Canada’s Leading Research Universities

Developing talent, Driving innovation, Delivering impact.

Canada 150 Research Chairs 1
Canada Research Chairs 88
Research Income $380 million
Undergraduate Enrolment 27,280
Graduate Enrolment 4,560
International Students 3,525
Total Enrolment 31,845
McMaster University Image

McMaster University

McMaster is Canada’s most research-intensive and impactful university (second in the world), and consistently ranked among the top 100 universities globally. From becoming one of the first universities in the world to house a nuclear reactor to our radical notion of problem-based learning and evidence-based medicine that revolutionized the way health professionals learn and practice, McMaster’s outstanding researchers have had extraordinary success in achieving outcomes that have far-reaching impact on health, prosperity, and the future of our planet. A leader in corporate-sponsored research income, we’re home to more than 70 research centres and institutes.

Research and Learning Environment
Our research-focused, student-centred approach means we inspire critical thinking and personal growth and push the boundaries of knowledge to prepare students to be tomorrow’s leaders and innovators. We were the first Canadian university to give Indigenous students from across the country an early taste of graduate student life, in our labs, libraries, and in the field. The Indigenous Undergraduate Summer Research Scholars program pairs students with research supervisors from a variety of disciplines, while incorporating Indigenous studies and cultural activities.

International Engagement
McMaster engages in hundreds of international partnerships around the world, including student exchange agreements with top-tier universities, and major research collaborations with countries in every hemisphere. Our Population Health Research Institute has more than 200,000 participants enrolled worldwide in more than 70 research studies and has over 1,500 centres in 86 countries on all inhabited continents. We are North America’s only institution to host a United Nations University: The Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).

Research Strengths:

Aging across the lifespan
Chronic disease
Data, artificial intelligence and digital society
Environment and energy
Equitable, prosperous and sustainable societies
Health and social determinants
Indigenous knowledge, research and inquiry
Materials, manufacturing and the built society
Sustainability for global equity & prosperity
Understanding and responding to infectious disease