There are 34 unique Indigenous languages currently in use in British Columbia. Each of them is critically endangered. The disappearance of any single one represents not just the loss of the language itself but also the loss of a living expression of intellect, a specific cultural understanding and an important link to the past. Dr. Jeannette Armstrong is partnering with scholars, Indigenous educators and community members to help ensure these languages survive.

Graduates from the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency and Bachelor of NłeɁkepmx Language Fluency programs, as part of the Interior Salishan Studies Centre helped established by Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, benefit from the centre’s multifaceted work in teaching and research, including new infrastructure and tools across partner sites to enable the collection, sharing and archiving of language and culture.

The majority of Indigenous languages used in BC are facing the impending loss of the last living generation of first-language speakers within the next decade. As such, there is an urgent need to protect and promote these languages in order to carry that knowledge forward and preserve their cultural history before it is lost for good.

In 2024, Dr. Armstrong, Professor in UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Science, helped establish the Interior Salishan Studies Centre (ISSC). Located on UBCO’s campus, the centre focuses on teaching and research by supporting the university’s Interior Salish Language fluency programs, pursuing the development of Salishan-specific Indigenous knowledge and conducting Salishan-led research. It is based on a number of partnerships between UBCO, Indigenous communities and Interior Salish institutions that go back more than 20 years.

The ISSC is an important step in the collective effort to support the language and cultural revitalization in the Interior Salishan region. However, language learning opportunities are best placed within communities themselves, and while the centre exists at UBCO, its vision has always been place-based, with additional nodes envisioned throughout the four Interior Salishan language speaking Nations of the syilx, NłeɁkepmx, St’át’imc and Secwépemc.

Now, using funding from CFI’s Innovation Fund, those nodes will soon become a reality.

With nearly $1.5 million in awarded funding, infrastructure at each of the centre’s partner sites—the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, the En’owkin Centre, the Lillooet Tribal Council/St’át’imc Education Institute and the Chief Atahm School—will be built to enable the collection, sharing and archiving of language and culture. The new spaces will support everything from language recording, documentation and digitization within soundproof spaces to video conferencing, archiving and reproducing digital resources in specialized, portable, A/V facilities. It’s regional work with much larger applications, says Dr. Armstrong.

“Beyond the outcomes of the Salishan-specific research of this project will be new, emerging and best practices in institutional efforts to Indigenize and contribute to reconciliation,” she says. “In this way, the regional nature of the project takes on national and international significance.”

With a narrowing window of time to act, this unique university-community partnership built on years of collaboration with Indigenous leaders, educators and communities is better equipped than ever to protect and preserve the languages that have shaped the lands for ages.

As we continue to rely on batteries to power our world, there is an increasing need to improve their performance and sustainability. UBCO is leading the charge toward designing, developing and prototyping powerful, sustainable and efficient battery technologies to help run the world of tomorrow.

Dr. Jian Liu leads the Battery Innovation Centre at UBC Okanagan, which just received more than $2.6 million in funding from CFI’s Innovation Fund.

Batteries are an integral part of society’s energy storage, and the stage is set for them to become an even more significant source of power in the future. While battery and electric vehicle industries are prioritizing investment in battery production, UBCO researcher Dr. Jian Liu is focused on designing, building and testing better batteries, ones with increased lifespan, improved safety and a low purchase cost, to be built in future Canadian production facilities.

Dr. Liu, Associate Professor in UBCO’s School of Engineering, is an internationally renowned emerging leader in energy storage technologies who has focused his career on creating solutions for clean energy through innovative advancements in next-generation battery development.

With more than $2.6 million in new funding from CFI’s Innovation Fund, which builds on a 2024 investment from BC’s Innovative Clean Energy Fund, he has established UBCO’s Battery Innovation Centre—an interdisciplinary team of experts and a cutting-edge facility, currently under construction, that will further enhance his research capabilities and put the Okanagan at the forefront of the booming battery sector. When complete, the new facility, located in UBCO’s Innovation Precinct, will be a state-of-the art environment for designing, developing and prototyping powerful, sustainable and efficient battery technologies.

