2025

That’s a wrap on the 2025 Graduate Student Research Conference!

The 2025 Athabasca University Graduate Student Research Conference (GSRC) took place Nov. 7–9, 2025 and was successfully hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) and the Athabasca University Graduate Students’ Association (AUGSA). Delivered in a hybrid format, the event welcomed 130 attendees—70 in-person in Edmonton and 60 participating virtually from across Canada and the United States. Fifty graduate and undergraduate students presented their work, representing a wide range of disciplines, research interests, and scholarly perspectives.

Guided by the theme “Research for a Changing World,” the conference explored the social, economic, and technological forces shaping the post-COVID-19 era. Presenters explored issues such as global emerging challenges, rising inequality, environmental pressures, and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence—highlighting the need for research that is innovative, inclusive, community-informed, and aligned with sustainable futures.

The conference opened on Friday evening with remarks from Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and VP Academic, who emphasized the importance integrating graduate student voices into academic planning. Her message reinforced Athabasca University’s commitment to engaging learners in shaping the future of research and education.

The conference featured a diverse lineup of student presentations, and engaging presentations from faculty, alumni, and staff including:

• Finding Power in Purpose
• Advancing the Digital, Multimodal Dissertation into the 21st Century
• Graduate Awards at AU
• A Conversation with AU’s Canada Research Chairs, which brought five CRC’s together in person for the first time
• Engaging in Indigenous Driven Research: Contexts, Conventions, and Constraints
• Mind over Machine: Learning with Integrity in an AI World

The program fostered collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and community-building, showcasing the strength and creativity of AU’s research community.

Attendee feedback reflected the event’s impact

“What a wonderful event. Thank you for providing the means for so much sharing and connecting.”

“It was an amazing experience and thank you so much for the opportunity!”

“Honestly, everything was great! Everyone was super kind, and I am proud to call myself an AU student.”

Great job! The event was fantastic.

Congratulations to the 2025 Abstract Award Winners

• 1st Place: Eryn Leigh, More Than You Know: Lived Expertise and Future-Building at the Margins
• 2nd Place: Molly Salter, Indigenous-Specific Spaces in Post-Secondary Education: Student Experiences and Visions for Change
• 3rd Place: Anna Wold, Online Post-Secondary Learners’ Stories of Emotional Regulation through Mindful Self-Compassion

Additional congratulations goes to the People’s Choice Award: Molly Salter, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Anthropology.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all presenters, attendees, volunteers, and organizers whose contributions made the 2025 GSRC a resounding success. The conference continues to demonstrate the innovation, dedication, and scholarly excellence of Athabasca University’s graduate student research community.

We look forward to welcoming you back next year for our 15^th anniversary celebration.

2025 GSRC Steering Committee