Chairs & Scholars
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 nine Canada Research Chairs with the most recent recipients awarded in 2024. 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.
MOHAMMAD ARJMAND
Advanced Materials and Polymer Engineering (Tier 2 – NSERC)
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)
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)
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 renewable five-year term.
UBC Okanagan has made twenty-one appointments, since the program launch in April 2020.
Tier 1
PHIL AINSLIE
Cerebrovascular Physiology in Health, Exercise and Disease (Tier 1)
SHAHRIA ALAM
Resilient and Green Infrastructure (Tier 1)
JULIAN CHENG
Wireless Systems (Tier 1)
SABRE CHERKOWSKI
Leadership, Learning and Wellbeing (Tier 1)
IAN FOULDS
Indigenous Reconciliation in Engineering (Tier 1)
RACHELLE HOLE
Critical Disability Studies (Tier 1)
POURANG IRANI
Ubiquitous Analytics (Tier 1)
KYLE LARSON
Tectonics (Tier 1)
ABBAS MILANI
Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing (Tier 1)
BARBARA PESUT
Palliative and End-of-Life Care (Tier 1)
ROBERT SZILAGYI
Computational Chemistry (Tier 1)
WENDY WONG
Datafication (Tier 1)
KYONG YOON
Trans-Pacific Digital Platform Studies (Tier 1)
Tier 2
AHMAD AL-DABBAGH
Control Systems (Tier 2)
AMIR ARDESTANI-JAAFARI
Data-Driven Operations Management (Tier 2)
RENELLE DUBOSQ
Nanogeology (Tier 2)
CHEN FENG
Blockchain-Empowered Digital Technology (Tier 2)
LAUREN HUMAN
Social Perception and Expression (Tier 2)
ERIC LI
Social Innovation for Health Equity and Food Security (Tier 2)
JIAN LIU
Energy Storage Technology (Tier 2)
KARIS SHEARER
Digital Arts and Humanities (Tier 2)
ONYX SLOAN MORGAN
Communities, Justice and Sustainability (Tier 2)
LISA TOBBER
Disaster-Resilient Buildings (Tier 2)
ALEXANDER R. UHL
Solar Energy Conversion (Tier 2)
TANIA WILLARD
Indigenous Art Initiatives (Tier 2)
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)
NATHAN PELLETIER
NSERC/Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Sustainability (2018)
ADAM WEI
Endowed Research Chair in Watershed Management (Forest Renewal BC – FRBC)
DAVID SCOTT
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
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.
Kirk Bergstrom
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2023)
Rebecca Feldman
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2023)
Elizabeth Keys
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2023)
Jessica Lougheed
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2023)
Laura Struik
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2023)
SARAH KRAEUTNER
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2022)
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2021)
SARAH DOW-FLEISNER
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2021)
THU-THUY DANG
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
JENNIFER DAVIS
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
ISAAC LI
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
KATRINA PLAMONDON
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
SHELLY BEN-DAVID
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2019)
BRODIE SAKAKIBARA
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2018)