HANNA PAUL CAN RECALL THE EXACT MOMENT that inspired her research into Indigenous moon time teachings.

In 2017, while Paul was pursuing her undergraduate degree in anthropology and Indigenous studies, she volunteered at an Indigenous event that included a ceremonial element. At the time, she was on her moon time (menstruating) and was told she was unable to participate in the ceremony. Initially, Paul expected this to be because of taboo. 

“Growing up all I knew was western taboos around menstruation,” says Paul, “But I was told that I was unable to participate because I was already going through a ceremony, a moon ceremony, and you can’t be in two ceremonies at one time.”

Many Indigenous cultures, including Métis, refer to menstruation as moon time, since it occurs on a 28-day cycle, similar to the moon’s cycle. This planted a seed for Paul that would grow into an Undergraduate Research Award and later her master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Fiona McDonald and Dr. Gabrielle Legault.

Hanna Paul’s kokum, pictured in her home.

Paul’s family history is diverse, with Métis and Beaver First Nation ancestry on her father’s side, and Ukrainian and French ancestry on her mother’s side. Her Métis family names are Paul, Lizotte, Lambert and LaFleur, and her community is located in the North Vermillion settlement, also known as Buttertown. Drawing on her heritage, Paul decided to return home to Buttertown for her master’s research to investigate whether Métis moon time teachings still existed there.

In summer 2022, Paul began her research project, living with her kokum (grandmother in Northern Michif and Cree), who helped her navigate her kinship relationships and connect with participants to discuss women’s teachings and Métis culture.

“My kokum was the best roommate and we quickly became friends in a way we weren’t able to be before,” says Paul. “She was at the intersection between being a researcher, being a community member and being kin because she was my local guide, my roommate and my kokum.”

Paul discovered that moon time teachings were not prevalent in Buttertown due to the colonial apparatuses of power that disrupted those teachings. Her research shifted to focus on how these teachings could be brought back and used to instill body image and self-esteem in youth and women.

“Shame and a lack of self-esteem were prevalent, derived from moments of cultural disruption,” says Paul. “We began to explore what it could look like to bring moon time teachings back to the community.”

Through a talking circle, Paul and her participants explored what Métis futurisms could look like in Buttertown and how moon time teachings could be mobilized to build confidence for future generations of youth and women.

Hanna Paul and her auntie picking Saskatoon berries in Buttertown.

Discussions during talking circles focused on the importance of place and community members having agency in telling their own stories. An interactive centre or place where these teachings could be shared within the community was a vision that came out of the calls to action in Paul’s research.

Upon returning to Kelowna and reflecting on her experiences, Paul recalls one of the most memorable parts of her summer: picking Saskatoon berries with her cousins and aunties. She knew she wanted this to be something central to her research. With the guidance of Dr. Shawn Wilson, the process of picking Saskatoon berries became an illustration of the methodology for Paul’s research.

“Journeying back home as a Métis community member and as a researcher created a really memorable summer for me. There were many parallels between my research and going to a berry patch,” says Paul. “Back home, you’d find a local guide to get you to a berry patch. My local guide was my kokum. Your guide may then help you find other berry pickers, just as my kokum helped me find participants.”

After completing her master’s degree, Paul plans to work with Indigenous youth and continue to situate herself within the Métis community. Ultimately, she hopes to pursue a doctorate based on the needs of her community.

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DESPITE DECADES OF STUDYING CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS between cells, scientists still know very little about how cells interact physically. How do cells’ physical movements, for instance, affect pathological processes in diseases, like cancer, in our bodies?

Dr. Isaac Li, an emerging leader in his field, is looking for answers.

“These physical interactions underpin a lot of processes that we’re just beginning to understand,” explains the Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology (Tier 2). “The problem with these forces—which push, pull and stick together—is that they happen on an incredibly small scale and are difficult to observe.”

As a visual person, Dr. Li was driven to translate these abstract forces into images so researchers could better understand them. Using specialized DNA-based molecular tools that change shape with force, Dr. Li is able to directly show these forces in action, under the microscope.

“For the first time, people can visualize processes that weren’t visible before.”

Though Dr. Li teaches chemistry, many of the questions asked by his research are biological. His work combines biology, biochemistry, biophysics, nanotechnology and bioengineering.

