Research Hub Space and Resources for Graduate Students

The Research Hub space is open and available to all graduate students in Education to support you in your research journey.  We have working spaces for focused individual work as well as open spaces that encourage small and larger group collaborations and discussions. We have technical resources such videoconferencing equipment and monitors to help you collaborate in your projects.  Check out other offerrings the research hub has to support your work in your graduate research journey. 

Come Join the Research Matters Online Community

You are invited to join the Research Matters @ the Faculty of Education, a growing online community in Canvas. Stay updated on upcoming events by the Research Hub, be connected with Education faculty and graduate students, and access valuable programs, services and resources provided.

Click here to join now: https://canvas.sfu.ca/enroll/GHNPJH. Log in with your SFU computing ID and you will be part of our community.

IDEAS Podcast

Innovative Dialogue in Educational Approaches and Scholarship (IDEAS) is a series of podcasts created by and for graduate students as a platform to showcase their research practices. We would like to respectfully acknowledge that IDEAS podcast series is recorded and launched at SFU located on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səlil̓wətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm) Nation.

The series features graduate students from diverse disciplines at different points in their research, sharing their challenges, accomplishments, and experiences. Special thanks to Shaila Shams, Dr. Poh Tan, and Kari Gustafson for conducting podcast interviews. Also, we are grateful to our amazing podcast guests. Episodes are released on the last Wednesday of the month.

Episode 35: Community Engaged Research: The Importance of Relationship Building - Akiko Ohta

Akiko Ohta is a doctoral student in Education. She holds two master’s degrees: a Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Development. In this episode, Poh and Akiko talk about the importance of relationship building for community engaged research that take a non-extractive approach. Learn about Akiko's experience and research in Morocco where she spent two years learning about how women lived within the community. Join us to also learn about her current research into the impacts of program evaluation and how this research method helps organizations understand the reach and value of their programs.

Upcoming Episodes

Past Episodes

Episode 35: Re-introduction of IDEAS in 2023 - Shaila Shams - Click to Listen

Episode 34: A PDP graduate's reflections on learning and teaching - Daniel Cooper - Click to Listen

Episode 33: Mathematics Education and learning through technology - Canan Güneş - Click here to Listen

Episode 32: Writing is Research. Research is Writing. Why Research and Writing is like building with LEGO bricks - Albert Fung - Click to Listen

Episode 31: Equity and Inclusiveness in K-12 education - Amrit Cojocaru - Click to Listen

Episode 30: A Researcher's journey into exploring and accepting "unconventional" methodology - Denise Findlay - Click to Listen

Re-Introduction to the Podcast - Dr. Poh Tan & Ms. Shaila Shams - Click to Listen

Episode 29: Faculty Writing Talk Part 4: Imagination as soil: Engaging and connecting through your writing practice encountered errors during processing - Dr. Gillian Judson - Click to Listen

Episode 28: Faculty Writing Talk Part 3: Finding your voice in academic spaces - Dr. Robyn Ilten-Gee - Click to Listen

Episode 27: Faculty Writing Talk Part 2: Writing as public thinking - Dr. Yumiko Murai - Click to Listen

Episode 26: Mentorship conversations - The mentors we've never met - Hollman Lozano - Click to Listen

Episode 25: Breathing in and breathing out with your writing practice - Dr. Cher Hill & Kari Gustafson - Click to Listen

Episode 24: Conversations in the spaces in between Part IV: Supervisor / Supervisee Relationships - Tania Bakas & Dr. Masahiro Minami - Click to Listen

Episode 23: Shattering Ceilings and Breaking Moulds Toward Graduate Research Success - Dr. Susan O'Neill - Click to Listen

Episode 22: Conversations in the spaces in between Part III: Mentorship of the More-than-human World - Tanya Behrisch - Click to Listen

Episode 21: Conversations in the spaces in between Part II: Supervisor/Supervisee Relationships - Dr. Ann Chinnery & Kristy Dellebuur O'Connor - Click to Listen

Episode 20: Conversations in the spaces in between Part I: Supervisor/Supervisee Relationships - Dr. Celeste Snowber & Carolina Bergonzoni - Click to Listen

