Emma Betz
Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
Developing a new inorganic proxy to explore trophic dynamics in the past
Overview
Geologists study the materials that make up the earth, the features and structures found on Earth as well as the processes by which these features and structures formed. Our department has a wide range of expertise in geological sciences, including field-based studies (e.g., mineral deposit research, volcanology, sedimentology, tectonics, petrology, hydrogeology), experimental research (e.g. hydrofracking, rock deformation, volcanic processes, C02 sequestration), and laboratory analyses (e.g. petrography, petrology, geochronology).
What makes the program unique?
- The Geological Science program in EOAS is consistently ranked as one of the best geological science programs in Canada, and in the top 20 internationally.
- We house world-class instrumentation for isotopic and geochemical research (PCIGR), the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU), and Vancouver is the world headquarters for Mineral deposit exploration.
- British Columbia is an ideal natural laboratory to foster combined field and laboratory research.
- Industry and government collaborations are extensive and many graduate students are funded by Industrial partnerships, which typically lead to fulltime employment.
Quick Facts
Program Components Dissertation
Career Outcomes
35 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 2 graduates are seeking employment; for 4 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 29 graduates:
RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)
Sample Employers in Higher Education
Western Michigan UniversityMemorial University of Newfoundland
University of British Columbia
Monash University
Hawaii Pacific University
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Autonomous University of Barcelona
Carleton University
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
Dauber Creek Contracting Ltd.Government of Yukon
Empresa Minera Los Quenuales, a subsidiary of Glencore International AG
Joggins Fossil Institute
SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute
Atlius Minerals Corp.
Mineral Services
Dr. von Moos AG Geotechnical Office
Barrick Gold Exploration
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Geologist (2)Research Scientist
Senior Project Geologist
Senior Staff Geologist
Internal Controls Administrator
Volcanologist
Gemmologist
Technical Advisor in Geology
Senior Geochemist North America
Senior Geoscientist
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.Disclaimer
These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.Career Options
Research Supervisors
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program
Applicants should browse faculty profiles and indicate in their application who they are interested in working with. No commitment from a supervisor prior to applying is necessary, but contacting faculty members is encouraged.
Prospective students are encouraged to read about the research interests https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/areas of individual faculty members to identify who would be a suitable supervisor and to contact this person before applying to the department.
Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
- Ameli, Ali (Geology; Climate Changes and Impacts; Ground Water and Water Tables; Groundwater Ecohydrology; Groundwater-Surfacewater & land Interaction; Hydro-geological Engineering; Hydrological Cycle; Numerical analysis; Watershed Management)
- Barker, Shaun
- Beckie, Roger (Other environmental engineering and related engineering; Hydrogeology; Mine drainage; physical hydrogeology; groundwater geochemistry; groundwater contamination)
- Bustin, Robert Marc (Unconventional Petroleum Reservoirs)
- Chritz, Kendra (Anthropocene, Onset, tempo, and trajectory of human impacts on biological processes and environmental change)
- Crowe, Sean (Geobiology, biogeochemistry, microbial evolution)
- d'Arcy, Mitch (Earth and related environmental sciences; Geomorphology; Climate/palaeoclimate; Sedimentology; Geochronology; remote sensing)
- Eberhardt, Erik (Geotechnical engineering; Mining engineering; Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering; Deep Underground Excavations; Rock Slope Engineering; Block Cave Mining)
- Groat, Lee (Mineralogy and crystallography (except soil mineralogy and chemicals aspects of crystallography); Inorganic geochemistry; Economic geology; mineralogy; crystal chemistry; Geochemistry; economic geology; gem deposits; pegmatites)
- Hickey, Kenneth (understand the processes involved in the genesis of mineral deposits from a multidisciplinary perspective; Post-mineralization weathering, denudation and subsequent burial of Carlin-type Au-mineralization at the Cortez Hills deposit: Implications for finding Au-deposits in bedrock under cover.)
- Jellinek, Mark (Volcanology, Geodynamics, Planetary Science, Geological Fluid Mechanics)
- Johnson, Mark (Geology; Natural environment sciences; Agriculture; Biogeochemistry; Carbon cycle; Climate Changes and Impacts; data science; Ecohydrology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Fresh Water; Ground Water and Water Tables; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Land and Soil; land use; Running Water Hydrosystem; Water and Sustainability)
- Kopylova, Maya (diamond ore deposits, Diamond exploration, petrology and volcanology)
- Lukes, Laura (Earth and related environmental sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences; Education; Geoscience Education Research (Discipline-Based Education Research); Self-regulated Learning; field-based experiential learning; learning in informal settings (e.g., museums, parks, science centers); crowdsourced and citizen science; teacher beliefs; motivation, emotion, and beliefs in learning; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM; learning engineering)
- Mayer, Ulrich (Geology; groundwater contamination; groundwater remediation; hydrogeology; low-temperature geochemistry; mine waste management)
- McDougall, Scott (Other earth and related environmental sciences, n.e.c.; Geotechnical engineering; Debris flows / floods; Geohazards; Landslide-generated waves; Landslides; Natural and man-made geological hazards; Rock avalanches; Shoreline erosion; Tailings dam breaches)
- Peacock, Simon (Natural sciences; metamorphic petrology; Tectonics; earthquakes)
- Prytulak, Julie (magma generation and evolution on Earth and other planets; element transfer in subduction zones; subduction initiation; metal transport in the surface and near surface environment; combining experimental mineralogy with stable isotope techniques; development of emerging stable isotope techniques; metal stable isotope analytical development and applications)
- Russell, Kelly (Physical sciences; volcanology; petrology; magma rheology; geochemical thermodynamics)
- Saylor, Joel Edward (Paleoaltimetry; Paleoclimatology; Tectonic Basin analysis; Quantitative sediment provenance analysis; Rivers; Tectonics; Sedimentary Basins; Structural Geology; Field Geology; Sedimentology; Stratigraphy; Sequence Stratigraphy; Sediments; Geology)
- Scoates, James (Igneous petrology; Geochronology; Economic geology; magmatic evolution; layered intrusions; flood basalts; large igneous provinces; Proterozoic anorthosites; magmatic ore deposits)
- Smit, Matthijs (1) timing and duration of)
- Tarling, Matthew (structure, deformation behaviour & evolution of large faults and shear zones over the seismic cycle; Geology; Geophysics; Mineral Deposits)
- Weis, Dominique (Isotope geochemistry; Environmental geochemistry; Earth Structure and Composition; Geodynamics; Chemical Pollutants; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; High-precision/sensitivity geochemical analyses; Indigenous studies; Oceanic islands and mantle plumes)
Intake
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Intake
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