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 is located at UBC Vancouver campus and it has a modern and fully equipped mass spectrometry laboratory. 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 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 groundbreaking 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 Capitlization of Government program benefits , quota systems and markets, agricultural policy, trade,industrial and agricultural pocliy reform in South East Asian Countries, economics of raw material export
Black, Jennifer Human nutrition and dietetics; Community Health / Public Health; food banks; food environments; Nutrition; Public health; school food environments; social determinants of health
Black, Thomas Andrew Biometeorology; Soil physics; Microclimate modification
Brar, Gurcharn Plant biology; Cereal pathology (wheat and barley in particular); Functional pathogenomics; Fungal biology; Genetics of host-pathogen interactions - disease resistance in crop plants; Plant imaging; Population genetics and genomics; Resistance breeding
Carrillo, Juli Plant-insect interactions; Agroecology; Invasive species; evolution; Ecology; community ecology; Environmental Change; Plant evolution; Population Ecology
Castellarin, Simone viticulture and grapevine physiology; physiological and molecular aspects that underlay fruit ripening and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and how they are modulated by the environment and viticultural practices; molecular 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 Environment and natural resources economics; Food sciences (including food engineering); Natural resource management; Agri-food Transformation Products; aspartic proteases; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Biophysics; Enzymes and Proteins; food chemistry; food proteins; funtional amyloid; meat analogues; Nanomaterials; Nutriceuticals and Functional Foods; prions; protein aggregation; protein engineering; Protein Folding; protein nanofibrils; Proteins; psychrophilic enzymes
Farrell, Anthony Angiogenesis
Fraser, David Welfare of animals on farms, animal ethics, animal behaviour, Animal welfare, innovations in animal housing and management, practical and cultural dimensions of applying ethics to animal issues
Frommel, Andrea Animal physiology, environmental stress; Sustainable Aquaculture; climate change; Early development in fish; Alternative feeds in aquaculture; Fish physiology
Gulati, Sumeet Agricultural economics; 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
Jovel, 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
Krzic, Maja Soil sciences; Soil quality; Soil management
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
Measday, Vivien Chromosome segregation in the budding yeast using molecular biology and genomic tools
Noack, Frederik Interaction of economic development and the environment
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

Hadis Mozaffari

Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD)

Examining the Impact of Dietary Diversity on Type 2 Diabetes

Asmita Sharma

Master of Food Science (MFS)

CHINCHENG LIN

Master of Food Science (MFS)

Connie Fan

Master of Food Science (MFS)

Trevor Arsenault

Master of Food Science (MFS)

Adelia Jacobs

Master of Science in Human Nutrition (MSc)

Nutritional Epidemiology

Jens Johnson

Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD)

Disentagling drivers of wild bee abundance and diversity and pollination services

Anna Ratuski

Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)

Use of environmental enrichment to improve the welfare of rodents used in science
All Student Stories

Alumni on Success

Elisabeth Ormandy

Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) [2012]

Job Title
Co-founder and Executive Director

Employer
Animals in Science Policy Institute

Andrea Goldson Barnaby

Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) [2012]

Job Title
Lecturer and Programme Coordinator

Employer
University of the West Indies

Naomi Robert

Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS) [2015]

Job Title
Research Associate

Employer
Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Elaine Anderson

Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) [2009]

Job Title
Regional Environmental Protection Coordinator

Employer
Correctional Service of Canada

Isaac Jonas

Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE)

Job Title
Founding CEO

Employer
Impact Africa
All Alumni Stories

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.