IDEAS Introduction to A New Host - Kari Gustafson - Click to Listen

Episode 19: Successful Writing Practices from an EAL Perspective - Aisha Ravindran - Click to Listen

Episode 18: Arts, Intergenerational Education, and Interdisciplinary Research - Caroline Pacheco - Click to Listen

Episode 17: Music and Mathematics: The Role of Creativity in Pedagogy - Srividhya Balaji - Click to Listen

Episode 16: Reflections from IDEAS Co-hosts - Sharing What We've Learned with Other Podcasters – Poh Tan & Shaila Shams - Click to Listen

Episode 15: Confessions of a PhD Candidate: Navigating Challenges and Dealing with Anxiety during Research - Michael Maser - Click to Listen

Episode 14: Negotiating Learning Differences within Culturally Diverse Context - An International Student's Perspective - Chukwudi Nwobodo - Click to Listen

Episode 13: Navigating Controversy within Educational Research - Steven Zhao  - Click to Listen

Episode 12: Being Comfortable with Discomfort in Educational Research: A Phenomenological Approach - Lori Driussi  - Click to Listen

Episode 11: Publishing in Grad School - How to Overcome Challenges and Issues - Magali Forte - Click to Listen

Episode 10: Educational Research From a Social Justice Perspective - Jade Ho - Click to Listen

Episode 9: Indigenous Methodologies - Working together through respect, reciprocity, and relationality.- Kau'i Keliipio - Click to Listen

Episode 8: International Research Collaborations - A partnership between two graduate students - Mr. Eduardo Gluck & Dr. Poh Tan  Click to Listen

Episode 7: Research During COVID-19 Times - Ms. Livia Poljak  Click to Listen

Episode 6: Formulating a Research Question - Mr. Liang Cao  Click to Listen

Episode 5: Managing Your Time for Research and Writing - Ms. Kari Gustafson  Click to Listen

Episode 4: Importance of Critical Reading for Research - Jacky Barreiro   Click to Listen

Episode 3: Writing Comprehensive Examinations under Time Constraints - Ms. Livia Poljak   Click to Listen

Episode 2: Building towards a Conceptual Framework for Research - Ms. Shaila Shams   Click to Listen

Episode 1: Research and the Graduate Process - Dr. Poh Tan   Click to Listen

An introduction: Dr. Poh Tan and Ms. Shaila Shams  Click to Listen

Interdisciplinary Research Seminars (IRS)

Announcements about upcoming IRS sessions (and other research-related events) are posted in the Research Matters online community in Canvas. You can join this community for free, by following these instructions:  Click here to join now: https://canvas.sfu.ca/enroll/GHNPJH. Log in with your SFU computing ID and you will be part of our community.

Workshops in the Research Hub

The Research Hub is home to workshops dedicated to learning about educational research with a wide range of topics.  Check back on this page to register early for workshops to support your learning and research journey. 

Workshop Series with Dr. Carolyn Mamchur

Co-organized and led by the Faculty of Education professor and writer-in-residence Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, this workshop series is comprised of 4 different programs, each focused on a different aspect of the writing process. 

For more information, dates, and registration link, click here. Register now, as seats are limited!

Finding Voice Workshop

A 3-session workshop open to all students, specially those writing essays, theses, or dissertations, whether in the early stages of writing or later. In this workshop we will explore a more subjective, creative method of expression which can translate into a more traditional rhetoric.

Upcoming sessions:
- October 24, Monday, from 10:30 to 1:30.
- November 8, Tuesday, from 1 to 4pm.
- TBD.

For more information and registration link, click here.

Discovering Your Subject Workshop

The workshop is for those students who think they have a subject for their essay or dissertation and want to make sure they have chosen something both doable and important to themselves and to their field. The participants will learn strategies to ascertain if they are on the right track and have focused clearly.

Upcoming sessions: 
- November 15, Tuesday, from 1 to 4pm.

For more information and registration link, click here.

Writing the Review of Literature Workshop

The workshop is designed to teach the researcher to write a chapter two (review of the literature) flows and is an intellectual mind map of the researcher’s thinking. It is offered to students who have already done a lot of the reading for their thesis or dissertation, and have collected a lot of the materials they plan to include.

Upcoming session:
- October 26, Wed, 9:00-12:00.

For more information and registration link, click here.

Preparing for Oral Exam Workshop

The workshop is designed for students closer to completion, almost ready for the oral exam. The central idea is to examine the purpose of the 20-minute introduction and to learn how to present in a manner that is particular to the student, comfortable for the student, instructive for the audience, and in particular for the external examiner.

Upcoming sessions:
- November 17, Thursday, from 5 to 8pm.

For more information and registration link, click here.

Writing Support Group

The Research Hub’s Writing Support group is for graduate students who want a supportive place to work on their writing projects (thesis, assignments, papers, proposals, grants, etc.) There is no writing facilitator in the group but we support each other in creating an inclusive and productive space to meet our writing goals. We gather every Wednesday morning from 10am -1:00pm PST in the Research Hub space. We will start with a brief check-in and conclude with a check-out after. Coffee, tea and light snacks will be provided.

We are an informal group, please let us know if you have questions and email us at edreshub@sfu.ca

Writing Retreats & Guest Talks

The Research Hub’s Writing Retreats offer a dedicated space to support graduate students’ writing at different stages of their research journey. The 4-hour retreats open with a 30-minute guest talk, followed by quiet time alongside peers to focus on individual writing.

For 2022, our invited guests include Faculty, SFU staff and grad students who are joining us to share about the writing process, publishing, tools for research and getting through grad school.

For more information, please click here to self-enroll to our Canvas site.

Make Your Research Visible 

The Research Hub invites all students of the Faculty of Education to submit blog articles about your research for publication on the Research Hub website. Our goal is to promote your research, make it visible to wider audiences, and create connections with communities.

Your article can

  • showcase timely research on current issues in education
  • explain your research and its significance to a non-expert audience
  • report on outcomes and impacts of your research on academic and/or non-academic communities
  • share your experience and journey as an emerging scholar


Here is how you can participate

  • Click here to send a tentative title, a 75-word author bio, and a 100–120-word pitch. 
  • As soon as possible, the blog’s editor will respond to your pitch with a date for you to submit your complete article, or with a request for further details if needed.
  • Upon receiving your full article, we will notify you with an estimated publication date.

Your full article should be limited to 750 words. We invite creative pieces that include photos, videos, audio files, and/or other forms of expression that support your article.

SUBMIT YOUR PITCH

Funding Opportunities

SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) maintains a comprehensive list of awards and funding opportunities for graduate students. GPS also provides application support to students.

Faculty of Education Graduate Studies
Scholarships & Awards

Research Pods

Graduate students and faculty are invited to enjoy the following research interest groups, called Research Pods, to connect with each other intellectually and socially. You are welcome to join as many groups as you wish!  

If you would like to form a new group, please write up a description, specify a contact person and email the information to education_researchhub@sfu.ca

Culturally Inclusive Place-Based Peer Learning Group

The CIPB (Culturally Inclusive Place-Based) EDd cohort includes 8 active members who are situated on lands of Indigenous peoples and live in the following places: Quadra Island, Port Hardy area, Prince George, Kamloops, Niagara Falls,On., Vancouver, Burnaby, Merritt. Some of our group are at near completion of their dissertation and others are still hard at work. We have been with one another since 2015.

Email contact: Kau’i Keliipio, keliipio@sfu.ca

Phenomenology Group

If you are interested in discussing phenomenology and its links to education, please get in touch with grad student Michael Maser and we'll arrange a time to start talking!

Email contact: Michael Maser, mmaser@sfu.ca 

Reading/Thinking/Doing Club

The Reading/Thinking/Doing (RTD) club is about discussion, dialogue and exchange of ideas on explorations in Education with posthumanist/new materialist scholarships.  We are two PhD students, Magali Forte and Jacky Barreiro, who are interested in tackling this idea with others. Please subscribe to the RTD mail list to receive the video conference link for this online discussion. Join the mail list

Email contact: Magali Forte, magali_forte_2@sfu.ca

Writing Development Group

This group is for graduate students who want a supportive place to work on their writing projects (thesis, assignments, etc.) There is no writing facilitator in the group.  We gather every Wednesday morning from 9am -noon with a very brief check in and check out before and after. 

Email contact: Poh Tan, pctan@sfu.ca