The impacts of visualizing cells’ physical interactions are far-reaching.

Investigating the physical touch between cells will guide a better understanding of how various diseases, including cancer, progress through the body. Eventually, Dr. Li hopes his research will lead to new strategies for treating these diseases through targeting and controlling the physical interactions.

“Often the approach is to find one molecule responsible for causing something bad and kill it,” says Dr. Li. “But biology is more complicated than that—what if we don’t kill it, but instead find it and manipulate it? Maybe it can actually help.”

He says the DNA-based tools he and his team have created to probe these processes also have the potential to enable other technologies that haven’t even been conceived.

“One hundred years ago they were studying quantum mechanics with no idea it would one day be applied to quantum computing,” says Dr. Li. “We’re advancing a body of knowledge so others can pick it up and take it from here.”

When he chose UBC Okanagan for his research, Dr. Li was drawn to the enthusiasm within his department. “I’m attracted to people and colleagues who I can collaborate with, and I think that’s what brought me here.”

In his time at UBCO, Dr. Li has found the campus’s intimate size and interdisciplinary environment allow him to easily collaborate with diverse faculty members who can benefit from his imaging methods and DNA-based tools.

Dr. Li’s research has flourished in this collaborative environment, earning him the recognition of UBC Okanagan’s 2023 Researcher of the Year for Natural Sciences and Engineering.

“I was quite humbled,” he says about his Researcher of the Year win. “I wouldn’t be here without all the support of so many people.

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DR. HEATHER GAINFORTH HAS ONE SIMPLE QUESTION whenever she starts her research: “How can I help?”

In her work with the spinal cord injury (SCI) community, Dr. Gainforth conducts research she hopes will change how other research partnerships are done, by having them include more meaningful, real-world engagement with the communities who would benefit from the work.

“I’m interested in why people do what they do,” says Dr. Gainforth, an Associate Professor in UBCO’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences. “My work asks two questions: ‘How do you change behaviour?’ and ‘how do you do it in a way where the research ends up in the real world?’”

This desire to apply research to the real world started with Dr. Gainforth’s master’s thesis on exploring health messaging. The discovery of a vaccine for the human papillomavirus—approved by the American Food and Drug Association in 2014—had the potential to prevent cancer, yet students at her university hadn’t heard of it.

Dr. Gainforth asked why.

“There’s a 17- to 20-year gap from when research is done to when it’s used in practice,” says Dr. Gainforth, who initially shied away from becoming a professor because of this significant delay. She soon realized she had a passion for knowledge translation—or the movement of research from the lab into the hands of people who can use it.

Dr. Heather Gainforth with her research team and partners from Kelowna’s spinal cord injury community.

During her doctoral research at Queen’s University, Dr. Gainforth started working with Peter Athanasopoulos, Director of Public Policy at Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, and someone living with a spinal cord injury himself. He said if she wanted to do research with people with SCI, it would need to be a true partnership where she listened to the community.

She enthusiastically agreed. By the end of her degree, the pair had shared guidelines across Ontario and Dr. Gainforth had a new understanding of knowledge translation—or, how meaningful partnerships are key to applying research in communities who need it.

When Dr. Gainforth arrived at UBCO, she contacted Spinal Cord Injury BC, Alberta and Ontario to learn what she could begin doing to help right away. As a result of that partnership, the SCI organizations were able to use her approach to translate the research into practice more quickly to address real-world needs.

Then, they asked her to do something bigger.

“They said, ‘We need more people doing research the way you do it,’ said Dr. Gainforth. “That turned my behaviour change brain on. They wanted me to change the behaviour of other researchers.”

Working with a multidisciplinary group of partners, including SCI researchers, clinicians and people with SCI, Dr. Gainforth’s team developed guiding principles for research partnerships to conduct quality and ethical research that is relevant, useful and avoids tokenism. The principles are to be used by all partners early and throughout the research process.

Dr. Gainforth says if her work can help support researchers to meaningfully engage, we can close huge research gaps and help turn research into reality. “I’m of the belief that research is not complete until it has a real-world impact.”

The guiding principles apply to areas in health research within, and beyond, spinal cord injury, including exercise counselling, peer mentorship and bowel and bladder care intervention, meaning more people than ever can benefit from her expertise.