 

Double fortified (iron and zinc) spray-dried microencapsulated premix for food fortification
Publication: LWT
UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00236438
Volume: 151
Publication Date: November 2021

View Publication
Assessing the circularity of nutrient flows related to the food system in the Okanagan bioregion, BC Canada.
Publication: Resources, Conservation and Recycling
UBC Author(s): Sean Smukler (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 09213449
Volume: 174
Publication Date: November 2021

View Publication
Negative expectations and vulnerability to stressors in animals
Publication: Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
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: 01497634
Volume: 130
Page Range: 240-251
Publication Date: November 2021

View Publication
Ecologically driven selection of nonstructural carbohydrate storage in oak trees
Publication: New Phytologist
UBC Author(s): Thorsten Knipfer (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 0028646X
Volume: 232
Page Range: 567-578
Publication Date: October 2021

View Publication
Standing behavior and sole horn lesions: A prospective observational longitudinal study
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: 104
Page Range: 11018-11034
Publication Date: October 2021

View Publication
Improving the alkaline stability of pepsin through rational protein design using renin, an alkaline-stable aspartic protease, as a structural and functional reference
Publication: Enzyme and Microbial Technology
UBC Author(s): Rickey Yada (Faculty of Land & Food Systems / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01410229
Volume: 150
Publication Date: October 2021

View Publication
Turmeric and its bioactive constituents trigger cell signaling mechanisms that protect against diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
Publication: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
UBC Author(s): David Kitts (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 03008177
Volume: 476
Page Range: 3785-3814
Publication Date: October 2021

View Publication
Lactic acid fermentation: A novel approach to eliminate unpleasant aroma in pea protein isolates
Publication: LWT
UBC Author(s): David Kitts (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems), Anubhav Pratap Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00236438
Volume: 150
Publication Date: October 2021

View Publication
Editorial policy regarding the citation of preprints in the British Journal of Pharmacology (BJP)
Publication: British Journal of Pharmacology
UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 178
Page Range: 3605-3610
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Towards a circular nutrient economy. A novel way to analyze the circularity of nutrient flows in food systems
Publication: Resources, Conservation and Recycling
UBC Author(s): Sean Smukler (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 09213449
Volume: 172
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Dairy heifer motivation for access to a shaded area
Publication: Animals
UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 11
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Characterization of continuous-flow pulsed UV light reactors for processing of liquid foods in annular tube and coiled tube configurations using actinometry and computational fluid dynamics
Publication: Journal of Food Engineering
UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 02608774
Volume: 304
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Emerging diseases of Cannabis sativa and sustainable management
Publication: Pest Management Science
UBC Author(s): Andrew Riseman (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 1526498X
Volume: 77
Page Range: 3857-3870
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Invited review: The welfare of dairy cattle housed in tiestalls compared to less-restrictive housing types: A systematic review
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: 104
Page Range: 9383-9417
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Perspectives of Western Canadian dairy farmers on providing outdoor access for dairy cows
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: 104
Page Range: 10158-10170
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Soil properties and microbial processes in response to land-use change in agricultural highlands of the Central Andes
Publication: European Journal of Soil Science
UBC Author(s): Jean Thomas Cornelis (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 13510754
Volume: 72
Page Range: 2292-2307
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Tank cleaning temporarily increases stress and decreases affiliative behavior in zebrafish
Publication: Applied Animal Behaviour Science
UBC Author(s): Marina von Keyserlingk (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681591
Volume: 242
Publication Date: September 2021

View Publication
Baseline Hemoglobin, Hepcidin, Ferritin, and Total Body Iron Stores are Equally Strong Diagnostic Predictors of a Hemoglobin Response to 12 Weeks of Daily Iron Supplementation in Cambodian Women
Publication: The Journal of nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 151
Page Range: 2255-2263
Publication Date: 7 August 2021

View Publication
The Inclusion of Folic Acid in Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplements Confers no Additional Benefit on Anemia Reduction in Nonpregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Malaysia
Publication: The Journal of nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 151
Page Range: 2264-2270
Publication Date: 7 August 2021

View Publication
Sucrose metabolism and transport in grapevines, with emphasis on berries and leaves and insights gained from a cross‐species comparison
Publication: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
UBC Author(s): Simone Castellarin (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 16616596
Volume: 22
Publication Date: 1 August 2021

