Cassi Sauer
Master of Science in Human Nutrition (MSc)
Assessing the adherence and acceptability to iron and folic acid versus multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy: a cluster-randomized non-inferiority trial in Cambodia
Canadian Immigration Updates
Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
All living things depend on the sustainability of the earth’s resources, and understanding how to protect and better manage those limited resources is crucial to our survival. Critical environmental issues like water pollution, food shortages and rising temperatures could have a catastrophic effect on our ability to meet basic human needs in the near future. Experts in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems are working on solutions to many of these challenges.
Our researchers are studying everything from climate change and storm water management to the relationship between food, nutrition, diet and health. The research discoveries being made here have the potential to reach across borders for world-wide applications.
We are also sharing what we’ve learned with the next generation of scientists - our students. They come to us with a strong sense of global responsibility, passionate about creating positive and lasting change on issues of importance. We believe that by providing them with the opportunity to learn outside the traditional classroom - taking part in a community-based experiential learning project or studying overseas - we can enhance their education and help them develop to their full potential.
Research Centres
Research Facilities
The Faculty of Land and Food Systems offers unique hands-on learning sites for graduate students, in addition to traditional labs where food science, food processing, and nutrition and health research take place.
UBC Farm is 24-hectare site on UBC Vancouver campus, which is a living laboratory that contains agricultural, forest, and transitional landscape areas for interdisciplinary field research. The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) located at UBC Farm is a unique research centre that aims to understand and fundamentally transform local and global food systems towards a more sustainable, food secure future.
The Dairy Education and Research Centre, located a 2-hour drive from UBC Vancouver campus, is an internationally recognized dairy cattle research centre supporting the development and adaptation of new technologies for the dairy industry in British Columbia and beyond. The Centre has a large research herd that can provide sufficient numbers of experimental animals at a given physiological stage to meet most research requirements. These features support a vibrant critical mass of students, postdoctoral fellows, staff, visiting scientists, and faculty. A 10,800 square-foot student residence building opened in September 2015, which allows students and researchers to live on-site at the Agassiz, B.C. research station, and more closely monitor their research projects in dairy cattle welfare, animal reproduction, and resource recovery.
The Wine Research Centre has sites at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses, with modern and fully equipped laboratories. Researchers in the Wine Research Centre also have access to the outstanding research facilities in the Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) which is conveniently located adjacent to the Centre. The MSL has established itself as a force in the global biotechnology research community. Research areas include grapes, vineyards, and soils; wine and fermentation; winery performance and sustainability; and wine territory competitiveness.
Research Highlights
In the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, our researchers are focused on finding viable solutions to pressing global crises and are known worldwide for their innovation and leadership in areas such as food science, dairy reproduction and animal welfare, sustainable agriculture, and community health and nutrition.
Our researchers have attracted millions of dollars in research funding from sources including Genome Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Michael Smith Scholar, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Our experts are conducting ground-breaking research in many areas including:
- animal biology, health, and welfare;
- ecofriendly alternatives in pest management;
- food technology, genomics, and safety;
- food processing and food waste management;
- plant and soil health;
- watershed management;
- food security and sovereignty;
- community health and nutrition;
- agricultural land use and impact.
Graduate Degree Programs
Research Supervisors in Faculty
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Barichello, Richard | Agricultural economics |
| Black, Thomas Andrew | Biometeorology; Soil physics; Microclimate modification |
| Black, Jennifer | Human nutrition and dietetics; Community Health / Public Health; food banks; food environments; Nutrition; Public health; school food environments; social determinants of health |
| Carrillo, Juli | Plant-insect interactions; Agroecology; Invasive species; evolution; Ecology; community ecology; Environmental Change; Plant evolution; Population Ecology |
| Castellarin, Simone | Enology and viticulture; Horticultural crop growth and development; Crop physiology; Fruit ripening; Secondary metabolism; Environmental stresses; Viticulture |
| Cerri, Ronaldo | Animal and dairy sciences; Animal behaviour; Animal developmental and reproductive biology; Animal physiology; Agricultural Machinery and Technology; Animal Production; Animal Reproduction; Biotechnology and Activity monitors; Dairy cattle reproduction; Endocrine Regulation; Endometrium-conceptus cross communication; Estrous cycle physiology in cattle; Inflammation and stress; Production medicine in dairy cattle |
| Cohen, Tamara | understanding the interplay between different lifestyle behaviours; how eating behaviours relate to weight management; Obesity |
| Cornelis, Jean Thomas | Earth and related environmental sciences; Pedology; Biogeochemistry; Soil-Plant Interactions |
| Dee, Derek | Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Proteomics; Nanofabrication, growth and self-assembly; Food chemistry (including fermentation); Protein Folding; protein stability; protein aggregation; protein engineering; funtional amyloid; bacterial amyloid; protein nanofibrils; food proteins; legume proteins; aspartic proteases; psychrophilic enzymes; precision fermentation; Biophysics; food chemistry; alternative food proteins; optical tweezers; single molecule force spectroscopy; cryoEM |
| Frommel, Andrea | Animal physiology, environmental stress; Sustainable Aquaculture; climate change; Early development in fish; Alternative feeds in aquaculture; Fish physiology |
| Guan, Leluo | Functional Genomics, Animal Microbiome |
| Gulati, Sumeet | Agricultural economics; Wildlife and habitat management; Ecological policy; Economics of Human Wildlife Conflict; Economics of Urban Transportation; Effectiveness of Carbon Taxes; Effectiveness of Environmental Policy; International Trade and its Effect on the Environment; Political Economy of Environmental and Trade Policy |
| Jessri, Mahsa | Human nutrition and dietetics; Community Health / Public Health; Epidemiology; Nutrition; Health Policies; Lifestyle Determinants and Health; Health Promotion; Health Prevention; Statistics and Probabilities; Preventive Medicine; Artificial Intelligence; Chronic Disease Prevention; clinical epidemiology; Dietary Assessment; Dietary Pattern Modeling; Dietetics; Machine Learning; Nutritional Epidemiology; predictive analytics; Public and Population Health; Simulation; Health Economics and Modeling |
| Jovel Ayala, Eduardo | Ethnobotany, mycology, natural product chemistry and Aboriginal health |
| Karakochuk, Crystal Dawn | Human nutrition and dietetics; Nutrition; Global Health and Emerging Diseases; Hematology; Biochemical markers of iron status; Clinical dietetics; Determinants and causes of anemia; Inherited blood disorders (sickle cell, thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency); International nutrition; Maternal and child nutrition; Micronutrients (namely iron, folic acid, and zinc); Risk-benefit of micronutrient supplementation |
| Kitts, David | Food chemistry and toxicology, cellular and molecular mechanism, oncology |
| Knipfer, Thorsten | |
| Kontogiorgos, Vasileios | Food colloids, gels, foam and emulsions; Food chemistry (including fermentation); Food rheology, food texture and sensory evaluation; Nutraceuticals, functional foods and bioactive; food chemistry; Physical chemistry of foods; Food colloids; Food emulsions; Food polysaccharides; food proteins |
| Krzic, Maja | Soil sciences; Soil health; Soil management; Soil science education |
| Lamers, Yvonne | Human nutrition and dietetics; Nutrition; Nutrients; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Breast Feeding and Infant Nutrition; Clinical Chemistry; Maternal and child health; Micronutrients; Newborn Screening; Nutritional Biochemistry; Nutritional Biomarker; Periconceptional folic acid supplementation; Pregnancy; Prenatal Supplements; Toddler Nutrition; Vitamins |
| McAusland, Carol | Interactions between globalization and public good provision, impacts of trade liberalization on environmental politics, potential use of trade policy to stem damages from exotic species introductions and biological invasions Environmental impacts of international trade, implications of skilled labor migration for the global provision of public goods |
| McKendry, James | Musculoskeletal biology and physiology; Health promotion and disease prevention; Aging process; Human nutrition and metabolism; Nutritional physiology; Clinical nutrition; Exercise physiology; Sports nutrition; Kinesiology; Skeletal Muscle; Protein metabolism; Aging; Nutrition; exercise; Sarcopenia; Protein; Muscle Disuse; Stable Isotope Tracers; Omics; Cell Culture; Microscopy |
| Measday, Vivien | Chromosome segregation in the budding yeast using molecular biology and genomic tools |
| Noack, Frederik | Environment and natural resources economics; Economics of Biodiversity; Economics of Conservation; Fisheries Economics; economic development; Forests |
| Pratap-Singh, Anubhav | Environment and natural resources economics; Food sciences (including food engineering); Natural resource management; Agri-food Transformation Products; cold plasma; food engineering; food processing; Functional Foods; heat transfer; high pressure; mass transfer; novel non-thermal processing; Nutriceuticals and Functional Foods; pasteurization; pulsed light; sterilization |
Pages
Graduate Student Stories
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Alumni on Success
Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
Publication: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681699
Volume: 234
Publication Date: July 2025
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UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681699
Volume: 234
Publication Date: July 2025
View Publication
Publication: Nutrition Reviews
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00296643
Volume: 83
Page Range: 1047-1060
Publication Date: 1 June 2025
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00296643
Volume: 83
Page Range: 1047-1060
Publication Date: 1 June 2025
View Publication
Publication: Applied Animal Behaviour Science
UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681591
Volume: 287
Publication Date: June 2025
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UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681591
Volume: 287
Publication Date: June 2025
View Publication
Publication: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
UBC Author(s): Jean Thomas Cornelis (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00380717
Volume: 204
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Jean Thomas Cornelis (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00380717
Volume: 204
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: Environmental Research Letters
UBC Author(s): Jonathan Proctor (Food and Resource Economics / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: 1 May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Jonathan Proctor (Food and Resource Economics / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: 1 May 2025
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Publication: Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01486071
Volume: 49
Page Range: 468-475
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01486071
Volume: 49
Page Range: 468-475
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Katja Yvonne Lamers (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01486071
Volume: 49
Page Range: 451-459
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Katja Yvonne Lamers (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01486071
Volume: 49
Page Range: 451-459
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: Food Research International
UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 09639969
Volume: 208
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 09639969
Volume: 208
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: Food Hydrocolloids
UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 0268005X
Volume: 162
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 0268005X
Volume: 162
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: British Journal of Pharmacology
UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 2069-2074
Publication Date: May 2025
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UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 2069-2074
Publication Date: May 2025
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Publication: CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association Journal
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 08203946
Volume: 197
Page Range: E372-E389
Publication Date: 14 April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 08203946
Volume: 197
Page Range: E372-E389
Publication Date: 14 April 2025
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Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: Plant Disease
UBC Author(s): Mark Paul Rivarez (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01912917
Volume: 109
Page Range: 736-755
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Mark Paul Rivarez (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01912917
Volume: 109
Page Range: 736-755
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00029165
Volume: 121
Page Range: 910-920
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00029165
Volume: 121
Page Range: 910-920
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: British Journal of Pharmacology
UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 1416-1445
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 1416-1445
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: Tropical Medicine and International Health
UBC Author(s): Michael Zulyniak (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 13602276
Volume: 30
Page Range: 260-272
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Michael Zulyniak (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 13602276
Volume: 30
Page Range: 260-272
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: British Journal of Pharmacology
UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 1413-1415
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 1413-1415
Publication Date: April 2025
View Publication
Publication: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
UBC Author(s): Jean Thomas Cornelis (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Sean Smukler (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01678809
Volume: 381
Publication Date: 1 April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Jean Thomas Cornelis (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Sean Smukler (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01678809
Volume: 381
Publication Date: 1 April 2025
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Publication: Pharmaceutics
UBC Author(s): David Kitts (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): David Kitts (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: April 2025
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Publication: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00218561
Volume: 73
Page Range: 5757-5766
Publication Date: 12 March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00218561
Volume: 73
Page Range: 5757-5766
Publication Date: 12 March 2025
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Publication: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology
UBC Author(s): Michael Zulyniak (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 34
Page Range: 394-404
Publication Date: 3 March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Michael Zulyniak (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 34
Page Range: 394-404
Publication Date: 3 March 2025
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Publication: Physiologia Plantarum
UBC Author(s): Thorsten Knipfer (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00319317
Volume: 177
Publication Date: March/April 2025
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Thorsten Knipfer (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00319317
Volume: 177
Publication Date: March/April 2025
View Publication
Publication: Nutrients
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Tamara Cohen (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: March 2025
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Publication: Journal of Dairy Science
UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00220302
Volume: 108
Page Range: 2875-2882
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Daniel Weary (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00220302
Volume: 108
Page Range: 2875-2882
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
Pages
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Ha investigated the impact of elevated carbon dioxide on plant-insect interactions across multiple insect species. His work narrowed knowledge gaps on how different insect species respond to feeding on CO2-enriched host plants, and contributed towards gaining a deeper understanding of how plant-insect interactions can change in the near future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Wong found a human friendly virus called bacteriophages to be highly effective against a foodborne pathogen, Salmonella, in various fresh produce. For the Salmonella strains that are less susceptible to bacteriophage attack, she found them to utilize genes that can cleave bacteriophages before attack, thereby protecting themselves for survival. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Mozaffari examined the impact of diet diversity on type 2 diabetes. She showed that a diet diverse in five food groups, and a variety of vegetables and plant protein sources, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings will inform the revision of some dietary guidelines, which currently advocate for a diet limited to only three food groups. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Nyamaizi examined strategies for reducing excessive soil phosphorus levels in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Her findings provided appropriate phosphorus fertilizer rates and a tool for assessing the potential risk of phosphorus loss. Her research addresses phosphorus management challenges and its potential loss to nearby water sources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Nogues explored how the personality of dairy cattle and the way they cope with stress can influence how they interact with others in their social group. Better understanding this individual variation in social behaviour can inform management practices that improve dairy cattle welfare. | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Zarate-Barrera combines economics and computational methods with large-scale data to understand the effects of environmental stressors on non-health-related outcomes and the causes and consequences of female empowerment in violent contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Madhok conducted his doctoral studies in environmental and development economics. His work documents how economic activity shapes the environment in developing nations, with emphasis on biodiversity loss, air quality, and land use change. His findings inform the design of policies that balance economic growth and environmental conservation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Williams examined the effectiveness of folic acid supplementation in children with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder. The findings from his clinical trial provide evidence to inform nutritional management and supplementation practices in Canadian children living with this disease | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Rinaldi examined public discourse and planning processes involving water science and democracy in extractive frontiers in Colombia. She found that narratives are shifting towards a more nuanced understanding of complexity, uncertainty and the role of expert knowledge at the water-energy nexus. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Yan investigated the production of waxy layer on fruit surfaces that protects fruits against environmental stresses such as UV Light and dehydration. Her work revealed the critical roles of wax compounds in improving fruit quality and shelf life. Her work will have significant implications on agriculture and horticulture crop development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD) |