary Education; Productivity and Earnings; Social Benefits of Human Capital; Human Capital Policy; and Human Capital, Development and Growth.

Centre for Research on Migration and Ethnic Relations: https://migration.uwo.ca/research_centre/about_the_centre.htmlv

The Western Centre for Research on Migration and Ethnic Relations facilitates research that draws on academic knowledge to inform public policy and practice on migration and ethnic relations in Canada and internationally. The goals of the Centre are to foster interdisciplinary research among faculty and students on questions of direct relevance to migration and ethnic relations, provide training opportunities for students beyond the borders of their own discipline and Western, and forge links with policy makers, the academic community in Canada and internationally, and the community at large. As worldwide migration climbs to historically unprecedented levels and instances of ethnic conflict fill the headlines, research and training in the domain of migration and ethnic relations are increasingly important endeavors. Research is required to inform policy and practices that will ensure that the challenges of managing migration and diversity are successfully met, in ways that facilitate the achievement and well-being of immigrants and ethnic minorities, that elicit the support and cooperation of all members of society, and that ensure that nations benefit collectively. The training of highly skilled personnel is required not only to conduct such research, but to ensure that the lessons we learn from it are implemented effectively. The Centre informs policy and practice on migration and ethnic relations through the research conducted under the auspices of the Centre and as the academic home of the Pathways to Prosperity Partnership, a SSHRC funded alliance of federal and provincial migration ministries; municipalities; national, regional, and local organizations involved in newcomer settlement and integration; and researchers from over 50 universities.

Centre for Research on Social Inequality: https://nest.uwo.ca/crsi/about_us/index.html

The world is increasingly becoming polarized. Inequality between the rich and the poor, majority whites and racial minorities, immigrants and the native-born, and developed and developing countries are on the rise.  Not only is it hard for people to achieve intragenerational mobility, but family background is increasingly dictating the wellbeing and socioeconomic outcomes of the next generation. The dramatic rise in social inequality has rekindled a need for us to understand the determinants and consequences of social inequality.

Centre for the Study of Political Behaviour: https://nest.uwo.ca/cspb/about_us/index.html

The study of political behaviour is central to our understanding of participatory democracy. Political behaviour encompasses key aspects of democratic citizenship including participation in the political process, voting in elections, political parties and interest groups, and public opinion and attitudes towards political institutions, processes, policy and politicians.

Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Resolution: https://www.tjcentre.uwo.ca/about/index.html

The Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction was established in late 2009. It brings together experts from across the Western community whose teaching and research focuses on issues including reconciliation, criminal accountability, post-colonial legacies, legal reconstruction, the environment, human rights, economic justice, healing circles, democratization, and more.
Our aim is to be a world-wide centre of excellence in scholarship on transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction through collaborative, interdisciplinary and international research amongst faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and postdoctoral fellows.

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance: https://nest.uwo.ca/urbancentre/

Western’s Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance was created in 2017 to respond to the many new challenges facing local governments and urban policymakers. Bringing together academic researchers and students from across Western and beyond, our goals are to facilitate new interdisciplinary collaborations on pressing questions, contribute to graduate training and professional development, and foster dialogue between academics, policy practitioners and the broader public.

Western Centre for Climate Change, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Health: https://nest.uwo.ca/climatecentre/About Us/index.html

WeCLISH leverages existing resources, infrastructure and personnel across multiple disciplines and departments in Western University and globally for consolidating and leading research aimed at i) generating climate change knowledge to improve resource governance; ii) working with local partners on climate change impacts and responses; and iii) generating research for large scale projects relating to climate change, sustainable food systems, and health.

Canadian Centre on Inclusive Education: https://www.inclusiveeducationresearch.ca/about/index.html

Inclusive education is mandated across Canada. It is an effective approach and a human right, yet we still do not implement it as effectively as we could. This partnership is creating knowledge and disseminating it across the country to increase the ability for the educational community to ensure successful academic and social outcomes for all students. We are collaborating to ensure that the fundamental human right of education is provided to even the most vulnerable students in our society. This builds the character of all and contributes to our truly Canadian understanding of inclusion.

Centre for Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research: https://www.uwo.ca/cambr/research_themes/materials_for_sustainable_energy.html

CAMBR researchers are developing materials for energy devices such as solar cells, fuel cells, and batteries, as well as new composites that will enable more efficient use of energy.
With the global consumption of energy continually growing, the environmental impact and sustainability of our energy supply is increasingly becoming a critical issue. As the use of sustainable, low-carbon energy sources increases, there is a growing need for improved energy storage (e.g., batteries) and energy conversion technologies (e.g., fuel cells) in order to lower their costs and increase their efficiencies.
To address these needs, foundational breakthroughs in energy materials and energy devices are required. Our researchers are working on innovative strategies to control the synthesis and production of nanostructured materials that are used in energy devices and are using these materials to design, develop and test new energy devices including fuel cells, solar cells, and Li-ion batteries. We are able to bring to this highly competitive field unique strengths in the in situ characterization of these materials and devices by employing synchrotron radiation light beams from the Canadian Light Source and ion beams from Western’s Tandetron Accelerator. 

