Research in Focus
Spotlight Series
Year in Review
Looking back at 2025, our faculty鈥檚 research continues to shape what education is and can become in the face of climate change, social polarization, disability justice, shifting language politics, and the emerging technology of generative AI. Our faculty鈥檚 publications do not simply add new topics to education; they invite reflection on what counts as learning, whose experiences anchor research, and which forms of knowledge deserve authority.
Research Impact
In 2025, students in a research project led by Dr. Cher Hill, doctoral student Neva Whintors, and Dr. Ching-Chiu Lin received the Graeme Loader Community Panda Award from . Supported by the Surrey School District, this research engaged children in outdoor learning, digital storytelling, and place-based environmental care, strengthening children's sense of themselves as capable contributors to the world. Featured in WWF Canada鈥檚 year-end impact video, , extending knowledge mobilization beyond academic audiences.
In the Media
In Dr. Suzanne Smythe (with Dr. Michelle Stack) shares an evidence-informed perspective on the possibilities of sustained university鈥揷ommunity partnerships. Drawing on nearly three decades of engagement at the Carnegie Learning Centre, the article clarifies how partnering with communities strengthens research and expands sites of inquiry, how teaching can support communities, and how communities, in turn, strengthen university work.
New Faculty Research
We are pleased to welcome two new faculty members who joined the Faculty of Education in 2025. focuses on counselling psychology and relational career development, including professional practice and emerging issues in counselling. 鈥檚 research advances community-engaged, decolonial, and feminist pedagogies focused on social and ecological justice.
Faculty Research Highlights
The 2025 Faculty Research Highlights capture the breadth, vitality, and depth of FoE scholarship across diverse disciplines. These works advance innovative approaches to learning and teaching and deepen engagement through conference contributions, creative initiatives, and public-facing work across local and international contexts. Collectively, FoE faculty members continue to shape the future of education.
Recently Awarded Grants
Congratulations to these grant recipients:
- SSHRC Insight Development Grant recipients: Dr. Kevin O鈥橬eill, Dr. Laura D'Amico, Dr. Shawn Bullock, Dr. Cary Campbell, Dr. Yumiko Murai, and Dr. Cristiano Barbosa de Moura,
- SSHRC Connection Grant recipients: Dr. Lynn Fels and Dr. Amy Parent
- Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation Grant recipient: Dr. Lilach Marom
- Michael Smith Health Research BC Grant recipient: Dr. Sharon Hou
- SFU/SSHRC Institutional Grant recipient: Dr. Joel Heng-Hartse
- 51社区黑料Community Trust Endowment Fund recipient: Dr. David Zandvliet
- 51社区黑料Publication Fund recipients: , Dr. Cristiano Barbosa de Moura, Dr. Amy Parent, and Dr. Cary Campbell.
2025 Publications
Explore the Faculty of Education鈥檚 2025 publications for scholarly insights, fresh perspectives, and in-depth explorations across a wide range of teaching and learning research.
Video Series
The Digital Caf茅
The is a collaboration among Dr. Suzanne Smythe, Dr. Nathalie Sinclair, Dr. Sheree Rodney, and Rajeeta Samala, literacy outreach coordinator for Burnaby Neighbourhood House. Three videos, developed as key research outcomes, examine the datafication of social rights in algorithmic times, when access to essential resources such as food security and housing is increasingly mediated by automated platforms. By shifting from 鈥渃lick-to-agree鈥� consent to a relational pedagogy of 鈥渇eeling-with,鈥� the initiative supports seniors and newcomers in navigating digitized services with agency and confidence. The project argues that digital equity is a social right that requires sustained, ethical collaboration, funding, and community-led action.