Contact

Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (VPRI)
Okanagan Campus
ADM006 – 1138 Alumni Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
vpresearch.ok@ubc.ca

Office Hours
Monday to Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

VPRI TEAM

VPRI Leadership

Dr. Suzie Currie
Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President,
Research and Innovation
ADM006M
suzie.currie@ubc.ca

Dr. Ed Hornibrook
Associate Vice-Principal,
Research and Innovation
ADM006D
avpri.ok@ubc.ca

Daniela Hetrea
Executive Assistant to the Vice-Principal,
Research and Innovation
ADM006 (WK16)
250-807-9042 | daniela.hetrea@ubc.ca

Katelyn Singler
Finance Manager
ADM006J
katelyn.singler@ubc.ca

 

Annamaria Soth
Finance & Human Resources Administrator
250-807-8272 | ADM006 (WK17)
annamaria.soth@ubc.ca

Cory Habermehl
Communications Manager
ADM006H
cory.habermehl@ubc.ca

 

Stacy Penner
Communications Strategist
ADM006 (WK12)
stacy.penner@ubc.ca

Derek Gratz
Associate Director
250-807-9853 | ADM006D
derek.gratz@ubc.ca

 

James McCartney
Industry Project Officer
ADM006 (WK14)
James.McCartney@ubc.ca

 

Angela Perry
Office and Human Resources Administrator
250-807-8604 | ADM006 (WK01)
angela.perry@ubc.ca

Research Administration and Compliance

Lisa Shearer
Manager, Administration and Compliance
250-807-8832 | ADM006G
lisa.shearer@ubc.ca

 

Rachel Howard
Research Ethics and Compliance Officer
250-807-8467 | ADM006 (WK02)
rachel.howard@ubc.ca

 

Meredith Levorson
Grants Administrator
250-807-9412 | ADM006 (WK10)
meredith.levorson@ubc.ca

 

 

Research Development

Denise Maines
Manager, Research Development
250-807-8510 | ADM006 (WK04)
denise.maines@ubc.ca

 

Joyceline Amoako (on leave)
Research Development Officer,
Health
250-807-8861 | ADM006 (WK06)
joyceline.amoako@ubc.ca

Melanie Fenton
Research Development Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering
ADM006 (WK03)
melanie.fenton@ubc.ca

 

Chris Hendershot
Research Support Specialist
ADM006 (WK06)
chris.hendershot@ubc.ca

 

Headshot of Hanna PaulHanna Paul
Indigenous Research Facilitator
ADM006 (WK07)
hanna.paul@ubc.ca

 

Brianna Wells
Research Development Officer,
Social Sciences and Humanities
250-807-8520 | ADM006 (WK05)
brianna.wells@ubc.ca

Sandra Spencer
Associate Director, Partnerships, Research and Innovation
Cell 780-722-6663
On campus | ADM006 (WK19)
Landmark 4 |  #604-1628 Dickson Ave
sandra.spencer@ubc.ca

Fernanda Alves
Partnership Coordinator
On campus | ADM006
Landmark 4 |  #601-1628 Dickson Ave
fernanda.alves@ubc.ca

Kayla Cartlidge
Program Manager
Cell 780-655-8454
On campus | ADM006 (WK12)
Landmark 4 |  #602-1628 Dickson Ave
kayla.cartlidge@ubc.ca

Amanda Sheehan
Partnership Development Specialist
Cell 250-300-1249
On campus | ADM006
Landmark 4 |  #601-1628 Dickson Ave
amanda.sheehan@ubc.ca

Pierre Rondier
Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Operations
250-807-9438 | ADM006I
pierre.rondier@ubc.ca

 

Nicole Bennett
Internal Programs Manager
ADM006 (WK15)
nicole.bennett@ubc.ca

 

Nishat Tasnim
Institutional Programs Officer
ADM 006 (WK18)
nishat.tasnim@ubc.ca

Natalie Rodriguez
Director, Interdisciplinarity and Operations x̌əl sic snpax̌nwixʷtn
natalie.rodriguez@ubc.ca