The Battery Innovation Centre will contain a number of unique features critical to accelerating battery technology from innovation to the marketplace. A state-of-the-art manufacturing line, for example, will enable development and optimization of new materials and battery manufacturing processes at a scale directly transferable to industrial settings. It’s one of the centre’s core capabilities. Nothing like it exists anywhere else in Canada.

“UBCO’s Battery Innovation Centre will play a key role in advancing this important battery research and establishing our university and our region as a powerhouse in clean energy innovation,” says Dr. Liu. “It will provide us the necessary space and the most advanced equipment to create and test battery prototypes on a larger scale and be a critical hub for ideating, testing and building next-generation battery technology.”

The facility will also feature wet lab space and a specialized ultra-low-humidity “dry room” to create the ideal conditions for Dr. Liu and his team of collaborators, including researchers from UBC’s Vancouver campus and the University of Alberta, to continue their cutting-edge battery manufacturing and testing.

With these resources, the Battery Innovation Centre is well positioned to transfer battery innovation from laboratories to Canadian industries, train next-generation scientists and engineers and contribute to establishing a sustainable Canadian battery supply chain.

Dr. Jian Liu (left) leads UBCO’s Battery Innovation Centre, designing, developing and prototyping powerful, sustainable and efficient battery technologies. Graduates from the Interior Salishan Studies Centre (right), helped established by Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, benefit from the centre’s multifaceted work in teaching and research, including new infrastructure and tools across partner sites to enable the collection, sharing and archiving of language and culture.

Canada Foundation for Innovation invests more than $4 million in infrastructure funding for two key UBC Okanagan-led research projects

Two UBCO-led research projects were awarded a combined $4.15 million in infrastructure funding today as part of the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Innovation Fund.

Funded projects include pursuing the development of better, cleaner battery technology in a new, state-of-the-art on-campus facility and the revitalization of endangered Indigenous languages and culture through a series of resource hubs embedded in regional Indigenous communities.

The Innovation Fund is a grants program that supports large-scale, team-based research projects that require cutting-edge infrastructure to help Canada remain at the forefront of exploration and knowledge generation. Funds support researchers in addressing global challenges and making meaningful contributions to the social, health, environmental and economic aspects of life in Canada.

The announcement marks the first time UBC Okanagan has been awarded funding through the Innovation Fund program, a sign of the university’s continuing research growth and expanding expertise.

“I am delighted to see our researchers and their teams recognized for their knowledge, drive and ongoing contributions to such important and impactful areas,” says Dr. Suzie Currie, Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation. “The urgency for cleaner, more efficient, affordable energy has never been more evident, nor has the need to safeguard endangered languages and cultures that are a prominent part of our region’s history. We are grateful to CFI for this vote of confidence and look forward to establishing ourselves as leaders in these fields as we continue to make impactful contributions to benefit Canada and the world.”

This funding, which was part of more than $552 million in support for Canadian research infrastructure through CFI, was announced today by Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. A total of 14 projects across UBC were awarded funding.

The CFI typically contributes up to 40 per cent of a project’s research infrastructure costs. Research institutions secure remaining funds through partnerships with provincial and territorial governments, industry and other organizations. Proposals for matching provincial funding for CFI awards may be pending confirmation at the time of the CFI announcement.

Latest BCKDF funding awarded for eight campus projects

UBCO was awarded eight successful BCKDF projects in the latest round of provincial funding, totalling $1.68 million in infrastructure support.

UBC Okanagan researchers have received $1.68 million in infrastructure funding support from the Government of BC.

A total of eight projects were funded, exploring everything from the use of robots in the construction of affordable housing to patient-centred research into the development of treatments for deadly brain injuries.

The investment comes via the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), the Province’s primary source for capital investment in research infrastructure, and represents a matching component to federal funding already received for these projects from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

“We’re delighted and grateful to see this provincial investment in UBCO research infrastructure,” says Dr. Suzie Currie, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “This financial support is essential to strengthening our research as our talented experts continue to answer important questions and develop critical knowledge to positively affect people’s lives in BC, and beyond.”