Her work has been accessed across Canada and in nearly 40 countries, with researchers around the world adopting her principles. This national and international impact led Dr. Gainforth to be named UBC Okanagan’s 2023 Researcher of the Year in Health.

“At UBC Okanagan, there’s a lot of support around doing this work and thinking, ‘How do we ensure that what we’re doing involves a community-engaged approach?’ UBC’s strategic plan speaks to this sense of community engagement and that’s exciting for me, because I have the opportunity to help every researcher on campus.”

In her Applied Behaviour Change Lab, Dr. Gainforth is now training the next generation of scientists to consider partner feedback before all else. “When a student in our lab proposes a study, the first question I ask is: ‘What does the community think about that?’”

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DR. JACQUES-OLIVIER PESME WON’T CHANGE HIS ROUTINE to mark Earth Day.

The director of the UBC Wine Research Centre will likely enjoy his favorite vintage and think about the vines from which the grapes were grown. He follows that routine many days of the year, not just every April 22.

“Every day is Earth Day for us at the Wine Research Centre,” he says. “We’re always considering how we can better ensure a future for BC wines, especially in light of climate change.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.08 degrees Celsius per decade since 1880, but the average rate of increase since 1981 has been more than twice as fast, at 0.18 C per decade. In addition to rising temperatures, climate change has led to more severe storms across the globe, increased drought in already water-strapped regions and a warming, rising ocean.

It affects all aspects of our day-to-day lives, including transportation, energy production, the cost of living, and beyond. It’s not a problem for the future. Industries across the globe are absorbing real climate effects on their businesses now.

“The wine industry does not escape the rule. It’s also affected by the climate change challenge,” Dr. Pesme says. “Numerous factors affect the taste of wine, including growing climate, hours of sunlight, water levels, warmth and nutrients. It’s well-known that that climate has direct impact on the flavor of ripe grapes, positive in most cases, but dramatic when the climate is changing radically. Science shows that BC will be more regularly affected by intense climate episodes, extreme heat or early frost, for instance.”

To that end, the Centre is engaged in supporting the development of a competitive and sustainable BC wine industry through world-class research, excellence in wine education, practical solutions and knowledge mobilization.

“We have some of our team working on the effect of climate change on vineyards in BC, but also elsewhere in the world. They’re precisely measuring the evolution of our climate,” Dr. Pesme says. “We have other teams and researchers working on the effects of a climate hazard provoked by climate change. Take, for example, a wine region affected by wildfires. What effect will the smoke have on the grapes and then the taste of its wines?”

Precise data at the micro level is vital in the search for climate solutions.

The Centre leans into three pillars for its research: grapes, vineyards and soils; wine and fermentation, winery performance and sustainability; and, wine territory competitiveness. Study happens in the field (or the vineyards, in this case) and at three locations in Vancouver and Kelowna. The Centre’s Mass Spectrometry Core Facility can analyze fragrance and aroma compounds, flavonoids and anthocyanins (pigment) in fruit, as well as metabolite profiling of small molecules.

UBC also established a Wine Library in Vancouver with donations from dozens of BC wineries. The library collection was established in order to study which grape varietals do best in specific micro climates in BC, and to study the long-term aging abilities of those wines.

Finally, the Plant Growth Facility at UBC Okanagan is a state-of-the-art greenhouse that opened in September 2020. The 5,000-square-foot facility has computer-controlled light and temperature programs for large projects, and allows for isolation of different growth and treatment protocols.

“As the climate situation evolves, we need to nurture the knowledge of owners and staff at vineyards. A precise knowledge of what we call micro-climate situations, as well as soil studies, will help us better understand how climate change affects a particular wine territory,” Dr. Pesme says.

He says more detailed weather stations in the Okanagan and Vancouver Island where climate conditions may vary a lot within few hundred meters is an important next step. “There are already existing weather stations in BC; however, the information is not coordinated and shared by all the parties. This is an absolute need to grow grapes wisely, especially in the context of climate change.”

New innovations are emerging in response to the climate change challenge, and low-impact and knowledge-based wine making techniques that are studied at UBC and UBC Okanagan are being harnessed globally as part of the effort to mitigate impacts of a more extreme climate.

“Here in BC, around Okanagan Lake, there are approximately 80 varieties of vine. Climate change may spur winemakers to change grapes they grow, according to the evolution of the climate and the best combination of climate, type of soil and the Okanagan condition.”

Dr. Pesme uses the United Kingdom as an example of a region that has benefited recently from climate change with the emergence of a growing wine industry—sparkling wines in particular. The UK has always been an important and influential market for wines, predominantly imported. Nowadays, thanks to the climate’s evolution, there is a strong argument to support the development of a domestic wine sector, inspired by the Champagne region of France.

“The UBC Wine Research Centre wants to power vintners and grape growers with more and specific information to address climate change,” Dr. Pesme says, “because this is not just about wine. The world needs real solutions to extreme climate. We need better methods and knowledge in agriculture and production. The Wine Research Centre wants to contribute to those solutions.

“Our collective future depends on it.”

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Describe your research. What inspired you on this path?

I chose to study human kinetics because I’m interested in understanding how diet and exercise can help reduce an individuals’ risk for developing chronic diseases. I’m currently completing my undergraduate honours thesis with UBCO’s Diabetes Prevention Research Group under the supervision of Dr. Mary Jung.

The prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing across Canada. Although chronic disease prevention programs are designed to help improve health outcomes through adoption and adherence to good diet and exercise behaviours, these programs rarely reach equity-deserving groups who are most at risk for developing chronic diseases.

My study is critical for improving demographic data collection practices in community-based prevention programs, so that we may better understand the populations being served and identify inequities in program delivery. With improved demographic data, programs can develop better solutions for increasing the equity of care.

What do you think makes UBCO unique?

UBCO is an amazing place to learn and study. My favourite part about being here is the close-knit community. I love being able to walk across campus and wave to classmates or have my professors ask me how I’m doing when passing by. UBCO is a supportive environment that wants to see you succeed and thrive; I don’t feel like I’m just another undergrad student here, but rather, a valued member of the campus community.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your academic career?

A big challenge I face regularly is balancing academics and my personal life. I’ve dealt with burnout in the past, so I know the consequences of not listening to your body. It takes trial and error to find the strategy that works best for you. I’m better at finding this balance now than I was in my first year, but it’s still difficult at times. I think a big thing I’ve learned is that by taking the time to rest when you need it, you’re helping yourself in the future.

“I hope to one day mentor undergraduate researchers and help them learn just how rewarding research can be—something my mentor has done for me.”

What does it mean to you to be a Stober Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) recipient?

Being a SURF recipient is an incredible opportunity; I had the wonderful experience of working in the Diabetes Prevention Research Group, a laboratory focused on community-based health programs and improving equity in access to Type 2 diabetes prevention care. I gained valuable research skills and learned about collaboration, communication, problem solving, time management and mentorship—skills that will serve me in any future career.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they influenced you?

I’m very lucky to have a mentor who has helped guide me through the last two years of my degree. Having a mentor with similar experiences is great when you need someone to talk to about the challenges and struggles you’re facing. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I speak with my mentor, and they offer me new perspectives and clarity. I hope to one day mentor undergraduate researchers and help them learn just how rewarding research can be—something my mentor has done for me.

What’s the best advice you have for new undergraduate students?

Get involved in a wide variety of activities and projects! Get involved in things on campus, off campus, within your faculty or in a different faculty! By getting involved in a variety of projects, you learn new skills and meet new people. Being involved on campus also makes your university experience more than just academics; it’s about being a part of a community.

What do you hope to do after finishing your undergrad?

I want to continue to do research and stay with UBCO for my Master of Science. My passion for research is driven by my passion to help others live long, healthy lives. I want to do work that makes a difference to others, and I see the importance my research has in doing that. My long-term career goal is to keep focused on improving health promotion and preventative care.

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Tell us about your doctorate and why your research is important.

My research focuses on proposing novel transmission schemes for future mobile cellular networks. Access to high-quality communications services is vital in today’s internet-based ecosystem and despite recent developments in the Canadian communications sector, more than half of rural and remote Canadian households do not have the basic internet connectivity of 50/10 Mbps download/upload speeds. There is a clear gap between the quality of the communications services provided in rural and remote areas compared to those in urban ones.

Under the supervision of Dr. Anas Chaaban, I realized we don’t just need an evolution in current communications technologies to keep up with the requirements of next-generation mobile networks. What we really need is a revolution in the design of mobile cellular networks.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your academic career?

As an international student who came to Canada with his family, I faced cultural and language challenges as well as homesickness. But the School of Engineering and Dr. Chaaban have helped me overcome these issues. This encouraged me to be more connected with the local area and helped me feel more mentally stable.

That’s why I always advise incoming international students to seek support and resources whenever they need help. UBC Okanagan provides many services and resources specifically designed to help international students transition to life in a new country and succeed in their studies.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they influenced you?

Mahmoud Hasabelnaby with his wife Shrouk and their child Yaseen.

Dr. Chaaban is always available when I need him, and he encourages me to stay focused on my goals. He also always shares his knowledge and experience with me, helping me learn from his successes and mistakes.

I’m also a mentee in the UBC Engineering Mentorship Program, which offers an outstanding opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with industry professionals while developing vital communication skills. This program helps me see the next steps I need to take to succeed in engineering.

What’s the best advice you have for other students, whether they are undergraduate or graduate?

Every student’s journey is unique, and it’s important to find what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to try new approaches and adjust your strategy as needed.

Setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them is also essential. This can help you stay focused and motivated on your academic and personal goals. You also have to stay engaged with your coursework—take part in class discussions, ask questions and seek extra resources or learning opportunities.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. This can be from professors, classmates, tutors or other supports. In the end, it is important to prioritize your physical and mental wellbeing. Get enough sleep, eat well, and find time to relax and recharge.

What do you think makes UBCO unique?

UBC Okanagan is home to several institutes and centres that enable students from all over the world to engage in hands-on research. This diverse environment adds to the campus’s vibrant and dynamic community, and provides students with the opportunity to learn from and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

I dream of starting up my own research and development company that provides advanced wireless and data science technologies for mobile devices, networks and services worldwide. I want to exploit the current revolution in machine learning and data sciences to design self-optimizing mobile networks that can provide high-quality communications services. Completing my doctorate in electrical engineering at UBC Okanagan is the first step toward achieving my dream.

I know that to fulfill this, I must also gain strong experience in entrepreneurship and leadership. That’s why I joined entrepreneurship@UBCO, which provides training and mentorship to explore startup ideas, build connections and develop the skill set needed to launch a successful new venture. I have confidence that within 10 years, I’ll be able to do just that.

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What is your PhD focus? Why did you choose this area of research?

Materials-gas continuous interactions make a silent symphony around us. As a doctoral student, I’m deeply interested in exploring and discovering the impact of these interactions. I’m particularly focused on understanding the behaviour of materials when exposed to different gases, and how this information can be applied to fields such as medical technology, energy production and environmental protection. I use electromagnetic wave monitoring to investigate these interactions, which provides valuable insight into the behaviour of materials in different gas environments.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your academic career?

Studying abroad gave me the grand challenge of acclimating to a new culture and language, all the while upholding my academic career. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its far-reaching ramifications, delayed experimental procedures and obstructed collaboration with my peers. Despite these challenges, I’ve learned to cultivate resilience and a proactive demeanour in the face of adversity. This experience fostered my personal growth and helped me hone my problem-solving abilities, cultivate adaptability in the face of change, and find independence in my research pursuits. These challenges have pushed me beyond my comfort zone, moulding me into a more well-rounded academic.

What does work-life balance mean to you?

Outside of school, I engage in a variety of activities that help me maintain a healthy work-life balance. I play soccer regularly, which helps me stay physically active and releases stress. I’m an avid reader and enjoy escaping into the world of books. Writing poetry has also become a passion of mine, since it allows me to express my thoughts and emotions creatively. These activities provide me with a much-needed break and help me recharge.

Hamed Mirzaei in the lab.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they influenced you?

I’m truly grateful to have two highly dedicated supervisors: Dr. Mohammad Arjmand and Dr. Mohammad Zarifi, who have both profoundly changed my doctoral journey. Despite their demanding schedules, they have sacrificed their time to give me guidance, support and mentorship. I’m thankful for their tireless dedication and the opportunity to connect with my supervisors outside of the university, skiing and playing soccer together. This shared experience not only deepened our relationship but also taught me valuable lessons about life as an academic and the importance of balancing work and play.

