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..
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
Friday, July 18, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200
Edward Thoeng
(Physics and Astronomy)
Depth-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 12:30 PM - Room 200
Rahmi Ugras
(Mechanical Engineering)
Optimization of Clamping Conditions in Thin-Walled Part Machining
Supervisor(s): Professor Yusuf Altintas
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
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 12:30 PM - 203, Mathematics Bldg, 1984 Mathematics Rd
Katharine Faulkner
(Mathematics)
Mathematical Models for a Mechanistic Understanding of Type 2 Diabetes Development
Supervisor(s): Professor Eric Cytrynbaum
Monday, July 28, 2025 1:00 PM - Zoom
Yupei Ma
(Vancouver School of Economics)
Essays in Applied Microeconomics
Supervisor(s): Professor K. Siwan Anderson, Professor M. Marit Rehavi
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
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 4:00 PM - Room 203
Xinglong Huang
(Mechanical Engineering)
Development and Applications of Light Field Microscopy Systems for On-Chip 3D Characterization of Dynamic Samples in Microfluidic Platforms
Supervisor(s): Professor Boris Stoeber
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 9:00 AM - D213, Chemistry Bldg, 2036 Main Mall
Paul Heine
(Chemistry)
The Atmospheric Fate of Volatile Organic Selenium Measured by Online Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Supervisor(s): Professor Nadine Borduas-Dedekind
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 9:00 AM - Zoom
Shayan Jannati
(Mechanical Engineering)
Quantitative Analysis of Cell Mechanics with a Focus on Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs)
Supervisor(s): Professor Mu Chiao
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 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
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200
Evan Muise
(Forestry)
Assessing Forest Ecological Integrity and Protected Area Effectiveness in British Columbia with Satellite Remote Sensing
Supervisor(s): Professor Nicholas Coops
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 4:00 PM - Room 203
Zihuan Wang
(Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Machine Learning Enabled Integrated Sensing and Communication for Next Generation Wireless Networks
Supervisor(s): Professor Vincent Wong
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
Monday, August 18, 2025 9:00 AM - Zoom
Justin Turner
(Rehabilitation Sciences)
Garden of Resilience: Individual, Clinician, and Indigenous Community Stories of Disruption and Adaptation during the 21st Century
Supervisor(s): Professor Patricia Camp
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 3:30 PM - Zoom
Maram Sakr
(Mechanical Engineering)
Democratizing Robot Learning: Teaching by Demonstration with Everyday Users in Mind
Supervisor(s): Professor Elizabeth Croft, Professor Dana Kulic
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
Friday, September 5, 2025 1:00 PM - Zoom
Xinyuan Zhang
(Sauder School of Business)
Learning and Decision-Making in Complex Information Environments
Supervisor(s): Professor Michael Jong Kim