Be a hero; Chair a Doctoral Exam!

Among the most critical elements of any doctoral exam, from the perspective of those who coordinate these complexities, is the search for a strong Chair. Yet this search serves as a perennial challenge to the Doctoral Examinations team. We consider ourselves very lucky indeed if we issue fewer than 10 invitations before confirming 1 chair for an upcoming exam. It is not at all unusual in some disciplines to invite 30 or more chairs before some gracious faculty member agrees to help us out.

If you would like to contribute your time and wisdom to UBC’s doctoral exams:

  • Please have a look at the list of upcoming exams below and if one interests you, please send us an email to graduate.doctoral@ubc.ca
  • Or send us an email detailing the areas that interest you and days/times that you might be generally available and we'll contact you as new exams are scheduled. Again, send an email to graduate.doctoral@ubc.ca

 

Please bear in mind that the chair cannot be affiliated with the candidate’s graduate program, or a member of the supervisor's department..

Friday, July 11, 2025 9:00 AM - Zoom

Mehmet Saglam
(Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education)
Investigating Educators' Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Agency in Constructing an Intelligence-Friendly Classroom
Supervisor(s): Professor Owen (Chih Shen) Lo

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 12:30 PM - Zoom

Danjie Zou
(Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education)
Investigating the Impact of Hidden Subpopulations on Individual Test Scores Using IRT-based Methods
Supervisor(s): Professor Amery Dai Ling Wu

Thursday, July 17, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 203

Danielle Hanke
(Pharmaceutical Sciences)
From STAT Proteins to Novel Biological Targets: A Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry Journey of Chemical Probe Development
Supervisor(s): Professor Brent Page

Friday, July 18, 2025 9:00 AM - Koerner Conference Room, Brain Research Centre, UBC Hospital, 2211 Wesbrook Mall

Sze Tung Lam
(Neuroscience)
Clinical and Biological Investigations of Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disease: Insights from Microbiome, Psychometric, and Placebo-controlled Studies
Supervisor(s): Professor Silke Cresswell

Friday, July 18, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 203

Calla Raymond
(Zoology)
Patterns, Pressures, and Processes: Exploring Biodiversity in Eelgrass Meadows and Coral Reefs
Supervisor(s): Professor Mary O'Connor

Friday, July 18, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200

Edward Thoeng
(Physics and Astronomy)
Deep-Resolved Studies of SRF Materials Using High Parallel-Field beta-NMR Spectrometer
Supervisor(s): Professor W. Andrew MacFarlane, Professor Bob Laxdal

Monday, July 21, 2025 9:00 AM - 146, ICICS, 2366 Main Mall

Abner Turkieltaub Melo
(Computer Science)
Hiring Under Uncertainty and Competition: A Work on Various Extensions of the Secretary Problem
Supervisor(s): Professor Bruce Shepherd, Professor Hu Fu

Monday, July 21, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200

Rahmi Ugras
(Mechanical Engineering)
Optimization of Clamping Conditions in Thin-Walled Part Machining
Supervisor(s): Professor Yusuf Altintas

Wednesday, July 23, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 203

Ryoga Hojo
(Chemistry)
Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: From Rational Design to Applications in Photocatalysis
Supervisor(s): Professor Zachary Hudson

Thursday, July 24, 2025 11:00 AM - 224, Biodiversity Research Centre, 2212 Main Mall

Dylan Moxley
(Botany)
Contributing to the Molecular Toolbox for Domesticated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
Supervisor(s): Professor Loren Rieseberg, Professor Marco Todesco

Thursday, July 24, 2025 12:00 PM - Zoom

Ajibola Fabusuyi
(Central, Eastern and North European Studies)
Sankofa and Black German Autobiographical Nonfiction and Filmmaking
Supervisor(s): Professor Ervin Malakaj, Professor David Gramling

Thursday, July 24, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200

Kathryn Crowter
(Physics and Astronomy)
Searching for Millisecond and Slow Pulsars with CHIME
Supervisor(s): Professor Ingrid Stairs

Thursday, July 24, 2025 2:00 PM - Koerner Conference Room, Brain Research Centre, UBC Hospital, 2211 Wesbrook Mall