View Publication
Understanding behavioural development of calves in natural settings to inform calf management
Publication: Animals
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: 11
Publication Date: August 2021

View Publication
Sunroot snack bar: Optimization, characterization, consumer perception, and storage stability assessment
Publication: Food Science and Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
Volume: 9
Page Range: 4394-4407
Publication Date: August 2021

View Publication
Association of estrous expression detected by an automated activity monitoring system within 40 days in milk and reproductive performance of lactating Holstein cows
Publication: Journal of Dairy Science
UBC Author(s): Ronaldo Cerri (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00220302
Volume: 104
Page Range: 9195-9204
Publication Date: August 2021

View Publication
Postpartum corticosterone and fluoxetine shift the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway in dams
Publication: Psychoneuroendocrinology
UBC Author(s): Katja Yvonne Lamers (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 03064530
Volume: 130
Publication Date: August 2021

View Publication
Behavioral correlates of urinary output in shelter cats
Publication: Applied Animal Behaviour Science
UBC Author(s): Alexandra Protopopova (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 01681591
Volume: 241
Publication Date: August 2021

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
2021 Dr. Zhang coined the Integrated Respiratory Assessment Paradigm for accurate, precise, repeatable and comprehensive respiratory phenotype characterization for individual fish. This high throughput method allows biologists to develop and integrate a metabolic model with a genomic-physiology-ecology axis, leading to a better understanding of evolution. Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
2021 Dr. Ede examined the potential of place aversion to assess affective pain in dairy calves. Basing the experimental approach on the animal's memory of common painful procedures such as injections and disbudding, calves were shown to display an emotional response to pain. Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
2021 Automated activity monitors used on dairy farms help detect periods of sexual receptivity, called estrus, in lactating cows. Dr. Madureira's research demonstrated that estrous expression detected by such monitors was associated with better fertility and reduced pregnancy loss, and can help the efficiency of reproductive management in dairy herds. Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
2021 Dr. Lecorps investigated the effects of some common stressful and painful procedures on dairy cattle welfare. He found that some procedures likely induce negative mood and that some personality traits (e.g. pessimism) may render calves more vulnerable to stressors. His work shows that more research is needed to improve the welfare of dairy cattle. Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
2021 Dr. Mills studied farmer decision-making and the role of their advisors to improve the welfare of dairy cows. The goal of this work is to help farmers better manage their businesses and improve the lives of the animals under their care. Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
2020 Dr. Mujica Coopman investigated the relationship of combined B vitamin and related nutrients with offspring birth size and fetal growth programming. Her findings suggest that vitamin B12 characterized maternal B vitamin and nutrient-related patterns and may play a key role in fetal growth and development. Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD)
2020 Dr. Grenz showed how reclaiming an Indigenous Ecology redefines how we approach land and water healing. She has created a values-based decision-making tool that will help lead us toward ecological reconciliation. Her work provides a path forward for scientists to unleash the potential of an Indigenous worldview to illuminate new paths of inquiry. Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD)
2020 Dr. Padda explored the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in supporting the regeneration of lodgepole pine trees at abandoned gravel mining pits. Her research showed that pine trees associate with these beneficial bacteria as a survival strategy to thrive on such degraded sites, offering the potential to be used as a sustainable reclamation tool. Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD)
2020 Dr. Puri studied plant-beneficial bacteria living inside the tissues of boreal forest trees growing on disturbed, nutrient-poor soils. His work indicated that these bacteria can enhance tree growth via nutrient acquisition, plant hormone modulation and pathogen regulation, thereby suggesting their use as biofertilizers for boreal forest trees. Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD)
2020 Dr. Dupuis used computer simulations to better understand how an antimicrobial potato protein interacts with model cell membranes, and the role of its disulfide bonds. His research highlighted regions of the protein most likely to mediate membrane interactions, and that the disulfide bonds may aid in membrane targeting specificity. Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD)

Pages

Interesting Links

https://www.landfood.ubc.ca/faculty/
 

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