Rowenna Gryba
Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)
Bridging Indigenous Knowledge and western science to better understand animal behaviour and habitat use
Canadian Immigration Updates
Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
In support of the University of British Columbia’s mission to be one of the world’s very best universities, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) strives to elevate achievement and enhance the education of graduate students in a global context.
The role of the Faculty is to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and the entire UBC graduate community in pursuit of a personal, professional and academic experience second to none. Among other responsibilities, G+PS seeks to ensure a transparent, consistent and equitable administration of graduate programs and awards, evaluation and quality assurance of graduate programs, advocacy for graduate and postdoctoral needs within the larger academic community, assistance with individual student and postdoctoral problems, and the provision of outstanding opportunities for professional development of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty in their role as supervisors.
At G+PS, we have been defining graduate education as 'the formation of scholars* who make a difference for good in the world'. Here, 'formation' entails learning, but also cultivating habits of heart and mind, and developing a professional identity and sense of purpose. The scholarship pursued refers to the broad activities that bring knowledge, rigour, and creativity to the extension and transformation of knowledge, whether that is inside the academy, outside its walls, or crossing between.
At the Vancouver campus, there are close to 3600 doctoral students and 6200 master's students, the fourth largest graduate student population among Canadian universities. About 30% of master’s students, and 44% of doctoral students at UBC are international.
G+PS plays a central role in the strategic direction of graduate education at UBC. It facilitates discussion on campus about the future of graduate education, provides an information hub for all topics related to graduate education, celebrates the achievement of graduate students and alumni, and provides advocacy for graduate students & Postdoctoral Fellow needs.
In its administrative capacity it provides services to units and graduate students across all academic faculties on the Vancouver campus – from recruitment of new students along the entire lifecycle to graduation and beyond. Services include: orientation, health and well-being, professional development, program administration, and thesis/dissertation support among other things.
G+PS is the home of the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program (ISGP), a unique graduate program that allows scholars to design their own curriculum under supervision of supervisors from any unit.
The university also hosts 850 postdoctoral fellows. UBC-appointed postdoctoral fellows can be found in over 90 departments and at affiliated sites including BC Cancer Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital, the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, St. Paul’s Hospital, and Vancouver General Hospital.
* term taken from Walker et al (2008), The Formation of Scholars. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Research Highlights
UBC offers over 300 Graduate Degree Programs in nearly every academic field imaginable, and opportunities to pursue cutting-edge transdisciplinary study that crosses traditional boundaries. There is sure to be a program offered that aligns with your interests.
UBC attracts $580 million per year in research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through 8,800 projects and UBC researchers file over 230 patents a year. Many programs have state-of-art new buildings and facilities. At UBC you will work side by side with passionate scholars as you delve into the most meaningful questions of our world.
Graduate Degree Programs
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 Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Erickson explored the experiences and impact of incarceration among women living with HIV in Metro Vancouver. Findings elucidate opportunities for interventions and policy reforms designed to improve HIV health outcomes, support wellbeing, and redress rates of incarceration for marginalized women. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Anyeko developed a lived justice theory that is holistic, relational and lived in the everyday by northern Ugandan women who survived wartime sexual violence. Lived justice involves compensation, peaceful co-existence, availability of land and basic needs after war. She adds a new meaning of justice beyond legal definitions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Provost's research evaluated the BC Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum for healthcare workers, aimed to reduce violence from patients and visitors. Her use of an innovative, realist approach resulted in valuable evidence and practical recommendations for healthcare leaders on how to best support the curriculum to be learned and applied. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Many clinical drug trials are not published, biasing the evidence available to inform patient care. Dr. Morrow's research shows that drug companies may influence whether trials are published and that researchers have career-related incentives to focus on reporting positive trials. These insights could help improve policy on clinical drug trials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Bavli examined the historical, ethical, and social aspects of public health errors. He investigated the origins of errors, their consequences for different populations, and efforts by national health institutions to correct them. This research provides insight into the complex process of assessing and responding to mistakes in medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Gibson's research focused on understanding the impact of geopolitical coercion on vulnerable nations to design more effective international policies that address the points of conflict between nations. She developed a framework for the analysis of geopolitical coercion to minimize humanitarian harm to the most vulnerable peoples of the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Marjan Ebneshahidi examined how immigrant women experience residential neighbourhoods and what makes a neighbourhood more livable for them in multicultural cities. This research highlights the important role that the social and physical features of a neighbourhood play in shaping immigrant women's perceptions and experiences of neighbourhood livability. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Schinnerl examined the nexus between education and immigration and the role of higher education institutions as both migration gatekeepers and community migration hubs. Her work deals with the influence of universities and colleges on immigration policy in Canada and what this means for future international student recruitment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lefkowich designed and piloted methods for community-based digital storytelling. Using personal reflections, she illustrated how filmmakers and academics normalize, conceal, and defend racism and colonialism as best practices. To disrupt this pattern, she offered story strategies that encourage greater accountability, creativity, and bravery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Moon used comics as a theoretical and formal intervention to explore perspectival shifts between science and literature in early 20th-century Britain. Her format-bending research revealed how works by Arthur Eddington, James Jeans, Olaf Stapledon, and Virginia Woolf moved beyond singular, Earth-centered, and human-centered perspectives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |