Welcome to the Village Lab:

Research for stronger communities.


The Village Lab is an interdisciplinary, community-based research lab led by Dr. Rusty Souleymanov at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. Formed in 2021, the Village Lab aims to facilitate and support high-quality community-led research via strong community collaborations.

Drawing on a variety of community-based decolonizing research principles, approaches, and methodologies, the Village Lab operates at the intersections of the health and social sciences to address health and social issues for marginalized and equity-seeking communities in Canada.

The Village Lab is located on the original lands of the Indigenous People of Turtle Island, including the ancestral territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Red River MΓ©tis Nation. By acknowledging these lands and respecting the Treaties made on these territories, we are encouraged to continue honouring our relationship with Indigenous people as a part of ongoing reconciliation efforts, which will serve to educate the generations to come.

What’s New?


The Gigii-Bapiimin Study completed a community report. Please visit Gigii-Bapiimin for more information.

Follow us on Instagram @umvillagelab

 The Village Lab is grateful for the financial support of local and national funding bodies: