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Expanding the foundations of knowledge and understanding our origins
Faculty Co-leads
Levon Pogosian, Professor and Department Chair, Faculty of Science
Holly Andersen, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Priority
SFU researchers ask fundamental questions about the natural world, as well as our societies and cultures. Insights that arise from this work change the way we think about the world and the place of humans in it. SFU researchers measure and predict natural phenomena on multiple scales from the subatomic to the cosmic, from a single gene to a multi-celled organism, and from single entities to complex interacting systems of those entities. A fuller picture emerges when we examine the development and progression of our languages, cultures and knowledge systems. This includes examining the role of human creativity and critical making in the production of new knowledge and understanding. Our researchers use data, quantitative techniques, as well as qualitative approaches across a wide range of disciplines within this priority area. With more thorough insights into our complex world—both natural and cultural—we are better equipped to look forward, pushing the boundaries of discovery into new frontiers. Driven by curiosity, our researchers are deepening our understanding of the world.
Project Goals
1. FACILITATE DIALOGUE WITHIN SFU RESEARCH COMMUNITY
- FOSTER SYNERGIES AROUND FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH Strengths
- DEVELOP SHARED LANGUAGE ON THE VALUE OF question-driven research and its role in SFU’s identity
2. Facilitate connections between SFU Research Community and supportive administrative units within SFU
- Identify barriers to evaluating, communicating, and fundraising support for foundational research and research on understanding our origins
- Enhance communication of distinctive research strengths to non-specialists in these units
3. Engage outside of SFU in various levels of society on the value of foundational and question- driven research, and share SFU’s excellence