Chairs & Scholars

Eddie goldenberg research chairs of Canada

The federal program is providing up to $1 billion over 12 years to help Canadian post-secondary institutions recruit exceptional international and expatriate Canadian researchers.

Chairholders will lead transformational research projects and build partnerships with industry, government, non-profit and other organizations to generate tangible impacts in addressing critical national and global challenges. Their work will strengthen Canada’s research capacity, train future talent and drive innovation in areas critical to global competitiveness.

Crystal Kolden

Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Wildfire Resilience

Over the last two decades, Dr. Crystal Kolden has become a world-leading scholar in pyrogeography—the study of fire and its relationship to climate, vegetation and human activity. Dr. Kolden’s work is distinguished by her research contributions to wildfire science and by a singular ability to bridge academic discovery, operational fire management, public policy and knowledge mobilization.

canada research chairs

The federally funded Canada Research Chair program, launched in 2000, provides support in building Canada’s research capacity. The Canada Research Chairs program invests approximately $265 million per year toward research in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.

UBC’s Okanagan campus currently has 10 Canada Research Chairs with the most recent recipients awarded in 2025. Tier 1 Chairs are recognized as outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. Tier 2 Chairs are awarded to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field.

JENNIFER DAVIS

Applied Health Economics
Tier 2 – CIHR

ALANAISE FERGUSON

Health, Healing, and Community Revitalization: Indigenous Approaches to Overcoming Intergenerational Trauma and Loss
Tier 2 – CIHR

ADAM FORD

Wildlife Restoration Ecology
Tier 2 – NSERC

Heather Gainforth

Research Coproduction and Implementation Science
Tier 2 – SSHRC

WILL HUGHES

DNA Engineering
Tier 1 – NSERC

MARY CLARE KENNEDY

Substance Use Policy and Practice Research
Tier 2 – CIHR

ISAAC LI

Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology
Tier 2 – NSERC

ASTRIDA NEIMANIS

Feminist Environmental Humanities
Tier 2 – SSHRC

SARAH PURCELL

Nutrition and Energy Metabolism in Chronic Disease
Tier 2 – CIHR

MADELEINE RANSOM

Artificial Intelligence, Well-Being and Ethics
Tier 2 – SSHRC

Jessica Chan

Language, Literacy and Early Learning
Tier 2 – SSHRC

Impact research chairs

Administered and supported by the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (OVPRI), the Impact Research Chairs (IRC) program was launched in November 2025. It is designed to expand impact from UBCO research, innovation and creative activity locally, nationally and globally, and to align with key areas of focus and priority at UBC and within individual faculties.

Those appointed as Chairs will serve five-year appointments in one of two tiers: emerging scholars or established scholars.

Phil Ainslie

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Cerebrovascular, Exercise and Environmental Health – Established Scholar

Qian Chen

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Digital and Robotic Construction – Emerging Scholar

Katrina Plamondon

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Applied Health Equity Science: From Knowledge to Action – Emerging Scholar

michael russello

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Conservation Genomics – Established Scholar

Megan Smith

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Societal Resilience and Immersive Futures – Established Scholar

shawn wilson

UBCO Impact Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge Systems – Established Scholar

Principal’s Research Chairs

The Principal’s Research Chairs (PRC) program provides internal funding support for top-tier researchers engaged in outstanding research or creative scholarship.

The requirements of the PRC program are aligned with the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) program criteria and recipients of the award are appointed to a five-year term.

UBC Okanagan has made 29 appointments since the program launch in April 2020.

AMIR ARDESTANI-JAAFARI

Data-Driven Operations Management
Tier 2

Mathieu Bourbonnais

Wildland Fire Risk and Fire Management
Tier 2

SABRE CHERKOWSKI

Leadership, Learning and Wellbeing
Tier 1

THU-THUY DANG

Natural Products Biotechnology
Tier 2

RENELLE DUBOSQ

Nanogeology
Tier 2

RACHELLE HOLE

Critical Disability Studies
Tier 1

LAUREN HUMAN

Social Perception and Expression
Tier 2

POURANG IRANI

Ubiquitous Analytics
Tier 1

KYLE LARSON

Tectonics
Tier 1

JONATHAN LITTLE

Metabolism
Tier 1

ABBAS MILANI

Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing
Tier 1

Karis Shearer

Digital Arts and Humanities
Tier 2

ONYX SLOAN MORGAN

Communities, Justice and Sustainability
Tier 2

ROBERT SZILAGYI

Computational Chemistry
Tier 1

ALEXANDER R. UHL

Solar Energy Conversion
Tier 2

WENDY WONG

Datafication
Tier 1

KYONG YOON

Trans-Pacific Digital Platform Studies
Tier 1

MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN ZARIFI

Sensors and Microelectronics
Tier 2

ENDOWED & industrial Chairs

CIGDEM ESKICIOGLU

NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Advanced Resource Recovery From Wastewater (2020)

KASUN HEWAGE

Fortis BC Smart Energy Chair (2019)

Alessandro Ielpi

Endowed Research Chair in Watershed Management (Forest Renewal BC – FRBC)

JOHN JANMAAT

Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) BC Regional Innovation Chair in Water Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability

NATHAN PELLETIER

NSERC/Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Sustainability (2018)

Jennifer Jakobi

NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering

michael smith health research BC (MSHRBC) SCHOLARS

The Michael Smith Health Research BC’s Scholar Program supports early-career health researchers who are building leading-edge health research programs, training the next generation of scientists, and expanding their potential to make significant contributions to their field.

The Scholar Program is one of MSHRBC’s flagship funding opportunities. Since 2001, MSHRBC has granted more than 460 Scholar awards, helping to develop, attract and retain BC’s best and brightest health researchers and support the advancement of world-class health research in BC.

Research Excellence