Where creativity meets inquiry.

Where research remembers, restores, and reimagines.

Where creativity meets inquiry. Where research remembers, restores, and reimagines.

Let's Talk Research!

RESEARCH

At Solaria, research is not detached from practice—it’s woven into every conversation, project, and partnership. Whether through published studies, creative collaborations, or community-centered work, our research is grounded in relational, arts-based, and socially just methodologies.

SOPHIA MARLOW’S RESEARCH BIO:

Research isn’t something I keep locked away in an academic silo. It’s alive, breathing, and deeply connected to the world around me. My research is guided by a belief that knowledge grows best in relationship—between disciplines, communities, and all beings. Whether I’m working with youth, educators, or creative collaborators, my goal is to build frameworks that imagine more inclusive, creative, and socially just futures.

My academic work spans educational, therapeutic, and artistic disciplines, with a strong foundation in decolonial, participatory, and arts-integrated research. A significant focus of my work centers on amplifying the voices and experiences of BIPOC and queer students in STEM education—challenging systemic inequities and reimagining how education can honor diverse ways of knowing and being. with a strong foundation in decolonial, participatory, and arts-integrated research. Drawing from methodologies such as axiological reflexivity, grounded creativity, neurodivergence-informed inquiry, and trauma-responsive frameworks, I focus on relationality, social justice, and creative world-building. I have contributed to publications and conferences focused on equity in STEM education, sensory storytelling, and intersectional approaches to research.

My partnerships with organizations such as the QueerCode Collective, Creativity & Equity in STEM Lab, and Wakebold Productions reflect a commitment to bridging knowledge and practice across disciplines—using art, education, and sensory methodologies to engage communities and expand possibilities.

For me, research is an invitation. An act of care, connection, and curiosity—a way to co-create knowledge that serves collective well-being.

PROJECTS

In collaboration with the QueerCode Collective, and Wakebold inc, Sophia been a part of teams developing interactive media projects designed to center the experiences of queer, neurodivergent, and gender-diverse youth. Momentorium offers an immersive virtual reality experience for pre-service teachers, providing a firsthand lens into the barriers faced by LGBTQ+ students in STEM classrooms. Creative Futures continues this advocacy by empowering gender non-conforming youth through world-building narratives—helping to visualize and co-create more inclusive, liberatory futures. Sophia’s primary role on these two projects was as soundtrack artist.

Reweaving Relationalities (Coming May 2025)

This collaborative workshop, presented at Concordia University’s Uncommon Senses V Conference, explores new modes of relationality across species and intelligences. Through sensory storytelling, multi-modal video, somatic exercises, and inter-modal reflections, participants are invited into deeper inquiry around knowledge, ethics, and care. Working with colleagues, we aim to disrupt hierarchical systems of knowing and foster just, resilient collaborations across beings and disciplines.

Academedium Oracle Deck (2025)

Originally developed as part of Sophia Marlow’s master's thesis, the Academedium Oracle Deck is an arts-based tool designed to support researchers, educators, and therapists in reimagining knowledge creation through intuition, symbolism, and creative play. Each card draws from archetypes and axiological principles uncovered during an exploration of power, ethics, and relationality in research. Currently in development as a published deck, it will be available for purchase in 2025—offering a playful, poetic, and politically conscious way to engage with questions that matter.

Creativity & Equity in STEM Education

As part of the Creativity & Equity in STEM Lab at the University of Calgary, I engage in research committed to reshaping how STEM education honors creativity, relationality, and equity. Our work interrogates dominant pedagogical models and uplifts decolonial, anti-oppressive approaches—focusing especially on elevating marginalized voices, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students. Through arts-based, participatory, and community-driven methodologies, we aim to foster more just, meaningful learning environments.

Academic CV/ Writing

Key Highlights:

  • Master's Thesis: Designing as Axiological Reflexivity: Manifesting Implicit Power Relationships in Research Through Grounded Creativity (University of Calgary)

  • Upcoming Workshop (May 2025): Reweaving Relationalities: Entanglements in Sensory-Story Methods with/across Multi-Species/Intelligences, Uncommon Senses V Conference, Concordia University

  • Contributor to multiple arts-based and equity-driven research projects centering LGBTQ+ and BIPOC student advocacy

  • Conference presentations (ICLS, SEEDS, NARST, ACSW, etc.)

  • Extensive experience in participatory, sensory-based methodologies bridging academia and community engagement

  • Award-winning contributions recognized by AGES and AMPIA

Coming Soon: Additional writing, articles, and media resources exploring the intersections of creativity, neurodivergence, and relational healing.

Full Academic CV

KEY COLLABORATORS AND MENTORS

  • Queer Code is a design and research-based studio that designs, develops, and researches new models of code and coding with queer and trans experiences at the forefront. We explore computing at the intersections of critical theory, virtual reality, complexity, computing education, and interactive art. Our work involves developing interactive and immersive computer simulations that integrate narrative storytelling, computing, and digital art.

  • Jennifer D. Adams is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair of Creativity and Science and Associate Professor at The University of Calgary where she holds a dual appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Werklund School of Education.  She is the PI of the Creativity, Equity and STEM Lab where she leads her team in research on equity in STEM teaching and learning environments with an emphasis on anti-deficit, learner-centred, and justice-oriented approaches.

  • Willow Brôcke is a registered social worker with over 20 years of experience in therapy, consulting, and leadership. She holds degrees in Social Work and Educational Psychology from the University of Victoria. Formerly a provincial Director at Alberta Health Services, she was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business. Willow's research focuses on organizational engagement, leadership development, and the use of storytelling to drive organizational change, with her work being published internationally, including in the American Journal of Hospital Administration.