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 seven Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs with the most recent recipient awarded in 2022. Tier 2 Chairs are awarded to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field.
Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials and Polymer Engineering (Tier 2 – NSERC)
MOHAMMAD ARJMAND
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Canada Research Chair in Okanagan Indigenous Knowledge and Philosophy (Tier 2 – SSHRC)
Jeannette Armstrong
Professor, Indigenous Studies
Canada Research Chair in Applied Health Economics (Tier 2 – CIHR)
JENNIFER DAVIS
Assistant Professor, Management
Canada Research Chair in Wildlife Restoration Ecology (Tier 2 – NSERC)
Adam Ford
Assistant Professor, Biology
Canada Research Chair in Substance Use Policy and Practice Research (Tier 2 – CIHR)
Mary Clare Kennedy
Assistant Professor, Social Work
Canada Research Chair in Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology (Tier 2 – NSERC)
ISAAC LI
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Canada Research Chair in Ecofeminist Philosophy and Cultural Studies (Tier 2 – SSHRC)
ASTRIDA NEIMANIS
Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies
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.
Cerebrovascular Physiology in Health, Exercise and Disease (Tier 1)
Phil Ainslie
Professor, Health and Exercise Sciences
Resilient and Green Infrastructure (Tier 1)
SHAHRIA ALAM
Professor, Civil Engineering
Leadership, Learning, and Wellbeing (Tier 1)
Sabre Cherkowski
Professor, School of Education
Indigenous Reconciliation in Engineering (Tier 1)
IAN FOULDS
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
Critical Disability Studies (Tier 1)
RACHELLE HOLE
Professor, Health and Social Development
Ubiquitous Analytics (Tier 1)
POURANG IRANI
Professor, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics & Statistics
Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing (Tier 1)
ABBAS MILANI
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Palliative and End-of-Life Care (Tier 1)
Barbara Pesut
Professor, Nursing
Computational Chemistry (Tier 1)
ROBERT SZILAGYI
Professor, Chemistry
Resilient and Sustainable Built Environment (Tier 1)
Solomon Tesfamariam
Professor, Civil Engineering
Datafication (Tier 1)
wendy wong
Professor, Arts and Social Sciences
Trans-Pacific Digital Platform Studies (Tier 1)
KYONG YOON
Professor, Cultural Studies
Control Systems (Tier 2)
Ahmad Al-Dabbagh
Assistant Professor, Manufacturing Engineering
Blockchain-empowered Digital Technology (Tier 2)
Chen Feng
Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering
Social Perception and Expression (Tier 2)
LAUREN HUMAN
Associate Professor, Psychology
Social Innovation for Health Equity and Food Security (Tier 2)
ERIC LI
Associate Professor, Management
Energy Storage Technology (Tier 2)
JIAN LIU
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Digital Arts and Humanities (Tier 2)
Karis Shearer
Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies
Women in Engineering (Tier 2)
Lisa Tobber
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Solar Energy Conversion (Tier 2)
Alexander R. UHL
Assistant Professor, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering
Sensors and Microelectronics (Tier 2)
MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN ZARIFI
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
ENDOWED & industrial Chairs
NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Advanced Resource Recovery From Wastewater (2020)
Cigdem Eskicioglu
Professor, Civil Engineering
Fortis BC Smart Energy Chair (2019)
kasun hewage
Professor, Civil Engineering; Associate Director, UBC Clean Energy Research Centre
NSERC/Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Sustainability (2018)
Nathan Pelletier
Assistant Professor, Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science & Faculty of Management; Endowed Chair in Bio-economy Sustainability Management
Endowed Research Chairs in Watershed Management (Forest Renewal BC – FRBC)
Adam Wei
Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
David Scott
Associate Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) BC Regional Innovation Chair in Water Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability
John Janmaat
Associate Professor, Economics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
michael smith foundation for health research (MSFHR) SCHOLARS
The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research 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 MSFHR’s flagship funding opportunities. Since 2001, MSFHR has granted more than 370 Scholar awards worth more than $134 million, helping to develop, attract and retain BC’s best and brightest health researchers and support the advancement of world-class health research in BC.
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2021)
SANA SHAHRAM | Assistant Professor, Nursing
Systems transformation for health equity: The PHAIRNESS Research Program
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2021)
SARAH DOW-FLEISNER | Assistant Professor, Social Work
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
thu Thuy Dang
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
Jennifer Davis
Assistant Professor, Management (Health Economics)
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
Isaac Li
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2020)
Katrina Plamondon
Assistant Professor, Nursing
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2019)
Shelly Ben-David
Assistant Professor, Social Work
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2018)
Brodie Sakakibara
Assistant Professor, Southern Medical Program; Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2017)
Heather Gainforth
Assistant Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2017)
Jonathan Little
Assistant Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2017)
Glen Foster
Assistant Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2014)
Sanjoy Ghosh
Assistant Professor, Biology and Physical Geography
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2014)
Mary Jung
Associate Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar (2011)
Neil Eves
Associate Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences