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, August 5, 2026 1:30 PM - D213, Chemistry Bldg, 2036 Main Mall
Guojun Chen
(Chemistry)
Molecular Insight into the Folding Mechanism of the Repeat-in-Toxin Domain of Bordetella Pertussis Adenylate Cyclase Toxin
Supervisor(s): Professor Hongbin Li
Thursday, August 6, 2026 1:00 PM - Room 203
Eliott Roocroft
(Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences)
Linking Midlatitude Atmospheric Circulation to Extreme Temperature Events: Present and Future Relationships
Supervisor(s): Professor Rachel White
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 12:30 PM - Room 200
Natacha Monestel Mora
(Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education)
Co-Creating Socially Just Futures: A Hybrid Youth-Led Project Using Documentary Film
Supervisor(s): Professor Jennifer A Vadeboncoeur
Monday, August 24, 2026 1:00 PM - 2108, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, 938 West 28th Ave
Chad Poloni
(Microbiology and Immunology)
Functions and Therapeutic Applications of Regulatory T Cell Subsets in Infection and Inflammatory Disease
Supervisor(s): Professor Ted Steiner
Monday, August 24, 2026 1:00 PM - 350, HR MacMillan Building, 2357 Main Mall
Bianca Vandresen
(Applied Animal Biology)
Understanding Sociocultural Aspects of Cattle Farming
Supervisor(s): Dr Marina Von Keyserlingk
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 12:30 PM - Room 200
Jiaping Liu
(Statistics)
Topics in Trend Filtering with Poisson Loss
Supervisor(s): Professor Daniel McDonald
Thursday, August 27, 2026 12:30 PM - 350, HR MacMillan Building, 2357 Main Mall
Jessica Dos Santos Marques
(Applied Animal Biology)
Progesterone and Estrous Behaviour in Dairy Cattle: Associations with Embryonic and Endometrial Gene Expression
Supervisor(s): Professor Ronaldo Cerri
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 1:00 PM - Room 203
Mona Alkhudair
(Rehabilitation Sciences)
Exploring Perspectives About 3D Printing Among Rehabilitation Professionals and Examining the Implementation of 3D Printed Prosthetic Sockets for People with Lower Limb Amputation
Supervisor(s): Professor William (Ben) Mortenson
Friday, September 11, 2026 12:30 PM - Room 200
Orphee Tamba
(Population and Public Health)
Family Income, Positive Assets and Childhood Experiences, and Social Support: A Moderated Mediation Study of Early Developmental Outcomes
Supervisor(s): Professor Martin Guhn