Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)
We are a member of WUN-an international higher education and research network of 23 member universities in 13 countries on 6 continents that focuses complex and urgent global challenges. WUN membership provides international collaboration opportunities and gives UAlberta, the province and country, an international platform and representation to share its research expertise, capacity, capability and contributions.
Through multilateral partnerships among WUN members as well as other international organizations, governments and industry, WUN fosters international research collaborations, informs academic policy and practice, nurtures research talent and promotes the development of global citizens.
WUN programs and initiatives include a research seed grant program, student and staff mobility, Early Career Researcher development, policy webinars, special interest groups and summer schools.
Under the theme of sustainable development, the network supports collaborative research that falls within four globally significant themes (global challenges):
- Climate change
- Public health
- Global higher education and research
- Understanding cultures
Of the 90 currently active WUN research initiatives, UAlberta is lead on seven and a partner on another 22. Current projects led by UAlberta:
- Norms, standards, and enforcement of the COVID-19 International Certificate of Vaccination
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and MiddleIncome Countries
- Global Research Network on the Economic Empowerment of Women (ReNEW)
- African Child and Youth Wellbeing in the Context of Migration and Displacement
- Modelling Microplastic Waste Transport in Rivers and the Coastal Oceans
- MommyDaddyCovid Stress Study
- OPERA - Optimal Pregnancy Environment Risk Assessment
WUN summer school
In July 2019, the University of Alberta hosted 21 upper level undergraduate students from 13 WUN institutions for a two-week summer school on the theme of Energy Transitions. The summer school covered a range of topics from hydrocarbons to renewable energy and, along with the technical aspects, covered many of the associated social, economic, and political issues. The students received lectures from professors at the cutting edge of research in the energy field, and went on related laboratory tours and field trips that brought the topics to life.