In total, 71 projects received provincial funding across both UBC campuses.

UBCO BCKDF recipients and projects

Dr. Qian Chen, School of Engineering
Digital Integration for Robotic Fabrication in Construction (DIRFIC) to facilitate rapid affordable housing in Canada

Dr. Qian Chen’s research is working to address Canada’s housing crisis, safeguard construction workers during construction projects and position Canada as a leader in manufacturing and construction innovations. By developing a scalable and digitally integrated technology framework for robotic fabrication in construction, her lab aims to address the need for rapid, sustainable and affordable housing across the country. Part of her project includes an industrial-sized robotic arm to help model the complex constraints of robotic assembly and test the integration algorithm in real-world case studies.

Dr. Renelle Dubosq, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
From nano to tectonic: A centre for nanogeology research

Dr. Renelle Dubosq’s funding will develop a Centre for nanogeology research within UBCO’s existing FiLTER laboratory and enhance existing electron-beam facilities. These upgrades will allow for nanoscale analysis of geomaterials. Dr. Dubosq’s research will study the feedbacks between element mobility, fluids and structural defects at the nanoscale to assess their role in deformation of minerals and apply these processes to a tectonic scale. By improving the baseline knowledge of Canada’s natural mineral resources, this project could help address the demand for critical minerals crucial for green energy transitions and contribute to a better understanding of seismic rupture, which is essential for seismic hazard assessment in earthquake-prone regions.

Dr. Laura Grieneisen, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Wild Animal Microbiomes & Stress (WAMS)

Gut microbial communities affect many aspects of health including stress response. Most microbiome studies are over short time scales, but this research aims to create the first lifetime profiles of microbiome and stress response trajectories in wildlife. Funding will build a comprehensive research space for the collection, processing, long-term curation and modeling of wildlife data. This investment allows for the long-term monitoring of Canadian wildlife populations that are experiencing climate-change related population declines and range shifts.

Dr. Klaske van Heusden, School of Engineering
Data-driven control for safety-critical applications

Control technology, used in everything from cell phones to aircraft, buildings to manufacturing, is becoming more complex with increased levels of autonomy. Dr. Klaske van Heusden’s research focuses on the algorithms required to make the next generation of automated systems safe. Her program works to overcome the shortcomings of current methodology and develop data-driven methods for safe control. This project will provide the necessary equipment to develop and evaluate safe control methods compatible with learning control algorithms needed to empower autonomous systems. Her research aims to bridge the gap between current methods and real-world safety-critical control.

Dr. Ryan Hoiland, Southern Medical Program
The translational acute brain injury laboratory

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, about 60,000 Canadians suffer a cardiac arrest every year, with only five to 15 per cent of patients surviving. When someone’s heart stops beating, blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain stops too, and oxygen levels in the brain remain low after resuscitation. The resulting hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is the main cause of death in post-cardiac arrest patients. Currently, there are no effective treatments for HIBI. By using the equipment and infrastructure acquired with this funding to address key gaps in HIBI research, Dr. Ryan Hoiland will conduct research to develop new approaches that restore normal levels of oxygen in the brain as efficiently as possible following a HIBI. His lab will be uniquely positioned to accelerate progress and generate desperately needed knowledge to advance clinical care and develop new therapies for HIBI patients.

Dr. Alessandro Ielpi, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Development of river survey capability for assessment of fluxes of sediment and organic-carbon across watersheds 

Dr. Alessandro Ielpi is researching remote watersheds to better understand the impact of changing temperature on how water moves from uplands to oceans. Currently, our understanding of fluxes in sediment and organic matter along watersheds is centered around altered rivers in densely populated lowlands. Little is known about these processes in remote pristine watersheds not impacted by urban development. Dr. Ielpi’s research aims to fill essential knowledge gaps and scale up site-specific measurements to watershed scales. Ultimately, this will help develop new models linking watershed disturbance to downstream effects like increased erosion or flooding. In BC, this will mean better understanding of stressed watersheds’ responses to disturbances like wildfires, intensive timber harvesting and extreme weather events.