Centre for Animals on the Move: https://uwo.ca/cam/index.html

We explore how animal movement is influenced by the surrounding environment and human activities. Each year, around the globe, billions of birds, bats, fishes, sea turtles, marine and terrestrial mammals, and insects navigate hundreds to thousands of kilometers between specialized habitats required for breeding, over-winter survival, moulting, and other activities.
Designing effective conservation actions for migratory and non-migratory species in Canada is a major conservation challenge. Canada cannot be resilient to the effects of a changing climate and anthropogenic activities without the health and connectivity of its mobile animal species. The Centre for Animals on Move informs the way we measure, approach, communicate, and ultimately interact with mobile animal species. 

Centre for Multi-Hazard Risk and Resilience: https://uwo.ca/multihazard_risk_resilience/About us/index.html

The Centre for Multi-hazard Risk and Resilience (CMRR) is an interdisciplinary research hub at Western University dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by natural hazards and disasters. By leveraging Western's strengths in areas such as flooding, wind, earthquake, and tsunami hazards, the CMRR aims to advance research in multi-hazard risk assessment and resilience building. Through collaboration with industry, government, and academia, the CMRR develops innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of extreme events, particularly in a changing climate, and seeks to become a leading center for disaster risk reduction.

Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children: https://www.learningtoendabuse.ca/research/index.html

The Centre is committed to the development and application of knowledge for the prevention of violence against women and children through promoting innovation, collaboration and equality.

Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion: https://crhesi.uwo.ca/about-us/centre-objectives/

Enhance the mobilization and utilization of research related to health equity and social inclusion for evidence-based decision making in health and public policy, as well as service delivery.

The Africa Institute: https://www.uwo.ca/africainstitute/about_the_institute/partners/index.html

The Africa Institute at Western University was created to advance scholarship related to African societies. The Institute is an interdisciplinary entity with the participation of many diverse faculty members, staff and students from across campus.  Its members are building sustainable collaborations and partnerships with African peoples and institutions to foster initiatives that address some of the most pressing issues facing the African continent. Partnerships forged by the members of the Institute extend over several sectors including, but not limited to: research, health, education, business, government, engineering, and arts and literature.  

Centre for the Science of Learning: https://www.scilearn.uwo.ca/about_us/index.html

Over the past three decades, a new interdisciplinary field referred to as the ‘Science of Learning’ has gained increasing traction across the globe. Given the existing strengths in educational research, cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, Western is uniquely poised to spearhead the growth of interdisciplinary research to deepen our understanding of how we learn. Western University’s Centre for the Science of Learning serves as a vehicle to foster collaboration not only between researchers at Western but also between educators in K-12 educational settings and researchers. By providing a forum for multidisciplinary exchanges, the Science of Learning Centre members will further knowledge of how children learn and how such knowledge can transform educational practice and policy. The Science of Learning Centre will be closely linked with the extant Centre for School Mental Health (CSMH), the Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic. In this way, the Centre for the Science of Learning intersects with existing research groups within the Faculty of Education.

Centre for School Mental Health: https://www.csmh.uwo.ca/about/index.html

The Centre's mission is to address the need for improved school-based services for youth from kindergarten to grade 12 who may be at risk for, or who present with, mental health challenges.
A system of care that offers a full continuum of effective mental health promotion, early intervention, and treatment for youth evidence-based services expanded through school-community partnerships.

Centre for Studies in Family Medicine: https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/familymedicine/research/csfm/about_us/Vision_mission_goals_Values.html

The Centre's research:
•    Adhere to accepted standards of ethical conduct
•    Promote continuity of care
•    Support evidence-informed patient-centred care
•    Encourage coordinated, efficient, and collaborative interprofessional care
•    Aim to improve family practice and patient care
•    Focus on the whole person and their context including family
•    Address the needs of defined populations
•    Develop new and improved methods of inquiry

Centre for Quality, Innovation, and Safety: https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/cquins/research_innovation/index.html

An important mandate for the Centre is to promote internal and external collaborations to facilitate the implementation of discoveries within the health care environment that will drive culture change, promote the application of best practices, improve patient outcomes, and ensure the efficient and effective use of limited resources. 

Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Composites Research: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/fraunhofer/about_us/index.html

Advanced polymer composites have been the subject of research and commercial development for many years. The ability to develop materials with specific desirable properties, particularly those that are lightweight or have low life-cycle impact is highly valuable to manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, or renewable energy, among other industries.