What do you think makes UBCO great?

UBC stands out as a unique university that offers a genuinely meaningful student experience. With its stunning locations in Vancouver and Kelowna, world-class research facilities and faculty, global outlook, commitment to sustainability, and a focus on student engagement and leadership, the university provides a dynamic and diverse environment for learning and discovery. Students have the opportunity to explore new ideas, solve complex problems and develop skills that will serve them well throughout their careers. With a culture of collaboration that encourages innovation, this is an exceptional place to study, research and grow.

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

As a proud graduate of the prestigious University of British Columbia, I’ve set ambitious goals; I see myself as a highly regarded and influential figure in the academic world and I aim to make meaningful contributions by sharing my passion for learning and discovery with students and peers alike. I’m driven to pay back the community and positively change the lives of those around me, inspiring people to reach their full potential.

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Tell us a little bit about your research. Why is it important?

Akanksha Bhurtel at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges experienced throughout the world. The 2021 heat wave and wildfires in British Columbia are examples of some of the adverse effects of climate change.

One of the significant reasons for climate change is carbon emissions, which the construction industry is not immune to contributing. The production of cement accounts for almost five per cent of the total global carbon footprint. An environmentally friendly alternative to cement is required. Several alternatives have already been adopted, including coal fly ash, rice husk ash, fibres, biopolymers and bacteria.

But it isn’t enough to have seismic resistance in structures—the soil and foundation need to be strong as well. My current research is related to creating an environmentally sustainable biocomposite material using a fungus (mould) and wood fly ash to improve the strength properties of weak soils. Some of the bacteria and fungi generate enzymes that can help in the cementation of concrete and soils. I study the cementation induced by a fungus and how it might strengthen extremely vulnerable organic soils, which occupy about 18 per cent of the total Canadian landmass. Such soils are poor in strength and have high settlement behaviour.

What inspires you about your work?

I’m fascinated by mathematics, physics and engineering. Engineering research allows me to create problems, explore and then solve these problems in the best way possible. The interdisciplinary research I’m currently pursuing has also given me a chance to study other fields like biology. This is unique to my area and broadens my knowledge and skills so that I can apply them to the field of engineering.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your academic career so far?

The greatest challenge for me was communication and cultural barriers. I’ve studied in Thailand and Canada, so I have challenges expressing myself sometimes. Initially, it was hard for me to communicate. But, moving from one country to another has taught me that accents aren’t that important, as long as we can communicate well. I try to be confident and express my ideas to people.

Nepal, where I come from, also has a distinct cultural background compared to the countries I’ve studied and researched. I’ve found every country has their own set of cultural formulations, whether it’s Nepal, Thailand or Canada. I love meeting new people with different cultures and ideas. I try my best to learn, follow and enjoy the culture I’m in.

Bhurtel at a section of the Burma Railway on the River Kwai, also known as the Death Railway, in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Why did you want to study in Canada and get a PhD?

During my time as a civil engineer for earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal, I found that seismic resistance in structures often isn’t enough to withstand an earthquake. The strength of the soil and foundation on which the structure rests is also important for the stability of structures. Likewise, each year during rainy season, landslides cause huge destruction in Nepal’s rural areas, resulting in many human and physical losses.

The lack of geotechnical experts in Nepal led me to an education in this field. Living and getting an education in one of the least developed countries in the world—with very little exposure to research—I felt the need to search internationally. A scholarship led me to Thailand, where my research focused on strengthening tropical climatic soil. Due to the availability of advanced technologies, the research there helped broaden my skills related to geotechnical engineering.

Since Nepal has many mountainous regions, my tropical soil research wasn’t enough for me to work as a geotechnical expert there. That’s when I decided to continue my doctoral studies in a country with geographical similarities to Nepal. Canada, a country lying in a mountainous area, was my first choice. And I’ve always been fascinated by Canada’s high academic standards and abundant research opportunities.

Coming to UBCO and working as a research assistant with Dr. Sumi Siddiqua on soil improvement has been a great opportunity and an excellent pathway for me to chase my passions in this field.

And pursuing a doctorate at UBCO, one of the best universities, has provided me with opportunities to interact and share with civil engineering practitioners from all over the world.

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