This session is for current international students at Lakehead University who will require a study permit extension. You must keep your study permit active the entire time you study in Canada and always apply for an extension before it expires. Join our International Student Advisor to learn more about the process and what is required.
Are you graduating this summer, and plan to apply for a post-graduate work permit? Join this session lead by our Int'l Student Advisors to learn about the next steps, what is required and how to apply for your PGWP.
Have you recently renewed your study permit or obtained your post-grad work permit, and now need to renew your visa stamping in the passport? The visa stamping is used for entry to Canada. Please join our International Student Advisors as they walk through the process and requirements
Join this session to learn how to fill out tax forms for new jobs. You will also receive general information about obtaining a SIN and what it is used for in Canada (who should and shouldn't be asking for it). The CRA will also discuss the importance of filing taxes and provide an overview of tax refunds in Canada and tax filing deadlines.
This session is for current international students at Lakehead University who will require a study permit extension. You must keep your study permit active the entire time you study in Canada and always apply for an extension before it expires. Join our International Student Advisor to learn more about the process and what is required.
Many students want to stay in Canada after graduation and apply for Permanent Residency. There are a few options for students who graduate from Lakehead. Join this session for an overview of both the federal and provincial programs for PR.
Join this session to learn about the benefits of volunteering and getting involved with your local community. We will discuss volunteer opportunities and agencies and take questions from the audience!
Have you recently renewed your study permit or obtained your post-grad work permit, and now need to renew your visa stamping in the passport? The visa stamping is used for entry to Canada. Please join our International Student Advisors as they walk through the process and requirements
Join Lakehead University’s Barrie STEM Hub – officially opening in the Fall of 2026.
The Student Services Generalist - Lead is a highly visible, hands-on, and relational position responsible for ensuring the coordinated and effective delivery of services and supports for students at the Barrie STEM Hub. This role is the central coordinating link responsible for ensuring seamless, integrated support for students. Working directly with the student service leaders, the Lead will coordinate and implement their expertise and programming locally. The Lead will facilitate strong working relationships and open communication between the student service departments (e.g. Student Success, Student Central, International Student Services, Graduate Studies, etc.) to ensure student needs are met in a positive, student-centred way.
During initial start-up, the role will also provide project management support to support the setup of the student services delivery model and coordination across units.
Responsible for ensuring seamless, integrated, and effective delivery of a comprehensive suite of student services and supports at the Barrie STEM Hub. This involves acting as the central coordinating link between student service areas, developing resources and referral pathways (where appropriate and required), facilitating strong relationships among all student service leaders to ensure positive, student-centred outcomes. This includes developing and implementing student feedback mechanisms to track student needs and satisfaction and inform the evolution of student service delivery for the Barrie STEM Hub.
Accountable for providing direct, front line, integrated support as the primary, on-site generalist for a broad range of student needs across several student support fields. Additionally, requires focused expertise in a specific Portfolio Area, serving as the local point of specialized coordination for that function. Specific Portfolio Areas may include: Student Accessibility, Financial Aid, Career & Co-op, Graduate Studies, Academic Support, among others. Responsible for working with the applicable student service area, under the relevant Student Service Department Leader, to ensure the provision of services that align with the department’s policies, procedures and deliverables.
Accountable for the supervision, guidance, and support of the on-site team of Student Service Generalists, ensuring their effective performance and development in delivering integrated student services.
Lakehead University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals including women, racialized persons, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and other equity-seeking groups. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. This is in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements.
Lakehead University has a goal to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as measured by increasing representation of underrepresented groups among applicants, candidates, and hires. Experience working with Indigenous or racialized communities, and/or members of other equity-deserving groups, is a strong asset. A lived experience or worked experience of any of these issues is preferred.
We appreciate your interest; Lakehead University is committed to supporting an accessible environment. Applicants requiring accommodation during the interview process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (807) 343-8010 ext. 8334 or human.resources@lakeheadu.ca to make appropriate arrangements.
Watching a structure you've designed suddenly burst into flames isn't a typical university experience.
But if you're a student in a course taught by Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Sam Salem, that's exactly how a class might unfold.
Dr. Salem managed Lakehead's Master of Civil Engineering program and led the development of its PhD in Civil Engineering program. He's also supervised over 150 undergraduate students' degree design projects and mentored over 40 personnel. Above, Dr. Salem (centre) with some of his doctoral students.
"Teaching with purpose—inspiring minds and shaping futures—is my foundational principle," says Dr. Salem, who runs Lakehead's Structural Fire Testing & Research Laboratory (LUFTRL).
His intensive and accessible approach to learning sets him apart as an educator.
It has also earned him the 2025 Distinguished Instructor Award—Lakehead University's most prestigious teaching honour—and the appreciation of countless students.
He develops courses that bridge the gap between theoretical engineering concepts and practical industry experience, turning students into successful professional engineers.
"I'm also a learner as well as a teacher—I learn from my students' questions and comments," Dr. Salem says. Above, he receives his Distinguished Instructor Award from Lakehead Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Gillian Balfour.
Dr. Salem is an internationally recognized expert in structural fire engineering—an area he chose to specialize in because fire represents the gravest safety threat to any building and its occupants.
His love of teaching, however, was sparked as an undergraduate student at Egypt's Zagazig University, where he was a top-ranked scholar.
"Many of my classmates and friends would come to me for help with assignments and tricky problems."
It was there that he began to learn how to simplify complex concepts into easily understood information, which would become the bedrock of his teaching practice.
"Students get bored if everything is numbers and textbooks," he explains.
"In my classes, I like to include photos, drawings, and examples of engineering structures that failed. I make connections between what happens on paper and what happens in real life."
This strategy breaks the rigidity of the lecture format and encourages everyone, even those who may feel intimidated, to participate.
Dr. Salem adjusts the time spent on particular topics based on his students' needs. "Sometimes students learn quickly, other times they have more questions and need additional clarifications." Above, two members of his research team set up a mass-timber building assembly for fire testing.
Fostering student engagement is central to Dr. Salem's teaching.
"I always tell my students to raise their hands whenever they have a question, even if it seems simple. It helps other students, and it also improves my teaching."
His dedication to teaching has only deepened over time, despite the fact that he has to juggle his teaching commitments with an ambitious research program and heavy administrative duties.
"But even if my day has been tough and I'm feeling exhausted, once I'm in the classroom and see the excitement in students' eyes, my tiredness disappears," he says.
Dr. Salem holds patents in Canada and the United States for a fire-resistant beam-end connecting mechanism designed for mass-timber buildings. Above, he checks the gap between a beam and a column in a mass-timber assembly before it undergoes a fire-exposure test.
Thousands of people will live in apartment buildings, wander through shopping malls, and drive over bridges designed by civil engineers, so these structures have to be built to the highest standards.
"I continually remind students that as professional engineers, they will be responsible for other people's lives, and that they must act ethically and with the utmost integrity," Dr. Salem says.
"It could be your mother, your son, or your friend who uses a structure you designed."
Fortunately, his students have the opportunity to engage in experiential learning at the Structural Fire Testing & Research Laboratory. Through Dr. Salem's guidance and mentorship, they learn how to meet building code requirements and design standards for resilient, fire-safe structures.
"Even though it's wonderful when my students get good grades, what makes me most proud of them is when they try hard and ask questions," Dr. Salem says. "It shows me that they want to learn."
He often gets messages from former students, including many who graduated years ago, saying: "This issue you discussed in your course just came up at work, and I was able to apply what you taught us."
"For me, teaching is a work of the heart," he adds. "You have to love what you teach in order to inspire students."
Congratulations, Dr. Salem, on being named Lakehead's 2025 Distinguished Instructor!
Almost $3 million in research funding from provincial and national funding agencies has been awarded to Dr. Salem. He has also has authored/co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed, refereed publications in highly-ranked international journals and top-tier conference proceedings.
Every year, Lakehead honours outstanding professors, instructors, and education staff whose commitment to teaching and innovation ensures that our students excel.
Distinguished Instructor Award:
Dr. Sam Salem, Civil Engineering
Contribution to Teaching Awards:
Dr. Kathryn Walton, English
Mr. Brian Weishar, Education
Dr. Davut Akca, Interdisciplinary
Prof. Tenille Brown, Law
Ms. Kaitlin Adduono, Nursing
Dr. Ahmed Elshaer, Civil Engineering
Teaching Innovation Awards:
Prof. Larissa Speak, Law
Dr. Taryn Klarner, Kinesiology and Mrs. Kristen McConnell, Nursing
Mr. Mohit Dudeja, Education
Teaching Support Award:
Mr. Adam Humeniuk, Teaching Commons
