Facts and Figures

Research at Lakehead: A Commitment to Discovery, Innovation, and Achievement

Lakehead University is a dynamic and forward-thinking institution with our two campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead is continuously recognized for its commitment to research and innovation year after year. In 2023, Lakehead was included in the top 3 research universities of the year in Canada in our peer category, and also #1 in the area of not-for-profit research income.

Some of our other achievements are: 

  • Re$earch Infosource named Lakehead the #1 Canadian research university in our peer category for five years in a row (2015-2019)

  • Re$earch Infosource named Lakehead the #1 in the not-for profit research income in our peer category (2020-2022)

  • 2023 Times Higher Education Global Impact Rankings named Lakehead among the top 10% of the World’s Universities in terms of our social impact, for 4 years in a row 

  • 2023 Times Higher Education Global Impact Rankings named Lakehead the #1 ranked university in North America with under 9,000 students 

  • Maclean’s ranked Lakehead among Canada’s top 5 primarily undergraduate universities for 2025. In addition,  In the Maclean's 2025 rankings, among ONTARIO primarily undergraduate universities, Lakehead is: 

    1. Second in Social Sciences and Humanities grants
    2. Third in Medical/Science grants
    3. Third in total research dollars
    4. Third in overall reputation

  • The only university in Canada to be awarded the Innovation and Economic Prosperity Designation by the Association of Public Land Grant Universities

 Additional Information About Research and Innovation at Lakehead

  • 14 Research Centres and Institutes, ranging from the world-renowned Biorefining Research Institute (BRI) and the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining & Exploration (CESME) to Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research, Enhancing the Prevention of Injury and Disability at Work, and Northern Health Research.
  • 21 Research Chairs, including 10 Canada Research Chairs, 3 joint Chairs with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI), an affiliated research institute with special emphasis on medical imaging, and 2 Northern Ontario Heritage  Fund Corporation (NHOFC) Industrial Research Chairs.
  • Interesting Enrollment Fact: 16% International, 16% Graduate, 16% Indigenous.
  • Graduate programs include 33 Masters and 11 Doctoral programs, including new PhD program in Chemical Engineering.
  • We also have an incubator space called Ingenuity, where students take start-up concepts from Ideation to Innovation.