Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

Welcome to the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). We are a problem-focused and curiosity-driven interdisciplinary research institute and graduate program, with interest and expertise in a wide range of topics under the realm of environment and sustainability

Campus
Vancouver

Affiliated UBC Faculty & Postdocs

Name Role Research Interests
Auger-Methe, Marie Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Fisheries sciences; Statistics; Zoology; Animal movement; Polar ecology; Statistical Ecology
Barichello, Richard Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Agricultural economics
Callison, Candis Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) changes to media practices and platforms, journalism ethics, the role of social movements in public discourse, and understanding how issues related to science and technology become meaningful for diverse publics.
Chan, Kai Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Natural environment sciences; Human Ecology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; Applied Ethics; Values and Lifestyles; Sustainable Development; conservation finance; Conservation science; cultural ecosystem services; Ecosystem services; environmental assessment; environmental values; incentive programs; payments for ecosystem services; resilience; social-ecological systems; sustainability science
Cheung, Wai Lung Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Global change biology; Ecological impacts of climate change; climate change; Marine Ecosystems; sustainability; biodiversity; Interdisciplinary
Christensen, Villy Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Fisheries management; Global change biology; Ecosystem function
Dauvergne, Peter Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Social sciences; international relations; global environmental politics; sustainability governance; global South; Developing countries; transnational corporations; technology; consumption; Plastic Pollution; social movements; environmentalism; activism; deforestation
Donner, Simon Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Atmospheric sciences; Oceanography; Other media and communication; Climate Science; climate change impacts; Climate policy; Coastal Ecosystems; Marine Environment; Climate modelling and prediction; Science communication; Net-zero emissions; Coral reefs
Evenden, Matthew Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) All other social sciences, n.e.c.; Historical studies; Environmental History; Historical geography; Rivers; Water; War and environment; Hydro-electricity
Giang, Amanda Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Atmospheric sciences; Mechanical engineering; Natural environment sciences; Atmospheric Pollutants; Chemical Pollutants; Climate Changes and Impacts; Public Policies; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection
Gulati, Sumeet Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) 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
Harley, Christopher Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Fisheries sciences; Zoology; climate change; community ecology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; marine algae; marine invertebrates
Harris, Leila Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Critical identity, ethnic and race studies; Gender, sexuality and education; Human rights, justice, and ethical issues; Africa; Development Policies; Drinking Water; Environmental justice; equity and social justice; Ethics and Fundamental Issues of Law and Justice; Fresh Water; Gender Relationship; gender and social difference; Ghana; International development; participatory resource management; Resources Management; Social Contract and Social Justice; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; South Africa; Turkey and Middle East; Water; water governance; water politics
Harrison, Kathryn Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Canadian politics, environmental politics, environmental policy, climate change, global warming, climate change policy, Canadian public policy
Hoberg, George Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) forest policy, energy policy, environmental policy, trade and environment, softwood lumber, Olympics, Aboriginal issues (land rights), Forestry policy
Jing, Zhichun Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Prehistoric archaeology; Archaeometry; Archaeological theory; Archaeology; Anthropology; Early China; Shang Civilization; Archaeological Science; Early Urbanism; Geoarchaeology
Johnson, Mark Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) 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
Kandlikar, Milind Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Climate change impacts and adaptation; Product life cycle; Environmental policy; Research, science and technology policy; Environmental impacts; Air Quality and Climate Change; Technological Risk; Technology and Development
Khanna, Tarun Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Economics; Renewable energy systems (except smart systems engineering); Environmental policy; energy economics; Evidence synthesis; policy evaluation; electricity markets; energy in development; decarbonization of the energy sector
Koppes, Michele Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) climate change, glaciers, natural hazards, landscape change, polar regions, ice-ocean interactions
Kremen, Claire Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Natural environment sciences; Zoology; agroecological farming systems; Reconciliation of agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation; sustainable landscapes
Kunz, Nadja Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Mining engineering; Public administration; Public policy; Public security policy; Decision Analysis; Environmental engineering; Hydrology; Risk management; Systems engineering; water resources management
le Billon, Philippe Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Geography, politics, africa, environmental, human geography, development, security
Lerner, Jackie Faculty (non-G+PS member) Environmental impact assessment; Land use and environmental planning; cumulative effects assessment; gender-based analysis
Meitner, Michael Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) forest aesthetics and scenic beauty, outdoor recreation, environmental visualization, geographic information systems, visual perception, agent-based modeling, Public involment in planning, sustainability leadership
Mitchell, Matthew Faculty (non-G+PS member) Terrestrial ecology; Forest ecology; Agricultural ecology; Ecosystem services; urban ecology; Biodiversity conservation; social-ecological systems; Landscape ecology; Agroecosystems
Moore, Alex Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Community ecology (except invasive species ecology); Plant-animal interactions; Global change biology; Ecological restoration (except bioremediation); Applied community and ecosystem ecology; impact of predator-prey interactions on the health and functioning of coastal wetland ecosystems; role of cultural values and knowledge in ecosystem restoration conservation; Global change impacts on coastal environments
Oberg, Gunilla Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) History and philosophy of science (including non-historical philosophy of science); Other earth and related environmental sciences, n.e.c.; Indigenous peoples environmental knowledge; All other social sciences, n.e.c.; Science and knowledge production; Scientific controversies surrounding the evaluation of chemical risk (epistemic and ontological); Indigenous data justice as related to chemicals regulation & management; Social and cultural factors of chemicals regulation & management; Vocabulary, Knowledge, Significance and Thought Building; environmental health; The challenge of teaching science as a process and not a deliverer of irrefutable facts; The role of deliberation in science
Pakhomov, Yevhenii Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Feeding ecophysiology of aquatic invertebrates and fishes, Antarctic ecology, Antarctic krill biology, Tunicate biology, Fishery ecology, Stable isotope ecology
Pauly, Daniel Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) World fisheries; Marine life; Global catch; Management of fisheries; Fish growth and ecophysiology
Philpot, Simone Postdoctoral Fellow Social sciences; structured decision making; social ecological systems; environmental policy; conflict analysis; decision sciences; systems theory and design
Ramana, M. V. Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Public administration; Public policy; Public security policy; arms control; Energy transitions; degrowth; nuclear disarmament; nuclear energy; nuclear policy; political economy of energy; risk of nuclear accidents
Ramankutty, Navin Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Natural environment sciences; Public administration; Public policy; Public security policy; Agriculture; Climate Changes and Impacts; Climate impacts; Environment and Society; Global food security; Land use change; Sustainable agriculture
Rhemtulla, Jeanine Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Forestry sciences; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Ecological Trends; Landscape and Restoration; Environment Management and Protection; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity; Conservation & Poverty Alleviation; Ecosystem services; Landscape ecology & spatial analysis; Reforestation; socio-ecological systems; Temperate & tropical forest & agroforestry systems
Satterfield, Blair Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) use of second stream materials in construction, providing designers and the community with greater access to digital design and fabrication processes, and the design and application of energy and material efficient methods for construction
Smukler, Sean Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Natural sciences; Agricultural ecology; Soil health; Climate change adaptation and mitigation; Ecosystem services
Steel, Daniel Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Addiction; Diversity; ethics; Opioid crisis; Clinical trials; Equity; Philosophy / Ethics; philosophy of science; Values and science risk; Precautionary principle
Sumaila, Ussif Rashid Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and the economics of high and deep seas fisheries
Tansey, James Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Ethics of new and emerging technologies, Emerging markets and institutions for carbon trading, Social determinants of health, GM crops and animals
Trites, Andrew Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) marine mammals, seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, fisheries competition, population biology, ecology, Marine mamals research centre, biology of marine mammals, population dynamics, bioenergetics, fisheries
Vincent, Amanda Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Ecological applications, n.e.c.; Marine ecology (including marine ichthyology); Biodiversity; Natural environment sustainability studies; Natural resource management; Wildlife and habitat management; marine conservation; threatened marine species, especially seahorses and their relatives; bottom trawling and other nonselective fisheries; wildlife trade; marine protected areas; Small-scale fisheries; community-based conservation; citizen/community science; multilateral environmental agreements; .
Wittman, Hannah Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Sociology and related studies; Farming systems research; food sovereignty; Sustainable agriculture; socio-ecological systems; Agroecology
Zerriffi, Hisham Faculty (G+PS eligible/member) Environmental geography; Forestry biomass and bioproducts; Modelling and applications of systems; Environment and natural resources economics; Environmental policy; Biomass (Energy); Energy Transformation and Energy Using; International development; Environment and Society; Ideological, Political, Economical and Social Environments of Social Transformations; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; energy poverty