Steven Bristow
Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD)
Precision irrigation under a changing climate: Preparing BC growers to monitor plant-water relations.
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 |
|---|---|
| Proctor, Jonathan | Environment |
| Protopopova, Alexandra | Other biological sciences; Social structures; rabbit housing; dog training; cultural differences in human-companion animal relationships; Animal behaviour; animal shelter; Animal welfare; community initiatives |
| Riseman, Andrew | plant breeding; plant genetics; horticulture; roots; stress physiology, Plant breeding, intercrop interactions, nutrient use efficiency, root physiology, biotic/abtioic stressor |
| Robin, Tabitha | |
| Sargent, Risa | Plant biology; Biological control; community ecology; evolutionary ecology; Floral trait evolution; Flowering plants; Herbivory; Pollinator-mediated interactions |
| Smukler, Sean | Natural sciences; Agricultural ecology; Soil health; Climate change adaptation and mitigation; Ecosystem services |
| Stefanska, Barbara | Nutrition and Cancer; Breast Cancer; Hepatic Diseases; Gene Regulation and Expression; Epigenetics, Cancer epigenetics, Nutritional epigenomics |
| Taye, Zelalem | Plant and soil microbiome; Synthetic Microbial Communities; Plant and Soil Health; Genomic Tools and Ecological Modeling; Non-Wood Forest Products & Sustainable Forest Management |
| Vercammen, James | Market Analysis; Marketing and Distribution; R&D and Innovation; Sustainable Development; Supply and Demand Dynamics; food prices; agri-environmental contracts; agri-risk and insurance; commodity futures markets |
| von Keyserlingk, Marina | animal welfare, ethics of animal use, farm animals, dairy cattle welfare, Animal Welfare Behavior, housing and management and how these contribute to animal health and welfare of dairy cattle |
| Wang Kazun, Siyun | Food sciences (including food engineering); Agri-food Transformation Products; Microbiology; Bioactive Molecules; Food microbiology; Food safety |
| Weary, Daniel | Animal and dairy sciences; Animal welfare; Applied animal behaviour; Dairy cattle; Laboratory animals |
| Wittman, Hannah | Sociology and related studies; Farming systems research; food sovereignty; Sustainable agriculture; socio-ecological systems; Agroecology |
| Xu, Zhaoming | Nutrients, Zinc, growth, and growth regulation, Regulatory role of zinc in apoptosis, Zinc and breast cancer |
| Yada, Rickey | Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Other biological sciences; Food science; Food protein chemistry; Structure-function relationships; Enzymes; aspartic proteases |
| Yang, Tianxi | Food sciences (including food engineering); Analytical chemistry; Nano-technology; Chemical engineering; Develop novel Point-of-Care tools for food safety monitoring; Design smart nanomaterials for sustainable farming and precision agriculture; Create sustainable and multifunctional packaging materials to improve food safety and quality |
| Zulyniak, Michael | Human nutrition and metabolism; Population health interventions; Systems biology; Nutritional epidemiology; metabolic diseases; Pregnancy; gestational diabetes; type-2 diabetes; Metabolism; Genetics; health disparity; Nutrition; lifestyle; precision nutrition |
Pages
Graduate Student Stories
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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: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00029165
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00029165
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: European Journal of Soil Science
UBC Author(s): Maja Krzic (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 13510754
Volume: 76
Publication Date: January–February 2025
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UBC Author(s): Maja Krzic (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 13510754
Volume: 76
Publication Date: January–February 2025
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Publication: Ecology Letters
UBC Author(s): Risa Sargent (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 1461023X
Volume: 28
Publication Date: January 2025
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UBC Author(s): Risa Sargent (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 1461023X
Volume: 28
Publication Date: January 2025
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Publication: JDS Communications
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: 6
Page Range: 95-99
Publication Date: January 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)
Volume: 6
Page Range: 95-99
Publication Date: January 2025
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Publication: JDS Communications
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: 6
Page Range: 104-109
Publication Date: January 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)
Volume: 6
Page Range: 104-109
Publication Date: January 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
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: British Journal of Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071145
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071145
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: Drying Technology
UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap-Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 07373937
Volume: 43
Page Range: 276-293
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap-Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 07373937
Volume: 43
Page Range: 276-293
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology
UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap-Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 10835601
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Anubhav Pratap-Singh (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 10835601
Publication Date: 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
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Tianxi Yang (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00218561
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: Canadian Journal of Soil Science
UBC Author(s): Maja Krzic (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00084271
Volume: 105
Publication Date: January 2025
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UBC Author(s): Maja Krzic (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00084271
Volume: 105
Publication Date: January 2025
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Publication: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
UBC Author(s): Katja Yvonne Lamers (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 12399736
Volume: 84
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Katja Yvonne Lamers (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 12399736
Volume: 84
Publication Date: 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
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Barbara Stefanska (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 00071188
Publication Date: 2025
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Publication: Maternal and Child Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 17408695
Volume: 21
Publication Date: January 2025
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UBC Author(s): Crystal Dawn Karakochuk (Food, Nutrition & Health / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 17408695
Volume: 21
Publication Date: January 2025
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Publication: Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
UBC Author(s): Hannah Wittman (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 21683565
Volume: 49
Page Range: 587-612
Publication Date: 2025
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UBC Author(s): Hannah Wittman (Applied Biology / Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
ISSN: 21683565
Volume: 49
Page Range: 587-612
Publication Date: 2025
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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dr. Ravani Cecato studied topics in environmental economics. Her research showed that information dissemination contributes to enforcing environmental regulations. She also showed that migration is an important adaptation strategy to climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Sahar showed how feeding and aggressive behvaiours during the pre-calving period are associated with disease during the post-calving period in diary cattle. Using such behaviours, Dr. Sahar built predictive models that successfully identify cows at high risk of disease before they are sick. | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Cochrane studied natural vs synthetic folate supplementation during pregnancy. Her results showed that maternal folate status can be maintained by using either of the two supplements, but that human milk composition is affected. These findings will inform optimal folate supplementation practices during pregnancy for healthy starts in life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Solis-Becerra examined how indigenous cuisine can serve as an effective tool to achieve local Food sovereignty while preserving regional biocultural diversity. Both are key aspects in the development of sustainable food systems and food security strategies aligned with culturally respectful initiatives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Ratuski studied approaches to environmental enrichment for mice and rats living in laboratories. She tested the effects of various enrichment strategies on rodent behaviour and emotional states. Her work demonstrates how species-appropriate changes to conventional laboratory housing can promote natural behaviour and improve rodent welfare. | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Brenner developed and characterized a bacteriophage treatment that can be safely ingested by chickens or sprayed directly onto their meat to target and kill dangerous Salmonella bacteria. He intends to connect this antimicrobial innovation to the poultry sector to benefit Canadian poultry producers, processors, and consumers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Guo demonstrated the flexibility and capability of using buccal tablets with nanotechnology to deliver insulin with fast onset of action as injection which can be administrated more conveniently and had a long duration of blood glucose reduction effect. His research provided a promising way to deliver insulin orally. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Dring studied how municipal governance of agricultural systems in Southwestern British Columbia, Canada contributes to social justice. Through exploration of the politics of conflict and dissent over land use, Dr. Dring argues for the importance of municipal roles in planning just food futures. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Leepile evaluated the prevalence of household insecurity, undernutrition, and anemia among the Indigenous San people in rural Botswana. She also documented the communities' lived experiences, perceptions, and recommendations. Her findings will inform and guide targeted and culturally responsive nutrition and health policies for the San people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Brunt studied the social licence to use animals for scientific purposes and the role of institutional transparency in this process. He identified several opportunities for institutions using animals to engage in activities to increase institutional openness with the public and help renegotiate the social licence to use animals in society. | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) |