Dr. Muhammad Hashim Islam, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Real time assessment of metabolism in distinct human cell types across the health-disease continuum

Most chronic diseases affecting Canadians, such as heart disease and diabetes, involve disordered metabolism. However, how metabolism within different human cells and tissues is impacted with these diseases is poorly understood. Dr. Muhammad Hashim Islam’s research aims to advance this understanding and apply the information towards optimizing lifestyle interventions that are aimed at improving disease-related metabolic defects. This funding will help acquire an analyzer to enable real-time measurement of major metabolic pathways in various human cells and tissues. This technology will help Dr. Islam in developing new approaches for combatting chronic disease by targeting metabolic pathways, with the overall goal to improve the lives of millions of Canadians impacted by chronic disease.

Dr. Gema Rodriguez-Perez, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
A core technology to improve EDI in collaborative environments 

Open Source software (OS) is a vital component in many applications including high-tech industries and essential systems in health care, finance and public services. Yet it often struggles with issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in software development from a lack of diversity in developers, resulting in software failing to meet the needs of diverse users and reinforcing existing inequalities. Dr. Rodriguez-Perez’s research aims to address these inequalities, creating a toolkit designed to help OS communities monitor and improve their EDI practices.

UBC Okanagan to become home to national health institute 

Dr. Mary Jung, a Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, will serve as Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes for a four-year term.

UBC Okanagan researcher Dr. Mary Jung is taking over leadership of one of the 13 institutes that make up the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), enabling her—and UBCO—to play a key role in advancing health research across the country. 

Dr. Jung, a Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, was appointed Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) for a four-year term, beginning January 1, 2026. 

The appointment will see the INMD, currently located at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, relocate to UBCO’s campus for the duration of her leadership appointment, making UBCO a hub for health research and impact in Canada. It marks the first time UBCO has hosted a national institute. 

“Having the opportunity to champion and support health research, knowledge mobilization and capacity development is an honour,” says Dr. Jung. “I’m looking forward to representing CIHR and working with Canada’s research communities, people with lived experience and partner communities to shape Canada’s health research priorities and give back to the health research ecosystem.” 

Dr. Jung is one of Canada’s leading experts on the development and evaluation of evidence-based interventions to promote healthy behaviours and prevent chronic health conditions. She developed the diabetes-prevention program Small Steps for Big Changes, where diet and exercise modifications are used to reduce people’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. In partnership with the YMCA, the program is currently running in 50 cities in Canada as well as sites in Australia and Portugal. 

In her role as scientific director, she will establish strategic priorities for research across the fields of nutrition, metabolism and diabetes, mentor the next generation of health researchers and advocate for researchers when establishing partnerships with national and international health agencies.  

“Dr. Jung’s appointment is a well-earned recognition of her expertise and career and provides incredible momentum for UBC Okanagan,” says Dr. Suzie Currie, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “Hosting a national CIHR institute on our campus further exemplifies UBCO’s commitment to strategic, impactful research. We are excited to be playing a key role in shaping the future of nutrition, metabolism and diabetes research in Canada.”  

The position helps highlight UBCO’S research impact in Canada, as well as internationally. As scientific director, Dr. Jung will help guide the strategic direction of Canadian health research, connect research communities and collaborate with funding agencies around the world. Having received CIHR support for her own research in the past, she says the opportunity to lead the institute brings a special significance. 

“This is a dream come true. CIHR is internationally recognized as a leader in health research and scientific excellence,” she says. “They’ve helped shape and advance my research program, and I’m very grateful for the chance to now give back to the research world that has so often supported me.”  

Position enables more dedicated time to community-engaged research

Associate Professor Dr. Heather Gainforth is the SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Research Coproduction and Implementation Science.

Dr. Heather Gainforth has a singular principle that drives her research and her career.