VPRI Directory

Role:
Unit/Departments:
Search Keyword:
Fernanda Alves | Partnership Coordinator | Entrepreneurship@UBCO, Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | fernanda.alves@ubc.ca | ADM006 | Landmark 4 #601-1628 Dickson Ave
Joyceline Amoako, PhD | Research Development Officer, Health (On Leave) | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | joyceline.amoako@ubc.ca | 250.807.8861 | ADM006 (WK06)
Jacquetta Benard | Administrative Assistant | Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention (IHLCDP ) | jacquetta.benard@ubc.ca | 250.807.8072 | ART 223
Nicole Bennett | Internal Programs Manager | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | nicole.bennett@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK15)
Mark Button | Lab Manager | Research Scientist | Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER) | mark.button@ubc.ca | 250.807.8645 | FIP 147
Joanne Carey | Research Administrator | Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) | joanne.carey@ubc.ca | 250.807.9667 | Arts 223A
Keith Culver (On Leave) | Professor; Director, UBC STAR | Faculty of Management, Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) | keith.culver@ubc.ca | 250.807.9875 | EME 4153
Suzie Currie | Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation | Biology, Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | suzie.currie@ubc.ca | ADM006M
Research Interests: Comparative animal physiology, focused on understanding how fish will cope with ongoing climate warming.
Tammy Durand | Animal Care Technician | Animal Care | tammy.durand@ubc.ca | 250.807.8019 (Facility Phone: 250.807.9814) | Animal Care Services, 3187 University Way, Kelowna BC
Melanie Fenton, MA | Research Development Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | melanie.fenton@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK03)
Adam Ford | Professor | Biology, Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystems Services (BRAES) | adam.ford@ubc.ca | SCI 109

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: Wildlife ecology and conservation; mammals; temperate forests, grasslands, and tropical savannas.
Courses & Teaching: Animal ecology
Patrick Gall | Manager of Operations, Partnerships and Strategy | Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) | patrick.gall@ubc.ca | EME 1203
Derek Gratz | Associate Director, Innovation UBC, Okanagan | Innovation UBC, Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | derek.gratz@ubc.ca | 250.807.9853 | ADM006H
Cory Habermehl | Communications Manager | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | cory.habermehl@ubc.ca | ADM006H
Chris Hendershot | Research Support Specialist, NSERC Portfolio | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | chris.hendershot@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK06)
Daniela Hetrea | Executive Assistant to Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | daniela.hetrea@ubc.ca | 250.807.9042 | ADM006 (WK16)
Rachelle Hole | Professor | Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC), Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Faculty of Health and Social Development, Indigenous Knowledges, Social Work | rachelle.hole@ubc.ca | 250-807-8741 | ARTS 368

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: Rachelle’s research programme is informed by two complementary streams: 1) a substantial focus on the socio-cultural practices that promote social inclusion and equity, and 2) a methodological focus on community based participatory research methods. Critical disability studies is central to the first stream informing Rachelle’s research in the area of community living and intellectual disability.
Ed Hornibrook | ed.hornibrook@ubc.ca | 250.807.8059 | SCI 313

Graduate student supervisor. Not accepting new students for 2026/2027


Research Interests: Biogeochemistry; stable isotopes; biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases; natural and restored wetlands; lakes; soil; groundwater; trace gas analysis; automation of monitoring equipment.
Courses & Teaching: Environmental science; research skills; science communication.
Rachel Howard | Research Ethics and Compliance Officer | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | rachel.howard@ubc.ca | 250.807.8467 | ADM006 (WK02)
Shanley Hutchinson | Communications Strategist | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | shanley.hutchinson@ubc.ca | ADM 006 (WK11)
Jennifer Jakobi | Professor | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, School of Health and Exercise Sciences | jennifer.jakobi@ubc.ca | 250.807.9884

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: The long term objective of Jakobi's research program is to develop prehabilitation programs that focus on maintaining functional independence in older adults.
Andrew Jirasek | Associate Dean, Professor | Medical Physics, Analytics in Medical Sciences (AiMs) Institute | andrew.jirasek@ubc.ca | 250.807.8812 | ASC 354

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: Medical physics; radiation oncology physics; Raman spectroscopy; 3D radiation dosimetry.
Courses & Teaching: Medical physics; quantum mechanics; data and image processing.
Ruth King | Coordinator, Wine Research Centre | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | ruth.king@ubc.ca | ADM 0062
Kyle Larson | Associate Dean, Research; Professor | Earth and Environmental Sciences, Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER) | kyle.larson@ubc.ca | 250.807.8564 | FIP 327

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: Structural geology; tectonics; petrology; microstructures; geochronology; the geology of the Himalaya-Tibet-Karakorm system; tectonics of Southwestern British Columbia.
Courses & Teaching: Structural geology; regional geology/tectonics.
Meredith Levorson | Grants Administrator | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | meredith.levorson@ubc.ca | 250.807.9412 | ADM006 (WK10)
Denise Maines | Manager, Research Development | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | denise.maines@ubc.ca | 250.807.8510 | ADM006 (WK04)
Ryan Mandau | Technician | Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) | ryan.mandau@ubc.ca | 250.575.1095 | EME 1203
James McCartney | Industry Project Officer | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, Research & Innovation Office (VPRI) | james.mccartney@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK14)
Abbas Milani | Professor | Mechanical, School of Engineering | abbas.milani@ubc.ca | 250.807.9652 | EME4203

Graduate student supervisor. Only considering applications with exceptional academic record.


Research Interests: Textile Composites/Biocomposites; Materials Constitutive Relations; Finite Element Modelling; Robust Inverse Methods; Material Selection for End-of-Life Design Strategies; Multiple Criteria Decision Making; Design and Analysis of Computer & Physical Experiments; Surrogate Models for Process Optimization; Industry 5.0
Courses & Teaching: Mathematical Methods in Modelling Engineering Materials; Multi-Objective Optimization and Decision-Making; Continuum Mechanics; Composite Materials; Engineering Vibrations
Samantha Olivier | Plant Growth Facility Manager | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | samantha.olivier@ubc.ca
Hanna Paul, MA | Indigenous Research Facilitator | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | hanna.paul@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK07)
Stacy Penner | Communications Strategist | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | stacy.penner@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK12)
Angela Perry | Office and Human Resources Administrator | angela.perry@ubc.ca | 250.807.8604 | ADM006 (WK01)
Natalie Rodriguez | Director, Interdisciplinarity and Operations x̌əl sic snpax̌nwixʷtn | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | natalie.rodriguez@ubc.ca | 250.317.7263 | 006WK19
Pierre Rondier | Manager, Strategic Initiatives and Operations | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | pierre.rondier@ubc.ca | 250.807.9438 | ADM006I
Christine Schreyer | Professor | Anthropology, Community Engagement, Social Change, Equity, Digital Arts and Humanities, Indigenous Knowledges | christine.schreyer@ubc.ca | ART 368C

Graduate student supervisor


Research Interests: Linguistic anthropology; First Nations language and culture; land claims and Aboriginal Title; ethnolinguistics, ethnohistory, social memory, oral history, landscape, and traditional land use studies; works with First Nations communities on language issues such as language maintenance and revitalization of endangered languages
Courses & Teaching: Linguistic anthropology; language documentation and revitalization
Lisa Shearer | Manager, Administration and Compliance | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | lisa.shearer@ubc.ca | 250.807.8832 | ADM006G
Amanda Sheehan | Partnership Development Specialist | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | amanda.sheehan@ubc.ca | 250.300.1249 | ADM006 | Landmark 4 #601-1628 Dickson Ave
Sudip Shrestha | Lab Manager | Research Scientist | Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, Research & Innovation Office (VPRI) | sudip.shrestha@ubc.ca | 250.807.8097 | FIP 151
Katelyn Singler | Finance Manager | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | katelyn.singler@ubc.ca | ADM006J
Annamaria Soth | Finance & Human Resources Administrator | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | annamaria.soth@ubc.ca | ADM006 (WK17)
Sandra Spencer | Associate Director, Partnerships, Research and Innovation | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | sandra.spencer@ubc.ca | 780.722.6663 | ADM006(WK19)
Nishat Tasnim | Institutional Programs Officer | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | nishat.tasnim@ubc.ca | ADM 006 (WK18)
Tanja Voegel, Dr. rer. nat. | BRAES Coordinator | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystems Services (BRAES) | tanja.voegel@ubc.ca | SCI 377
Brianna Wells, PhD | Research Development Officer, Social Sciences and Humanities | Office of Research Services (ORS), Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation | brianna.wells@ubc.ca | 250.807.8520 | ADM006 (WK05)
Naomi Winckler | Operations Manager (Animal Care) | Animal Care | naomi.winckler@ubc.ca | 250.807.8450 (Facility Phone: 250.807.9814) | Animal Care Services, 3187 University Way, Kelowna BC