Research Culture

As the first and oldest school at LAU, the SoAS is home to a diverse community of scholars engaged in innovative thinking and discovery. It is the vibrant core of our institution, capturing the spirit of both scientific rigor and artistic creativity, while serving the highest standards of research ethics and responsibility. With its ability to bridge the various disciplines, the School has consistently produced leaders in society, in addition to numerous scientists and artists who have pioneered their field.

The distinct academic disciplines that SoAS houses, whether in the hard sciences, social sciences, liberal arts, or humanities, are connected by a commitment to analyze and explain the complexities of the world that surrounds us. To this effect, the school fosters applied research that involves the community and promotes critical thinking, as well as problem-based learning and innovation. 

The SoAS capitalizes on the diversity and strengths of its programs yielding cutting-edge research with individual and societal well-being. Research skills are integrated across disciplines, propelling undergraduate and graduate research. The SoAS state-of-the art research areas include drug discovery, cancer biology, toxicology, genomics, digital humanities, performing arts and artificial intelligence. The School’s excellence in research is also reflected in the success its various centers have achieved. Among these, the Institute of Media Research and Training (IMRT) has been at the forefront of knowledge creation in the field of communication and media studies through its research focus on media, war and conflict, feminist media, health communication, and digital media literacy in the Arab region. Research on migration, and in particular on forced displacement and the Lebanese diaspora, is conducted at the Institute for Migration Studies. The institute for Social Justice and Conflict Resolution has attracted a number of international grants to support research and community outreach projects on issues of transnational justice, inclusive governance and refugee rights

The School promotes a positive culture that embraces researchers as part of a fair, supportive, and inclusive environment, encouraging them to empower each other to succeed. To this end, SoAS continues to develop and update clear and innovative approaches to evaluating research quality across its disciplines.