“At the end of the day, everything I do is in service to the communities that benefit from my work.”

That work—seeking to inject meaningful community engagement into all aspects of university research projects—received national recognition today when Dr. Gainforth, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health and Social Development, was named the SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Research Coproduction and Implementation Science.

“It’s huge,” she says. “Being a CRC is not only an honour, but it helps protect my time to better conduct my research and better service communities—I can show up so much more in the ways I want to.”

The CRC program is designed to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds in engineering, natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences. Dr. Gainforth’s appointment, announced October 22 by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, brings the total number of CRCs at UBC Okanagan to 10.

Her work involves ensuring people with lived experience are engaged throughout the research process. Her field of research most often involves supporting people living with a spinal cord injury to thrive after their injury.

“So, in my work, for example, it’s not about doing research for people with spinal cord injuries, but doing research with them to ensure our research is relevant, useful and impactful.”

As a behavioural scientist, she’s seeking to change the behaviour of researchers themselves—to have them reevaluate the ways in which they conduct research to ensure their projects fully engage the communities for whom they conduct their research.

She leads a team that has developed guiding principles that help researchers working on partner-based research—often with communities experiencing chronic conditions like spinal cord injury—to conduct quality, ethical research that is relevant, useful and avoids tokenism. The principles are meant to be used by all partners throughout the research process and are starting to be adopted by researchers across Canada, fundamentally changing the national research environment for the better.

Some funding bodies are now even recommending researchers use the principles in funding applications, and some community agencies require their use in order for researchers to partner with them.

“I’m tremendously proud to see Dr. Gainforth’s work and expertise acknowledged with this prestigious honour,” says Dr. Suzie Currie, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “Her commitment to building meaningful, equitable partnerships in research exemplifies the best of what research can achieve—impact that extends deep into communities, far beyond campus, to create lasting change.”

Dr. Gainforth’s CRC appointment recognizes her as an emerging leader in her field and helps her dedicate more time specifically to conducting research. She hopes to use the increased time to continue to support transformational change in spinal cord injury research, evaluate the systems she and her team are changing and support other groups interested in engagement.

“Ten years ago, when I started looking at how to transform our research systems to meaningfully engage the communities who use our research, it felt risky. I was critiquing the very system in which I worked,” she says. “With this appointment, it’s wonderful to know the Canada Research Chairs Program, and UBCO, see the value in this work. I’m grateful for their support.”

Fourteen UBC researchers were announced as new and renewed Canada Research Chairs in this latest round of appointments, representing an investment of $11.1 million.

UBC Okanagan faculty receive nearly $1.5 million in Canada Foundation for Innovation funding across multiple projects

UBCO researchers received funding for projects ranging from nanogeology, crop resilience and robotic construction fabrication to control technology, chronic disease and acute brain injury.

UBC Okanagan researchers will be able to explore new therapies for devastating brain injuries, thanks to funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

A total of six researchers from across UBC Okanagan were awarded $1.49 million for research infrastructure on campus through CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), as announced by the Government of Canada on Friday, October 10. The fund helps universities recruit and retain incredible faculty members and acquire the tools to support their leading and innovative research.

Dr. Ryan Hoiland, Assistant Professor in the Southern Medical Program, is one of the six UBC Okanagan recipients. An Investigator with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CCDPM), Dr. Hoiland’s research program focuses on brain injury resulting from cardiac arrest.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, about 60,000 Canadians suffer a cardiac arrest every year, with only five to 15 per cent of patients surviving. When someone’s heart stops beating, blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain stops too, and oxygen levels in the brain remain low after resuscitation. The resulting hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is the main cause of death in post-cardiac arrest patients.

“The overall aim of our research program is to improve our understanding of the disease processes that occur with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury following cardiac arrest so that we can develop new treatments,” says Dr. Hoiland.

