10 years of research, creativity at The Creative School
More than 300 students from 32 disciplines across The Creative School and TMU were in professor Kris Alexander's most recent Intro to Game Design course. With video games spanning industries from medicine to engineering and finance, Alexander says video games serve as a dual-purpose conduit to facilitate learning and educate through critical thinking.
For the last decade, The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University has been a powerhouse of scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activities, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and artistic expression.
Through research, collaboration and bold explorations, the faculty is a global leader in media, design, creative industries and more, attracting nearly $20 million in SRC funding over the past 10 years.
Further setting it apart, The Creative School focuses on the idea of practice as research, says Natalie Álvarez, the faculty’s associate dean of Scholarly, Research and Creative Activities.
“Typically, creative disciplines are seen as either adornment or knowledge mobilization vehicles for other people's research. It is a profound shift to understand creative practice as knowledge making—that creative practice is the site where novel forms of thinking, experimentation and new paradigms break open,” said Álvarez, who is also a professor in the School of Performance.
Showcasing the faculty’s most innovative work each year is RUBIX, an annual exhibition and symposium that has, for 10 years, highlighted the cutting-edge work of over 100 faculty members, fostering a culture of experimentation, dialogue and interdisciplinary discovery.
Natalie Alvarez, professor and associate dean, Scholarly, Research, and Creative Activities speaks at The Creative School’s 10th anniversary event for RUBIX. Photo: YYZ Media (Zain Rao, Media Production Alumni)
Charles Falzon, dean of The Creative School, says the faculty’s research is far more than inquiry—it drives innovation and meaningful change.
"Our faculty are at the forefront of groundbreaking, transdisciplinary work that pushes boundaries, challenges conventions, and shapes the future of creative industries and beyond. From emerging technologies to cultural analysis, their research not only contributes to academic knowledge but also fuels transformation and real-world impact, reinforcing our role as a global leader in creative scholarship."
The NOW event
In addition to RUBIX, to honour The Creative School’s milestone achievements and contributions to academia and beyond, the faculty is hosting The NOW (external link) on April 15, a celebration of creativity, innovation and more.
Álvarez says the timing is critical.
“We are at a time when we are witnessing efforts internationally to actively dismantle research infrastructure, cut off federal research funding, advance executive orders designed to suppress research on gender, racial and climate justice, and existential questions are being raised about the role of universities under intensifying fiscal pressures,” she said.
“It’s more important than ever to take stock of and effectively communicate the vitality and urgent necessity of SRC activities—especially transdisciplinary and coalitional approaches to creative research—to address the grand challenges of our moment,” she said.
Benefit to students
Students at The Creative School benefit directly from the scholarly expertise of their professors. By learning from top researchers, students are not only gaining strong technical skills—they’re also developing critical thinking, innovation and interdisciplinary awareness.
"At The Creative School, the learning integrates applied, creative practice and critical thinking. This builds students’ capacity for innovative, transgressive thinking and to think beyond their disciplinary fields of practice,” Álvarez said.
For example, students in filmmaking develop skills in cinematography and editing, while also developing specializations in high-impact areas such as environmental sustainability, AI, or creative practice and social change.
As a result, students graduate with both technical expertise and a specialization in emerging fields, making them more versatile and competitive in their careers.
Far-reaching impact
Notably, the impact of SRC at The Creative School extends beyond academia—it influences industries, shapes public discourse, and addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
Illustrating this is the establishment of the faculty’s more than 20 research labs and centres, such as The Health User Experience Lab, the Design and Technology Lab the Synaesthetic Media Lab (external link) and the Centre for Fashion Diversity & Systemic Change, which demonstrate a commitment to transdisciplinary research that bridges technology, culture and social justice.
These labs serve as incubators for ideas and also provide invaluable opportunities for students and faculty to engage in community-driven research.
For example, journalism and communication scholars are examining the rapidly shifting media sector, including how AI and synthetic media are deepening political divides and undermining public trust. Many of them are leading national and international discussions on the issue.
“The Creative School is a leader in creative AI, but through a critical lens, our researchers are also attuned to the biases that are built into these technologies—the fact that they can replicate social inequities and reproduce social harms"
$1.78 million grant
A testament to The Creative School’s innovative spirit is the recent $1.78 million grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, awarded to Professors Ali Mazalek and Richard Lachman to develop a state-of-the-art facility exploring extended reality (XR) and immersive technologies.
Likewise, the launch of Canada’s first PhD in Media and Design Innovation in 2021 has positioned The Creative School as a leader in research-driven creative practice, and in just four years, it has graduated 30 professional innovators and creative problem-solvers.
The faculty is also known for its vibrant culture of embracing experimentation, taking big leaps to advance knowledge and doing so in ways that “make the walls of the university porous through meaningful community engagement,” Álvarez said.
Groundbreaking mental health research
Álvarez’s work exemplifies the transdisciplinary approach happening at TMU. The performance studies scholar applies theatre-based methods to critical issues like policing, mental health crisis response and human rights.
One of her most impactful projects is a scenario-based training curriculum for police officers, designed to improve de-escalation strategies.
As of April 1, 2024, this initiative became a regulatory requirement for all 25,000 Ontario police officers—the first mandated de-escalation training standard in the province’s history.
The work helps show that creativity and creative practice (not just STEM) can drive paradigm-changing interventions.
To further reinforce this, The Creative School is launching new courses in fall 2025, where students will collaborate across disciplines to tackle pressing global issues.
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