Graeme Betts
(Neuroscience)
Central Cholinergic System and Muscarinic Subtype M4: Probabilistic Decision-Making Deficits by Inherent Impulsivity
Supervisor(s): Professor Catharine A. Winstanley

Thursday, July 24, 2025 4:30 PM - 773, Robert H.N. Ho Building, 2635 Laurel St

Luke MacLean
(Biomedical Engineering)
The Design and Validation of Ultrasound-Augmented Self-Localizing Tools for Dynamic and Adjustable Registration and Navigation in Spinal Surgery
Supervisor(s): Professor Antony J Hodgson, Professor John Thomas Street

Friday, July 25, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 200

Don Shafer
(Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice)
Sticks and Stones, Roots & Bones; Exploring the Power of Words in a Polarized World
Supervisor(s): Professor Minelle Mahtani, Dr Janice Stewart

Monday, July 28, 2025 10:30 AM - 969, Henry Angus Building, 2053 Main Mall

Dongliang Lu
(Sauder School of Business)
Essays in Corporate Governance and Financial Institutions
Supervisor(s): Professor Lorenzo Garlappi, Professor Ali Lazrak

Monday, July 28, 2025 12:30 PM - D317, Chemistry Bldg, 2036 Main Mall

Qingyuan Bian
(Chemistry)
Engineering Protein-Based Functional Materials
Supervisor(s): Professor Hongbin Li

Monday, July 28, 2025 1:30 PM - Dorothy Lam Boardroom, BC Cancer Research Institute, 675 West 10th Avenue

MONA ORANGI
(Oncology)
The Role of Innate Lymphoid Cells in Steatohepatitis and Liver Fibrosis
Supervisor(s): Professor Fumio Takei

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 203

Baohui Jia
(Civil Engineering)
Membrane Ageing in Drinking Water Treatment: Assessing the Impact of Natural Organic Matter Foulants and Hypochlorite Interactions
Supervisor(s): Professor Pierre Berube, Professor Robert Andrews

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200

Xia Sun
(Forestry)
Synthesis and Applications of Dialcohol Nanocellulose
Supervisor(s): Professor Feng Jiang

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 203

Robert Shilton
(Civil Engineering)
Sprayable Geopolymer for Underground Wastewater Infrastructure
Supervisor(s): Professor Nemkumar Banthia

Thursday, July 31, 2025 12:30 PM - 1312, Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall

Kevin Jeffers
(Medical Genetics)
Characterization of the Yeast VPS13 VAB Domain in Regard to its Regulation of PxP Adaptor Recruitment and VPS13 Function
Supervisor(s): Professor Elizabeth Conibear

Thursday, July 31, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200

Natalie Westwood
(Zoology)
Exploring the Intricacies of Systems: From Treeholes to Teaching
Supervisor(s): Professor Diane Srivastava

Thursday, July 31, 2025 3:00 PM - Zoom

Daniel Jaramillo Calderon
(Vancouver School of Economics)
Essays on the Economics of Crime and Conflict
Supervisor(s): Professor Claudio Ferraz, Professor K. Siwan Anderson

Friday, August 1, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 200

Samantha Myers
(Rehabilitation Sciences)
Understanding Who Engages and Why it Matters: Predictors and Outcomes of Exercise Adherence in Real-World and Remote Cancer Exercise Programs
Supervisor(s): Professor Kristin Campbell

Thursday, August 7, 2025 1:00 PM - 12th Floor Seminar Room, BC Cancer Research Centre, 675 W 10th Ave

Faeze Keshavarz Rahaghi
(Bioinformatics)
Application of Machine Learning and Language Models in Health and Biological Sciences
Supervisor(s): Dr Steven Jones

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 200

William Primrose
(Chemistry)
Development of Glassy Organic Dots for Biological Imaging
Supervisor(s): Professor Zachary Hudson

Monday, August 18, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 200

LEI LI
(Chemical and Biological Engineering)
Simulation of Hydrogel Mechanics in Biomicrofluidic Applications
Supervisor(s): Professor James J. Feng

Thursday, August 21, 2025 2:00 PM - 240, West Mall Annex (WMAX), 1933 West Mall

Keisha Maloney
(Community and Regional Planning)
Rehearsals for Transformation: Learning the Craft of Planning
Supervisor(s): Professor James Connolly, Professor Andrew Binet