Currently, there are no effective treatments for HIBI, and progress for developing therapeutic interventions for HIBI has been stagnant for decades. By using the equipment and infrastructure acquired with this funding to address key gaps in HIBI research, Dr. Hoiland’s lab will be uniquely positioned to accelerate progress and generate desperately needed knowledge to advance clinical care for HIBI patients.

One aspect of the research that Dr. Hoiland is most excited about is using the NovaGuide 2® Intelligent Ultrasound, funded through this CFI JELF. This one-of-a-kind transcranial Doppler ultrasound uses an artificial intelligence algorithm and robotics to automate the measurement of blood flow to the brain.

“As we learn more about the regulation of blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain following hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, the automation of the NovaGuide 2 reduces a major barrier for wider implementation in research within additional health care settings such as more rural communities,” says Dr. Hoiland.

This ultrasound will be housed at Kelowna General Hospital. Dr. Hoiland is working in partnership with physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists for this patient-based neuromonitoring research.

“We hope that the research enabled by this CFI award will allow us to better serve all British Columbians, irrespective of where they live.”

Across both campuses, UBC researchers received more than $5.7 million for 31 successful projects in this latest round of funding.

UBCO CFI JELF recipients

Chen, Qian (School of Engineering)
Digital Integration for Robotic Fabrication in Construction (DIRFIC) to facilitate rapid affordable housing in Canada

Dr. Qian Chen’s research is working to address Canada’s housing crisis, safeguard construction workers during construction projects and position Canada as a leader in manufacturing and construction innovations. By developing a scalable and digitally integrated technology framework for robotic fabrication in construction, her lab aims to address the need for rapid, sustainable and affordable housing across the country. Part of her CFI JELF includes an industrial-sized robotic arm to help model the complex constraints of robotic assembly and test the integration algorithm in real-world case studies.

Dubosq, Renelle (Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science)
From nano to tectonic: A centre for nanogeology research

Dr. Renelle Dubosq’s funding will develop a Centre for Nanogeology Research within UBCO’s existing FiLTER laboratory and enhance existing electron-beam facilities. These upgrades will allow for nanoscale analysis of geomaterials. Dr. Dubosq’s research will study the feedbacks between element mobility, fluids and structural defects at the nanoscale to assess their role in deformation of minerals and apply these processes to a tectonic scale. By improving the baseline knowledge of Canada’s natural mineral resources, this project could help address the demand for critical minerals crucial for green energy transitions and contribute to a better understanding of seismic rupture, which is essential for seismic hazard assessment in earthquake-prone regions.

van Heusden, Klaske (School of Engineering)
Data-driven control for safety-critical applications

Control technology, used in everything from cell phones to aircraft, buildings to manufacturing, is becoming more complex with increased levels of autonomy. Dr. Klaske van Heusden’s research focuses on the algorithms required to make the next generation of automated systems safe. Her program works to overcome the shortcomings of current methodology and develop data-driven methods for safe control. This CFI JELF will provide the necessary equipment to develop and evaluate safe control methods compatible with learning control algorithms needed to empower autonomous systems. Her research aims to bridge the gap between current methods and real-world safety-critical control.

Hoiland, Ryan (Southern Medical Program)
The translational acute brain injury laboratory

See above for details.

Islam, Muhammad Hashim (Faculty of Health and Social Development)
Real time assessment of metabolism in distinct human cell types across the health-disease continuum

Most chronic diseases affecting Canadians, such as heart disease and diabetes, involve disordered metabolism. However, how metabolism within different human cells and tissues is impacted with these diseases is poorly understood. Dr. Muhammad Hashim Islam’s research aims to advance this understanding and apply the information towards optimizing lifestyle interventions that are aimed at improving disease-related metabolic defects. This CFI JELF will help acquire an analyzer to enable real-time measurement of major metabolic pathways in various human cells and tissues. This technology will help Dr. Islam in developing new approaches for combatting chronic disease by targeting metabolic pathways, with the overall goal to improve the lives of millions of Canadians impacted by chronic disease.

Mason, Chase (Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science)
Applying Plant Evolutionary Physiology for Next-Generation Crop Resilience: Establishing the SARC and CBIL at UBCO

Climate change and other challenges are applying pressure to the resilience of Canada’s agri-food system. Using this CFI JELF, Dr. Chase Mason will establish the Sustainable Agriculture Research Complex in UBCO’s West Campus Lands, the area within the Agricultural Land Reserve area located near John Hindle Drive. The complex will consist of two acres enclosed with deer fencing, containing field plots, an experimental trial garden and hoophouses. In his fundamental and applied agricultural research, Dr. Mason aims to create more stress-tolerant and pest-resistant versions of existing crops and explore new and underutilized crops that could thrive in Canada through the next decades of climate change.

Recognition includes support to build world-leading research programs

Two UBC Okanagan researchers have received a significant financial boost to their research projects through the Michael Smith Health Research BC (MSHRBC)’s Scholar and Health Professional-Investigator (HP-I) programs.

Both the Scholar and HP-I programs provide $90,000 in funding for up to five years, with the Scholar program geared towards outstanding early-career health researchers and the HP-I program to health professionals actively involved in patient care.

Dr. Gabrielle Legault – 2025 Scholar Program recipient.

Dr. Gabrielle Legault, Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies, is a 2025 Scholar recipient. Her research aims to address health research gaps for urban Indigenous people. While urban Indigenous people represent 78 per cent of BC’s Indigenous population, Dr. Legault notes that health research for these communities often lacks meaningful engagement, limits their agency and inadequately represents their diverse Nations, cultures and lived experiences.

Her research will co-develop scalable, culturally responsible governance models for health research that center urban Indigenous perspectives. The team will engage with urban Indigenous health leaders, community members and health researchers to co-create community-informed pathways and help health studies better reflect and serve urban Indigenous communities in BC.

“The knowledge generated from this project will address systemic gaps in Indigenous health research by developing inclusive research practices and ensuring that urban Indigenous priorities shape the research agenda,” says Dr. Legault.

Dr. Barbara Oliveira – 2025 Health Professional-Investigator recipient

A Registered Dietitian and Research Associate in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Dr. Barbara Oliveira received the Health Professional-Investigator (HP-I) award. Her research project centers around Type 2 diabetes (T2D) remission, when patients’ blood sugar levels return to sub-diabetes levels without any medication to lower glucose.

Many patients, and their health-care providers, are unaware T2D remission is possible through changes to diet and lifestyle. The project will use social media to connect with potential candidates and educate them about this possibility, ultimately referring to dietitians specially trained in the research program’s strategies for T2D remission. With this awareness and personalized expert support, the project aims to empower people living with T2D to both reach and maintain remission.

“The HP-I award gives me the chance to keep building my research,” says Dr. Oliveira. “This opportunity helps me focus on patient-centered care for Type 2 diabetes remission and work with a great team to make science more accessible to everyone.”

Ongoing MSHRBC funding support helps researchers develop and build leading-edge research programs and train the next generation of scientists while giving recipients expanded potential to make significant contributions to their field.

Across both campuses, the 2025 MSHRBC awards celebrated and supported 13 UBC researchers to help build BC’s health research talent.

UBC has recently restructured and reorganized several internal support services under Innovation UBC—a consolidated group of experts and resources across both campuses that works with researchers to support and accelerate the translation of research into real-world impacts. These supports are showcased in four key areas:

• Sponsored research
• Entrepreneurship and ventures (formerly e@UBC and e@UBCO)
• Inventions and licensing
• Partnerships

As we continue to support researchers in the best manner possible here in the Okanagan, we have aligned some staff members in the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (OVPRI) with Innovation UBC’s structure.

Okanagan contacts for the four key Innovation UBC areas are now as follows:

• Sponsored research – Derek Gratz, Associate Director, Innovation UBC, Okanagan
• Entrepreneurship and ventures – James McCartney, Industry Project Officer, Innovation UBC, Okanagan
• Inventions and licensing – Derek Gratz, Associate Director, Innovation UBC, Okanagan
• Partnerships – Sandra Spencer, Associate Director, Partnerships, Research and Innovation

Please note, while James McCartney is the Okanagan contact for Entrepreneurship and Ventures, entrepreneurial programming is now being delivered in partnership with Innovation UBC from the Vancouver campus.

We are committed to evolving alongside the needs of our research community and look forward to supporting researchers with improved coordination, responsiveness and impact as a result of these strategically aligned changes.

Please connect with the above-named individuals with any questions related to their specific areas of expertise.

Project receives more than $2.1 million in federal funding

UBCO’s Dr. Francisco Peña is leading an international team that will translate and digitally preserve the General e grand estoria—the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe.

One of the world’s most unique and important texts, the General e grand estoria (GE), will soon be translated, analyzed and made widely available, thanks to a global endeavour being led by a UBC Okanagan researcher.

Dr. Francisco Peña, Professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, is leading a team of international scholars in the collaborative effort to translate and digitally preserve the General estoria—the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe.

The project was awarded more than $2.1 million through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant, announced today by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, as part of a larger funding announcement for Canadian university research that included more than $9 million for UBCO research.

“While this is one of the world’s most unique and important texts, it is unfortunately not widely known,” says Dr. Peña. “Many relevant texts written in medieval Spain have disappeared. Through our efforts, we hope to change that fact and preserve this valuable piece of literature forever.”

The GE was commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile, who ruled Spain from 1252 to 1284. It was an effort to record the entire history of humanity, from the origins of the world as narrated in the Bible up to the time the work was commissioned.

Written in Spanish, the GE is unique in several ways, explains Dr. Peña. It’s the first work of its type in a language other than Latin, and it includes the social and cultural history of the world to that point in time, not just the political history.  It’s also noteworthy that its authors spanned multiple religions. While many texts of the time were commissioned and written by Christians alone, the GE’s authors included Christians, Muslims and Jews.

It totals more than 6,000 pages, and is an integral piece of Spain’s history.

Dr. Peña will oversee the project along with project co-directors, Dr. Katie Brown from University of Exeter in England and Dr. Francisco Gago-Jover from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The project team includes 55 scholars and practitioners from 18 partner organizations across Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Tunisia.

In addition to translating to English, the team will be annotating and analyzing the translated text to aid in explaining it to a lay audience.

“The text hasn’t been well understood to date because it’s impossible for a single scholar to tackle a project like this with its size and complexity,” says Dr. Peña. “So, we’ve assembled this team from across the globe to tackle it together.”

They’ll be using a digital platform called Colabora that Dr. Peña developed with colleagues in 2018, using funding from a previous SSHRC grant, to transcribe, digitize, translate and annotate the original GE text. During this latest project, he hopes to be able to train Collabora’s AI components to read the 13^th century handwriting to speed up the document’s transcription.

The original text is housed at the Biblioteca Nacional de España, and part of the $2.1 million will be used to provide graduate students with a number of experiential learning opportunities working alongside the original 13th century document in Spain.

“In the spirit of how the original text was written, we want to create a network of students from many countries and cultures and give them opportunities to work and study together at the same time. This is an invaluable opportunity for us to provide training and experience they can’t receive any other way,” says Dr. Peña.

The team also plans to create a series of additional materials to help lay audiences understand the original work and will partner with libraries and school districts in North America, Europe and North Africa to help disseminate the information.

Connecting with a general audience is a huge component of the project, says Dr. Peña.

“In the last few years, there’s been a mistrust of academic institutions—a perceived distancing of universities from non-university communities. We want to bridge that gap,” he says. “This document was written in the language of the people—there was an aim to reach as many of them as possible. We’re going to do exactly the same thing.”

The Canadian government’s willingness to support the work of preserving a Spanish document is unique, says Dr. Peña.

“I love that Canada has stepped up to do this for something that’s not Canadian. To help preserve history, reach and connect people from different cultural backgrounds, and spread knowledge,” he says. “This may be a Spanish text, but the values—that’s what’s Canadian.”