Themes

3d printed shapes held to the cameraThe Western Academy seeks solutions to major issues facing humanity. To achieve this objective, it will facilitate the identification of themes of inquiry that are of broad significance and involve topics that can benefit from ideas drawn from the full spectrum of scholarship.

The Academy will initially focus on six themes at a time:

  • Two themes active in any particular year;
  • Planning for two themes to be offered in the next year; and
  • The selection process for the two themes to be considered in the following year.

Theme selection will typically be made at least two years in advance to facilitate the selection and recruitment of Visiting Western Fellows, secondment of Western Fellows and recruitment of Western Academy Postdoctoral Scholars. Participants are expected devote the majority of their work time to the theme during their time as a Fellow.

Themes will be selected for their timely relevance to current, major issues affecting Canada and the world, and for the prospects of taking a significant step forward in thinking that could inform and influence directions of society, governments and the broader public and private sectors.

Current themes supported by the Western Academy

  • Carbon-inspired solutions for carbon transformation led by Dr. Chris DeGroot (Mechanical and Materials Engineering)
  • Interdisciplinary Research to Address Technical and Social Barriers in Smart Cities and Communities, led by Dr. Ayan Sadhu (Civil and Environmental Engineering)