Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is pleased to introduce you to some of the recipients of the 2013 Killam Doctoral Scholarships. The awards provide financial support for Doctoral students completing advanced research at the University of British Columbia.
The Killam Doctoral Scholarships recognize some of UBC's most outstanding doctoral students and provides them with the financial support to complete their research. This year's recipients hail from across Canada and around the world, and each has found UBC to be the ideal place to pursue their PhD. Students relish in the opportunity to work alongside UBC's world-renowned faculty members and researchers. We asked our most recent additions to the UBC Killam family to share some of their thoughts on what makes their time at UBC time so special.
Aaron Weidman is conducting research at the Emotion and Self Lab and remarks, "UBC’s social-personality psychology area is full of faculty members conducting some of the best research in social-personality psychology."
For her part, recipient Tegan Haslam found it difficult to choose only one supervisor among the exceptional faculty at the Department of Botany, where she is researching a particular fatty acid found in plants.
Jason Fice was drawn to the "internationally renowned injury biomechanics researchers" who supervise his research into how neck muscles react in car accidents at the School of Kinesiology.
Currently in the midst of their research, this year's recipients find themselves impressed by the beauty of Vancouver, which serves as both inspiration and relief.
Jacqueline Davis, who came to UBC from New Hampshire, remarks, "I find the physical beauty of this place utterly inspiring – I feel limitless personal potential looking out on the mountains or across the waters, or walking amid the huge, stately trees."
Dan Cohen, of Toronto, adds, "You always hear people say it, but Vancouver really is a beautiful city."
For Anja Nowak, from Germany, it has been "the friendliness, the tolerance and the diversity of the city" that has surprised her the most.
Others spoke about the opportunities that arise as a result of UBC's international connections.
Brett Kolesnik never thought he’d find himself visiting the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, France as part of his research in probability theory with the UBC Probability Group.
Meanwhile Sabine Laguë has conducted research into the cardiorespiratory system of high-altitude geese with collaborators in Tibet, Peru, and Brazil, and remarks, "These global experiences have significantly shaped the way I think as a scientist."
As for advice for future UBC graduate students, recipient Michael VanInsberghe recommends students take advantage of all that UBC and Vancouver offer, and "don’t forget to Storm the Wall". And spoken like a true Vancouverite, recipient Selena Couture advises 'it’s really worth it to bring (or buy) a bike".
The Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC and provide $30,000 per annum for two years and a $2,000 allowance for research-related travel.
New Fellows (in alphabetical order by surname)
- Justin Alger, Political Science
- Daiana Becker-Santos, Interdisciplinary Oncology
- Dan Bock, Botany
- Dan Cohen, Geography
- Selena Couture, Theatre
- Jacqueline Davis, Interdisciplinary Studies
- Jason Fice, Kinesiology
- Alexey Golubev, History
- Tegan Haslam, Botany
- William Keats-Osborn, Sociology
- Brett Kolesnik, Mathematics
- Sabine Laguë, Zoology
- Anja Nowak, Germanic Studies
- Jonathan Smirl, Interdisciplinary Studies – Health and Exercise, UBC Okanagan
- Michael VanInsberghe, Genome Science and Technology
- Aaron Weidman, Psychology
For more on the Killam awards and fellowships available at UBC.
Written by Darryl Hol