Lethbridge Polytechnic continues to rank among Canada's top research colleges, according to a report released yesterday by Research Infosource Inc. This year, the polytechnic reached ninth among the top 50 institutions in the country, up from 10th in 2024 and 11th in 2023.
"Being recognized for our applied research, when compared with so many other institutions across Canada, is a remarkable win for the polytechnic," says Dr. Kenny Corscadden, vice-president - academic and research. "Over the past three years, we have consistently demonstrated our ability to compete at the national level. By offering applied learning and research opportunities for students and researchers in a growing number of industry and community-based sectors, Lethbridge Polytechnic is becoming an institution of choice for those interested in making a difference and taking their education and research to the next level."
Applied research began with Lethbridge Polytechnic's Aquaculture Centre of Excellence in 1999, leveraging global expertise and talent to meet the evolving needs of agriculture in southern Alberta. Since then, the Centre of Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE) has expanded research operations significantly to encompass five themes: agriculture, food and environment; business and technology; health and wellness; justice and public safety; and sciences, social sciences and humanities.
"The heart of applied research is responsiveness to industry and community needs," says Dr. Andrew Dunlop, associate vice-president - research. "Lethbridge Polytechnic has worked to diversify our research capabilities, develop relationships with stakeholders and leverage the strengths of our researchers to solve challenges and problems."
Throughout 2025, researchers at Lethbridge Polytechnic have been working on, or completing, research projects in a number of fields, including:
- greenhouse lighting trials with Dr. Seyed Hashemi, research scientist, CARIE;
- development of youth-focused virtual reality (VR) public safety exploration experiences with Dean Kolebaba, principal researcher, Centre for Public Safety Applied Research (CPSAR);
- collaboration on non-destructive crop testing methods with Dr. Chandra Singh, Results Driven Agriculture Research chair and director of the Advanced Post-harvest Technology Centre (APHTC); and
- completion of VR training scenarios for an industry partner with Tyler Heaton, industry liaison and research advisor, Spatial Technologies Applied Research and Training Centre.
As part of a three-year College Spotlight, Research Infosource also ranked the polytechnic fourth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Partnerships and AI Completed Research Projects.
"By using AI tools in our research, such as analysis and modelling, we're re-evaluating what's possible from new, non-destructive crop-testing methods in APHTC, to analyzing the ethical decision making of first responders with real-time conversational AI in CPSAR," adds Dunlop. "With these tools, we're also seeing students pursue learning beyond the classroom in fields that matter to them."
Earlier this year, the polytechnic profiled the journeys of two students, Aleksandra (Aleks) Calic and Sierra Stumborg, as paid student research assistants in the Mueller Irrigation Research Group and the Community Integration Through Art - Pissatsinaskssini program. Both students are counted among the 92 paid student researchers at the institution, a number that placed Lethbridge Polytechnic sixth nationally.
The polytechnic also ranked highly in several other categories, including:
- second in College Research Intensity Dollars per Researcher, at nearly $190,000 per;
- third in College Research Income, at nearly $9.5 million; and
- ninth in Research Partnerships, of which the polytechnic has 62.
Additionally, Lethbridge Polytechnic celebrated a transformative $2.8 million donation from the estate of Joe and Laverna Hranac in August to support the continuation and expansion of applied research and innovation at the institution's 385-acre research farm.
Research Infosource Inc. is a respected Canadian source of research and development intelligence and is widely known for its ranking information on Canadian research universities, hospitals, colleges, companies and more.
To learn more about applied research activities and projects at Lethbridge Polytechnic, visit: lethpolytech.ca/CARIE.
