Social sciences

This division comprises research and experimental development in social sciences. Social sciences refer to disciplines concerned with the study of human actions and conditions and the social, economic and institutional mechanisms affecting humans, in the fields of social sciences, which include psychology and cognitive sciences; economics and business administration; education; sociology and related studies; law and legal practices; political sciences and policy administration; social and economic geography; media and communications; and other social sciences. Research consists of systematic investigation carried by means of experiment or analysis to achieve a scientific or technological advance such as acquiring new knowledge of the underlying foundation of phenomena and observable facts. Experimental development consists of new or substantially improved goods, services, systems, methods or processes.

Sub-Categories

Psychology and cognitive sciences

Economics and business administration

Education

Sociology and related studies

Law and legal practice

Political science and policy administration

Social and economic geography

Media and communications

Other social sciences

Graduate Degree Programs

Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD)

The PhD in Educational Studies is a research-oriented doctoral program for students interested in any of the study areas offered in the department, such as adult and community education and social movements; citizenship and human rights; continuing professional education; cultural politics,…

Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD)

The PhD in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice is an interdisciplinary program which allows students to explore their interests in diverse areas while employing feminist, intersectional, and decolonizing methodologies. It is intended to be flexible and to accommodate the needs of individual…

Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)

Our program introduces students to independent research while broadening and deepening their contact with a selected aspect of Geography. Research can be conducted in these general thematic sub-disciplines: Biogeography; Climatology; Economic Geography; Environment and Sustainability; Feminist…

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

The doctoral (PhD) program in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems creates opportunities for students to develop and strengthen research capabilities and advanced knowledge. Students must plan and complete a doctoral thesis resulting in an original scholarly contribution to knowledge in…

Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)

Doctoral students focus on critical and contemporary issues at the intersections of language and literacy learning and cultural and societal transformation. Students in our programs are teachers and other professional educators who engage in courses, conversations and research addressing a broad…

Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD)

The PhD in Law is designed to provide advanced training for outstanding graduate students who have already obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) degree or its equivalent. The PhD is a research-intensive degree that prepares graduates for opportunities in law teaching, legal research, policy development,…

Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD)

The MERM Program is dedicated to advancing the science and practice of measurement, program evaluation, and research methodology in the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., Psychology, Education, Quality of Life Studies, Health Studies). For more than 25 years, the faculty and students of the MERM…

Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD)

SCARP is interested in attracting students to its PhD program who are interested in topics broadly related to the transition to sustainability through the democratization of planning approaches. Under this broad umbrella, our faculty have diverse interests, ranging from sustainable transportation…

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD)

The Department of Political Science offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs that are structured around five substantive fields: Canadian politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, and U.S. Politics. We offer in the range of 25 graduate seminar…

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Psychology is a diverse discipline that attempts to understand the basis of behaviour, thoughts and emotions. Psychology at UBC was introduced as a single course in 1915 and was initially offered by the Department of Philosophy. Over the years, the number of courses and instructors grew until we…

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

The Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is 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…

Doctor of Philosophy in School and Applied Child Psychology (PhD)

The doctoral program in school and applied child psychology is designed to prepare psychologists who can serve as practitioners and supervisors in the field, trainers of school psychologists, researchers, and leaders in school psychology. The typical doctoral program is 39 credits, beyond…

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD)

The PhD in Social Work at UBC is a research degree. Built around a small number of common courses, the program draws on the diverse range of courses available across the campus to advance the student's individualized plan of study. Part-time Doctoral Classification is available for domestic…

Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD)

UBC has granted Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in sociology since 1970, although the first sociology course was taught at the university as long ago as 1921. Students in the Ph.D. program in sociology at UBC have the opportunity to specialize in any one or more of the Department…

Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD)

The Special Education program at UBC concerns the education of students with exceptionalities, such as students with visual impairments, developmental disabilities, emotional or behavioural disorders, learning disabilities, gifts and talents, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Faculty are…

UBC Researchers

O

Oberle, Eva

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Public and population health; Other education; Adolescent Mental Health/ Social-Emotional Wellbeing; Positive youth development; Promoting mental health and wellbeing through schools; Risk and resilience; Research with population-level data; Social and emotional learning in schools

Oblander, Shin

Division of Marketing and Behavioural Science, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Marketing; quantitative marketing; Causal inference; customer relationship management; probabilistic machine learning; bounded rationality; representation learning

Odic, Darko

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Cognitive development

Ojukwu, Emmanuela

School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Health sciences; Social sciences; Humanities and the arts; Racial and gender health disparities and inequities; African, Carribbean and Black Immigrant Health; Women, Maternal-Infant, Youth Health; Psycho-social and Socio-ecologic determinants of health; Mental health, HIV/AIDS and other STIs; intersectionality

Oliffe, John

School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Care; Sociology and related studies; Men's Health Promotion; Male Depression and Suicide; Psychosocial Prostate Cancer Care; Smoking Cessation

Ongchoco, Joan

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Sensory processes, perception and performance; Memory (including episodic and semantic memory, and working memory); Judgement and decision making; Cognitive Science; Perception, attention, and memory

Ortiz Molina, Hernan

Division of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Finance; Corporate finance and governance, executive compensations, industrial organization, interactions bet

Ostwald, Kai

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Political science; Comparative Politics; Development; Southeast Asia; geopolitics; Elections; hybrid regimes and authoritarian politics

Ovie, Glory

Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Teacher education and professional development of educators; Education systems, n.e.c.; Educational administration, management and leadership; Crisis Management in Schools; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization; Social Justice Education; Mental Health and Wellness and Education; Teacher Education Research

P

Palombo, Daniela

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Psychology and cognitive sciences; Autobiographical memories; Cognitive Science; Imagination; Future Thinking

Pan, Yilin

Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Education systems, n.e.c.; Economics of Education; Equity; International development; K-12 leadership and policies; Cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit and cost-utility analyses

Park, Jen

Division of Marketing and Behavioural Science, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Marketing; Judgment and Decision-Making; Framing & Context Effects; Digital Interfaces & Information Processing; Prosocial & Pro-environmental Behavior

Park, Keun

Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Smart city design and development and related analysis; Landscape studies (except architecture); Urban design and studies; Geographic information system (GIS and GPS) applications; Design of healthy, just, and resilient cities through urban nature; Environmental justice; Human Behaviours in public space; Urban planning; urban forestry

Peck, Alexandra

Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Social and cultural anthropology; Other studies related to history and archaeology; Art history and theory; Native tribes and First Nations in the Pacific Northwest; historical Northwest Coast art; Salish (Coastal and Interior) art; Anthropology/anthroplogical methods; Material culture, archaeology, museums

Peck, Jamie

Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Social and economic geography; Socio-Economic Conditions; Economic geography

Perley, Bernard

Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Linguistic anthropology; Performance and installation art; Critical identity, ethnic and race studies; Linguistic Anthropology; Indigenous studies; Language Revitalization

Pratap-Singh, Anubhav

Food, Nutrition & Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Environment and natural resources economics; Food chemistry (including fermentation); 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

Price, Richard

Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Political science; International Cooperation; Ethics and World Politics; Global Norms; international relations; International Relations Theory; Moral Psychology

Protopopova, Alexandra

Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Other biological sciences; Social structures; rabbit housing; dog training; cultural differences in human-companion animal relationships; Animal behaviour; animal shelter; Animal welfare; community initiatives

Q

Qian, Yue

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Sociology; family; Gender Relationship; Migrations, Populations, Cultural Exchanges; Demography; Family Studies; Gender Studies; sociology

Quantz, Darryl

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty (non-G+PS member)

Other medical sciences; Social sciences; planetary health, climate justice, sustainable health care

R

Rachapalli, Swapnika

Division of Strategy and Business Economics, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Management and trade; international trade; Innovation; Growth & Development

Raker, Ethan

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Social sciences; Social demography; sociology of health; Climate/environmental sociology; Sociology of disasters

Ramana, M. V.

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Faculty of Arts

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

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Faculty of Arts

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

Raynard, Mia

Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Industrial relations and work relations; Management and trade; Organization theory; Disruptive Change Processes; Emerging Economies; Family Enterprises; Societal Grand Challenges

Regmi, Kapil

Faculty of Education

Faculty (non-G+PS member)

Rehavi, M.

Vancouver School of Economics, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Economics; Law; Health Care Organization; Public Finances and Taxation; Algorithms; applied econometrics; criminal law; decision support (algorithms); discrimination; maternal health

Renwick, Kerry

Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Curriculum, pedagogy and didactics, n.e.c.; Teacher education and professional development of educators; Critical Pedagogy; Educational Policy; Familial Contexts; Health Education; Home Economics; Human and Social Ecology; Public health; teacher education

Reynolds, Graham

Peter A. Allard School of Law

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Intellectual property law; Copyright law; property law; Intellectual property and human rights; Intellectual property and climate change; Intellectual property and social justice; Technology and access to justice

Ries, John

Division of Strategy and Business Economics, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Economics and business administration; applied microeconomics; Economic Phenomena on a National or International Level; international business; international trade

Robillard, Julie

Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Health sciences; Medical and biomedical engineering; Psychology and cognitive sciences; Patient experience/patient engagement; social media; Assistive technology; Neuroethics; Brain health technology; Artificial Intelligence; Dementia; mental health; Social robots; pediatrics

Robinson, Sandra

Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Industrial relations and work relations

Rocha Perkerwicz, Samuel

Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Educational policy; Specialized studies in education; Philosophical Traditions in Education; philosophy of education

Ross, E. Wayne

Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Curriculum, pedagogy and didactics; Specialized studies in education; Critical Pedagogy; Curriculum Studies; Educational Approaches; Political Contexts; Social Contexts; Social Justice in Education; Social Studies Education; teacher education

Routh, Supriya

Peter A. Allard School of Law

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Law (except legal practice and international law); Asian legal studies; Human rights including international human rights; Jurisprudence, legal theory, and critical studies; Labour and employment law including international labour law; law and development; Law and social justice; Law and society

Rowley, Susan

Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Anthropology, n.e.c.; repatriation; museums; material culture; Cultural Heritage; arctic archaeology; heritage management

Ruitenberg, Claudia

Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

History and philosophy of education; Political science and policy administration; Environmental education and extension; Environmental philosophy and education; philosophy of education; Political education

S

Sajjadiani, Sima

Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Economics and business administration; Organizational behavior; Compensation and Incentives; Employee Selection; Employee Turnover; HR Analytics; Human Resources; Incentives Design; Machine Learning Applications in HRM; Organizational Behaviour; Strategic HR

Sam, Johanna

Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Education; Psychology, social and behavorial aspects; Human Development; Adolescence; technology; Indigenous Education; Digital Pedagogy

Santos, Alessandra

Department of Theatre & Film, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Cinema studies; Film, television and digital media; Latin American history; Latin American literatures; Spanish language; Artistic and Literary Analysis Models; Artistic and Literary Theories; Arts and Cultural Traditions; Arts and Technologies; Brazilian Literature and Culture; Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies; Latin American Literatures and Cultures; Modern and Contemporary Literatures and Cultures

Sarsons, Heather

Vancouver School of Economics, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Economics; labour, personnel, and behavioural economics

Schabas, Margaret

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

History and philosophy of economics; Economics and business administration; History and Philosophy of Economics; Philosophy, History and Comparative Studies; science studies; History of Early Modern Philosophy; British Empiricists

Schaller, Mark

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Psychology and cognitive sciences; Motivations and Emotions; Psychology - Biological Aspects; Evolutionary Psychology; Social Cognition; Social influence; social psychology

Schmader, Toni

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Social sciences; Stereotyping and Prejudice; Gender and Gender Roles; Implicit Bias and Social Identity Threat; Authenticity and Belonging; Cultural Constraints; Occupational Segregation

Schnellert, Leyton

Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Curriculum, pedagogy and didactics; Community Research; Teacher Education Research; Teacher Professional Development; Rural Education; Inclusive Education; Pedagogy; Self-regulated Learning; Middle Years Education; Literacy Education; Practitioner Inquiry

Schulz, Martin

Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Economics and business administration; Organizational behavior; Bureaucracies; Change and Persistence; decision making; Knowledge Relevance; Logics of Appropriateness and Consequences; Military Institutions; Obsolescence; Organizational Knowledge; Organizational learning; Organizational Routines; Organizational Rules; Rule Networks; Social Order

Schwartz, Naomi Beth

Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Social and economic geography; community ecology; Ecosystem Services and Conservation Policy; Environmental Change; GIS; remote sensing; Tropical forest landscapes

Seidel, Marc-David

Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Entrepreneurship; Organizational behavior; Sociology and social studies of science and technology; Discrimination and networks in the employment relationship; Distributed Trust Technologies; Early life factors role in later life workplace outcomes; Economic Systems; Impacts of New Information Technologies; Life Cycles ( Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, etc.); Media and Society; New Technology and Social Impacts; Organizational Theory; Social Networks; Social Organization and Political Systems; Social networks and organizational decision making; Social, Economical and Political Impacts of Innovations; Socio-Economic Conditions

Shan, Hongxia

Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Other education, n.e.c.; Immigration and adult education and learning; Lifelong learning; Gender and work; Prof. learning

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