Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the first five appointments under the Principal’s Research Chairs Program.
The Principal’s Research Chairs (PRC) program provides internal funding support for top-tier researchers engaged in outstanding research or creative scholarship.
Supported by the UBC Okanagan Excellence Fund, the goals of the PRC program are to:
- Enable recruitment of outstanding new faculty
- Retain top researchers
- Promote research intensification
- Generate international recognition of research achievements
Last November, Deans submitted applications for PRC allocations. Submissions were reviewed jointly by the Provost and Vice-President Academic and the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation and the following appointments were approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
2020 Principal’s Research Chairholders
| Tier | Chair Title | Recipient | Faculty | Effective |
| Tier 1 | Indigenous Reconciliation in Engineering | Assoc. Prof. Ian Foulds | School of Engineering | April 2020 |
| Tier 1 | Palliative and End-of-life Care for Frail and Rural Adult Populations | Prof. Barbara Pesut | Faculty of Health and Social Development | April 2020 |
| Tier 2 | Blockchain-empowered Digital Technology | Asst. Prof. Chen Feng | School of Engineering | April 2020 |
| Tier 2 | Digital Arts and Humanities | Assoc. Prof. Karis Shearer | Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies | April 2020 |
| Tier 2 | Manufacturing Engineering | Asst. Prof. Ahmad Al-Dabbagh (Imperial College London) | School of Engineering | Sept 2020 |
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.
Update on Canada Research Chair (CRC) Allocations
On June 14, 2019, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced an investment of over $275 million for 346 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 52 institutions across Canada for research excellence.
UBC currently holds 205 Canada Research Chairs. UBCO was recently allocated four new Canada Research Chair (CRC) positions, bringing the UBCO CRC cohort to nine.
As with the Principal’s Research Chairholders, CRCs will demonstrate excellence in research and scholarship, be beneficiaries of Federal Tri-Agency (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) and other external research funding support, and make substantive contributions to research leadership and the development of graduate and postdoctoral training programs within their respective disciplines.
These new allocations and appointments are evidence of the importance and quality of research on our campus. We anticipate that research findings and creative scholarly activities of all of our outstanding researchers will translate into tangible benefits to our region and global society.
Contact
Should you have questions regarding the Principal’s Research Chairs (PRC) or Canada Research Chairs (CRC) programs, please contact Christine Humphries.
Best regards,
Ananya Mukherjee Reed
Provost and Vice-President Academic, UBC Okanagan
Philip Barker
Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation, UBC Okanagan