Geotechnical Research Centre: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/grc/research/index.html

The research directors of the GRC has several decades of experience in solving soil and rock related problems in civil, geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering.

Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR): http://icfar.ca/research/index.htmlv

The Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) is a research facility that is part of Western University, located north of the City of London, Ontario.  ICFAR houses pilot plant research space, providing a bridge between academic benchtop with industrial-scale research, providing graduate and undergraduate students with a highly relevant learning experience.  Award-winning faculty are based at ICFAR, specializing in biomass conversion, fluid-coking technologies and more, who make working with industries a priority, to give students an outstanding educational experience.
ICFAR is home to two NSERC Industrial Research Chairs (IRCs). Professor Cedric Briens holds the NSERC/Syncrude Industrial Research Chair and Professor Franco Berruti holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass and Waste to Bioindustrial Resources.

Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Curriculum as a Social Practice: https://www.icrc.uwo.ca/about/index.html

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Curriculum as a Social Practice (ICRC) collaborates across sectorial and disciplinary boundaries, to think in new ways about curriculum in schools, in our communities, and in higher education settings. We actively promote research that challenges reductionist views of curriculum, and is inclusive of previously omitted components of Canadian curricula. For example, we take seriously the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action.

Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/energycentre/about-us/about-the-centre/

Our mission:
To become a trusted thought leader on Canadian energy policy matters by:
• Contributing to energy policy-making through the production and dissemination of evidence-based research and analysis on major policy issues affecting the electricity, gas, oil and pipeline sectors in Canada.
• Providing a transparent and reliable forum for industry, government, academia, and interested stakeholders, to discuss and exchange ideas on energy sector development and policy.
• Educating students, executives, and government officials on national and global energy sector issues.

Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/lawrencecentre/about-us/about-the-centre/

In pursuit of enhancing collaboration between business and government, the Centre focuses its activities on issues where the two overlap most profoundly. Nowhere is this more critically important today than in advancing Canada’s economic competitiveness and its prosperity through innovation, talent development, entrepreneurship and resource development.

The Postcolonial Studies Reading Group: https://www.uwo.ca/english/research/reading_groups/pocogrp.html

The Postcolonial Studies Reading Group is a community of scholars who conduct research on and teach a range of topics pertaining to forms of empire, imperialism, colonial and neo-colonial experience. The group focuses on intersections of theory, literature, and visual culture with race, class, gender, and sexuality. Group members come from various departments and faculties at Western University and colleges in London.  Members work on literatures and film of Africa, the Caribbean, South-Asia, and the Indigenous cultures of Canada and the US. The group meets about once a month. Activities at the meetings include discussions of selected readings or writing workshops around a member’s project. The group also hosts speakers.

Sport and Social Impact Research Group: https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/kin/ssirg/about/index.html

Sport, in all its manifestations, is a significant social phenomenon and a potentially vital factor in the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Ranging from “physical literacy” (the mastery of fundamental movement) to elite performance, as a participation or entertainment activity, engagement in sport and physical activity is an important determinant of physical, social, emotional, psychological, and economic health. It is part of the ‘fabric’ of local communities and often a rallying point of national pride. Importantly, sport and physical activity is linked to many of the critical issues and questions facing Canadian society, including Indigenous and rural communities, aging, obesity, mental health, disability and mobility, equity and social inclusion, social justice, reconciliation, human enhancement, social media and marketing, volunteerism, youth development, social capital, and concussion. Sport is both a viable and valuable context for examining these critical and complex issues leading to knowledge that informs policy and practice for social change and better quality of life.

The Starling Centre: https://starlingcentre.ca/about/

The Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies works toward more just, equitable and humane futures for all through research and knowledge mobilization about the implications of emerging technologies in Canada and around the world. Located the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University the Centre focuses on interdisciplinary investigations and solidarity-based efforts to advance greater civic participation and engagement assessing the impacts of digital data, artificial intelligence, and related technologies. Starling produces research and community programs that address the social impacts of digital technologies and AI on our everyday lives. We aim to provide and contribute to existing spaces for researchers, practitioners and community members to come together through a shared interest in research, learning, creation and knowledge mobilization.

WesternWater Centre: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/water-centre/about/index.html

WesternWater Centre (WWC) concentrates on the research leading to innovative solutions addressing all aspects related to clean water supply and water-environment issues including the protection and management of water resources, resource recovery, and treatment technologies. WWC provides expertise and real-life solutions to both the government organizations and industrial sector. An integrated engineering approach provides WWC partners with the custom-made solutions enabling them to meet established water quality objectives. WWC shares knowledge, ideas and resources by coordinating workshops, seminars and conferences bringing the latest technological achievements and novel insights to the partners and public.

Western Engineering, Energy, and Environment (WindEEE) Research Institute: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/windeee/

Our areas of research target the three EEE's: wind Engineering, Energy and Environment. Main topics relate to: impact of non-synoptic wind systems (such as tornadoes and downbursts) on buildings and structures, optimization of wind farms and wind turbines, physical modelling of flow over rough surfaces, urban canopies, complex topography and forestry, outdoor and indoor air quality, and wind driven rain and snow. Also, ancillary research is conducted on risk analysis and models, power grid operations, policy, economics and decision making models.

Biomedical Imaging Research Centre: https://westernubirc.uwo.ca/about_birc/edi.html

Diversity and inclusion are the driving forces of creativity and innovation in Imaging research. BIRC strongly encourages all Imaging researchers to engage in diversity, anti-racism and/or women's committees of their respective institutions and scientific societies so that their traditional structures are dismantled and rebuilt to be more representative of science and society.

Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging (CCAA): https://www.uwo.ca/ccaa/research/index.html

Research at the CCAA includes a wide spectrum of basic and applied high-quality, innovative studies using a range of investigative designs and quantitative and qualitative methods. The emphasis of research is on activity, health, well-being and aging processes among older adults often linked to optimizing their inter- and independence. Knowledge mobilization, translation and exchange also are key theme areas of research frequently undertaken collaboratively by CCAA Research Associates, other researchers, graduate students and Community Partners at local, regional, provincial, national and international levels.

Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) - Engineering Research Group: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/cstar/about_us/index.html

CSTAR provides an environment that enables meaningful collaboration of researchers, engineers and surgery clinicians who, collectively, identify solutions to current and future challenges in surgical care.

Electrical and Computer Engineering: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical/research/areas/applied_electrostatics.html

Electrostatic processes commonly occur in many industrial applications; often they can significantly improve the process quality. The group activity involves fundamental studies, practical developments and consulting services for the industrial partners. The AERC specializes also in the detection and prevention of electrostatic hazards. Different charging techniques have been investigated for small solid particles, liquid droplets and larger objects. These have included studies involving tribocharging, induction, conduction and corona charging. The charged objects can be then manipulated using the electric forces. The research concentrates on topics such as electrostatic painting and coating, plastic separation, electromechanics of particles, air cleaning, mineral separation, electrophotography and gas discharges. The electric fields can also affect the process of droplet formation and distribution, such as in the case of agricultural spraying, or initiate some chemical reactions, for example in generating ozone for water purification or treatment of flue gases.

CPA Ontario Centre for Account & the Public Interest: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/media/m2ylvf1i/can-financialization-save-nature.pdf

Recent publications that is sustainability-focused:
- Can Financialization Civilize Nature? The Case of Endangered Species

The Electro-Governance Group: https://egg.uwo.ca/about_us/index.html

The EGG seeks to connect scholars on- and off- campus who are committed to promoting interdisciplinary dialogue regarding a wide but select range of topics related to the electronic/digital governance of information, information and algorithmic regulation, and machine intellection, with an explicit focus on social, political, economic, and cultural implications and impacts.  The EGG wishes to be as inclusive as possible, and to involve full- and part-time faculty and lecturers who are either actively conducting electronic and information governance research or have done so in the recent past, as well as those who are supervising student research in the relevant areas (but who may not be publishing research themselves); graduate and undergraduate students, as well as off-campus individuals and groups working in the relevant areas.  Currently, our members come from Information and Media Studies, Political Science, Business, Engineering, Sociology, and History.

Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/leadership/research-resources/books/character-building-a-more-just-prosperous-and-sustainable-future/?crid=2PJ8N9JGUQL7V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vDTVODXoruvp7xSm4Qm2R0VmnIT7761F5eLq5rVqINfKfRWXfQwAU6OxuiFjkGUSwUDD-lniBtA-ChHu5vkFavNPQ_Iq7k61_wSFtDP4NrV6DWmtd9ypnSlP01ryWtBm_bREMovAr9iGVb9NS6CPZXuZDCS0WYO85NZjEntw5k6O2vkqntBko3EO1Y6VPn-n.Bx1xt_Ihx5QGGc5jBWcoqhhX25bqT7txcsDOMiS6aYc&dib_tag=se&keywords=character+milani&qid=1713880526&sprefix=character+milani%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1

Seijts, G. & Young Milani, K. (2024). Character: What Contemporary Leaders Can Teach Us about Building a More Just, Prosperous, and Sustainable Future. Toronto, ON: ECW Press.

International Centre for Olympic Studies: https://www.uwo.ca/olympic/research/index.html

Recent publications that are sustainability-focused:
- Wenshui (Sunny) Mao
Failed Sustainability: The Nature and Significance of Olympic Education in Beijing Commensurate with the 2008 Summer Olympics
- 'When Green Became the New Gold': A Thematic Analysis of the Environmental Sustainability Narratives of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics