Climate Researcher Database

With over 500 faculty members investigating climate-related topics 
across two UBC campuses, it can be hard to know where to start. 

This page provides a searchable list of UBC faculty members conducting climate and climate-related research across the university. 

The database allows you to filter by campus, faculty or school, and research theme, or you can search by keywords.

If you are you a UBC research associate or faculty member who wish to be added to the tool, or to adjust an existing entry, please complete this Qualtrics survey or email us at climate.collective@ubc.ca.

Name Campus Research Interests Faculty Department, School, Affiliations Research Theme(s)
Patrick Kirchen UBC Vancouver Thermochemical energy conversion; Understanding the impacts of engine operating parameters such as fuel type, injection strategies, and charge preparation on the fundamental combustion and emission formation processes. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) Transportation, Hydrogen
Bern Klein UBC Vancouver Technology and innovation for improved energy efficiency and reduced environmental footprint in mining; Geometallurgy; Energy-efficient comminution technologies. Faculty of Applied Science Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering Mining
Naomi Klein UBC Vancouver Gender, race, class; Power, colonialism, justice; Climate emergency as a catalyst for bold, justice-based transformation in our bio-region and beyond, with particular attention to the intersections between climate justice and Indigenous land rights; Gendered and racialized labour of care; Rights of migrants. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography; Centre for Climate Justice; Disaster Resilience Research Network Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change, Climate Justice, Policy and Governance, Climate Activism and Social Movements, Natural Hazards and Disaster Response, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation
Peter Klein UBC Vancouver Global journalism; Under-covered issues around the world; Producing; Investigative reporting; Health; Corruption and national security; Documentaries. Faculty of Applied Science School of Journalism, Writing, and Media; Coordinated Arts Program; Centre for Migration Studies Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change, Climate Education and Environmental Literacy
Brian Klinkenberg UBC Vancouver Endangered species (plants); Conservation biology; Health geography; Uncertainty; Advanced spatial analysis in the physical, health and social sciences; Medical biogeography; Geographic Information Science; Landscape classification; Biogeography; Environmental geography; Human-ecosystem interactions and conservation biology; Biodiversity informatics. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography Health and Wellbeing, Climate Modelling and Data Analysis, Biodiversity, Land Use
Thorsten Knipfer UBC Vancouver Drought stress responses of woody perennial crops at micro- and macroscopy level using a combination of cutting-edge and traditional research tools; Spatiotemporal coupling of organ and cell specific processes that govern whole-plant performance under water stress by drought and following soil rehydration. Faculty of Land and Food Systems Plant-Water Relations Lab; Applied Biology Program Agriculture, Water Resources and Supply, Weather and Climate Extremes
Michael Kobor UBC Vancouver Environmental and biological factors that affect genome function and gene expression; DNA packaging; Molecular machinery of the DNA packaging process as it relates to fetal alcohol syndrome, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Effects of socio-economic status on gene expression. Faculty of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics; Social Exposome Cluster Health and Wellbeing
Michael Koehle UBC Vancouver The interaction between exercise and environmental pollution; Health interventions; Health promotion; High performance sport; Physiology; Systems biology. Faculty of Education School of Kinesiology; Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory (APEL) Health and Wellbeing, Pollution
Hoi Kong UBC Vancouver Constitutional law; Administrative law; Municipal and comparative law; Constitutional and public law theory; Administrative law and regulatory governance; Comparative law; Environmental law, natural resources, and climate change; Jurisprudence, legal theory, and critical studies; Public and constitutional law. Peter A. Allard School of Law Centre for Asian Legal Studies Environmental Law, Policy and Governance
Michele Koppes UBC Vancouver Glaciers, mountains, and the people who dwell within them's response to ongoing climate change; Landscape and hazards responses to changing ice dynamics; Effects of climate change on meltwater resources and on mountain cultures; Lived experiences of people living with the cascading effects of climate change in glacial regions. Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability; Department of Geography Alpine, Arctic and Antarctic, Climate Risk Management, Freshwater Systems, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Rural and Northern Communities
Robert Kozak UBC Vancouver Sustainable business management practices; Issues and providing solutions to complex problems related to sustainable development, forestry, wood products and the emerging conservation economy. Faculty of Forestry Department of Wood Science; FACT | Forests and Communities in Transition Lab Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Forestry, Poverty, Policy and Governance, Livelihoods and Traditional Economies, Climate Justice
Charles J. Krebs UBC Vancouver Ecology of smaller mammals, including deer mice, voles, and other related species; Population fluctuations of voles and lemmings. Faculty of Science Department of Zoology; Biodiversity Research Centre Terrestrial Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Alpine, Arctic and Antarctic
Claire Kremen UBC Vancouver How to reconcile biodiversity conservation with agricultural production using field, lab, and modeling studies on a variety of taxonomic groups; How do different forms of agricultural land management influence long-term persistence of wildlife populations by promoting or curtailing dispersal movements and population connectivity? Faculty of Science Department of Zoology; Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability; Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory (IBioS); Biodiversity Research Centre; Centre for Sustainable Food Systems; Diversified Agroecosystem Cluster Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Sovereign or Sustainable Food Systems, Natural Resource Management
Maja Krzic UBC Vancouver Linking soil science research with teaching along with community involvement to create educational environment where students can actively engage in ‘real-world’ problems; Combining soil science concepts and the impact of humans on soil properties and processes in crop, grassland, and forest ecosystems; Exploring the role of soil in addressing some of the existential global sustainability challenges we are facing. Faculty of Land and Food Systems Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences; Applied Biology Program; Centre for Sustainable Food Systems Terrestrial Ecosystems, Forestry, Agriculture, Climate Education and Environmental Literacy
McKenzie Kuhn UBC Vancouver Consequences of climate change on boreal-Arctic ecosystems; Exchange of carbon and greenhouse gases between freshwaters, plants, soils, and the atmosphere; Influence of disturbances and management on freshwater carbon and nutrient cycling; Interactions of between northern freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and global change. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography Alpine, Arctic and Antarctic, Carbon Cycle, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Freshwater Systems
Kristiina Kumpulainen UBC Vancouver Critical literacies and pedagogies; Digital literacies and multimodality; Children's agency and identity negotiation; Makerspaces and maker education; Multiliteracy practices in formal and informal contexts; Children's ecological literacies and climate change education; Augmented reality and digital storytelling for environmental learning; Playful and participatory pedagogies; Sociocultural and cultural-historical perspectives on learning and communication; Children's sense of agency in diverse learning environments; STEAM education for young learners; Participatory and visual research methods; Teacher professional learning and educational transformation; Faculty of Education Department of Language & Literacy Education Climate Education and Environmental Literacy, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change, Health and Wellbeing, Policy and Governance, Environmental Psychology
Nadja Kunz UBC Vancouver Works at the interface of research and practice to resolve private sector water challenges, with a focus on the mining and resources sector. Faculty of Arts School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability; Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining; Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering; Future Minerals Initiative Mining, Water Resources and Supply, Climate Justice, Climate Risk Management, Policy and Governance, Waste and Waste Management
Marysa Laguë UBC Vancouver How terrestrial processes impact the atmosphere and surface climate from the scale of a single plant to the scale of a planet, by modulating fluxes of water and energy between the land and the atmosphere. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography Atmospheric Science, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Carbon Cycle, Climate Modelling and Data Analysis
Frank Lam UBC Vancouver Wood products; Solid sawn timber; Wood-based composites; Engineered wood systems; Timber engineering; Wood-based composites mechanics. Faculty of Forestry Department of Wood Science; Timber Engineering and Applied Mechanics Laboratory Sustainable Materials and Composites, Buildings and Sustainable Infrastructure Design
Anthony Lau UBC Vancouver Environmental engineering; Waste-to-resource recycling; Composting; Odor control; Biohydrogen energy. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Master in Engineering Leadership; Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group at UBC; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) Biofuels and Biomass, Waste and Waste Management, Product Lifecycle or Circular Economy
Nathanael Lauster UBC Vancouver Housing justice and health; Housing; Immigration; Population; Environment; Built Environment; Urban Sociology; Life Course; Community & Demography. Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology; Balanced Supply of Housing Research Cluster Housing, Urban Planning and Cities, Policy and Governance, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change, Health and Wellbeing
Bernard Laval UBC Vancouver Environmental fluid mechanics; Water management; Rehabilitation of lakes; Mine tailings; Dispersion of nutrients and pollutants in lakes and coastal waters; Movement of toxic materials in aquatic environments. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering Freshwater Systems, Oceans and Coastal Systems, Alpine, Arctic and Antarctic, Mining
Suzie Lavallee UBC Vancouver How ecological pressures can shift the investment of resources in insects; Experiential learning; Impact of conservation and forest resources management on the livelihoods of people and the vast biodiversity of India. Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences Climate Education and Environmental Literacy, Forestry, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Livelihoods and Traditional Economies
Leslie Lavkulich UBC Vancouver Soil resources; Soil and environmental chemistry; Mine reclamation and maintenance of environmental services; Perspectives on resources and environment; Sustainable agricultural systems; Land use hydrology; Mining and the environment; Land-water interactions and uncertainty in natural science and policy development. Faculty of Land and Food Systems Department of Global Resource Systems; Mother Tree Project Agriculture, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Land Use, Water Resources and Supply, Policy and Governance, Carbon Cycle
Gregory Lawrence UBC Vancouver Environmental fluid mechanics; Hydraulics; Hydrodynamic stability and mixing; Physical limnology; Water quality management. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering Pollution, Freshwater Systems, Water Resources and Supply, Waste and Waste Management
Ali Lazrak UBC Vancouver Political economy of corporate finance; Green finance and ESG asset pricing; Sustainable asset stranding and institutional divestiture; Climate finance; Group decision-making in corporate investment; Responsible consumption and demand elasticity; Voting theory and political channels; Behavioral finance; Time-inconsistent preferences; Dynamic equilibrium analysis in sustainability transitions. Sauder School of Business Finance Division Climate Finance and Investment, Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Economic Modeling and Data Analysis, Climate Risk Management, Policy and Governance
Philippe Le Billon UBC Vancouver Political geography; Political ecology; War studies; Links between natural resources and armed conflicts; Political economy of war and reconstruction; Resource curse; Corruption; Natural disasters; Governance of extractive sectors; Food security. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography; Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability; School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; Disaster Resilience Research Network International Negotiations and Treaties, Policy and Governance, Oceans and Coastal Systems, Climate Finance and Investment, Poverty, Climate Justice, Oil and Gas
Shannon Leddy UBC Vancouver Decolonizing education; Indigenous education and pedagogy; Indigenous visual expression and art as pedagogy; Place-based and land-as-teacher learning; Environmental education; Reconciliation in education; Teacher education and pre-service teacher preparation; Two-eyed seeing approach; Sustainability and holistic practices; Cultural studies; Museum and non-formal learning; Indigenous curriculum development; Slow pedagogies; Transformative learning; Philosophy of education. Faculty of Education Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy Climate Education and Environmental Literacy, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change, Environmental Psychology
Eric W. Lees UBC Vancouver Electrochemical engineering; Electrochemical synthesis; CO₂ capture and conversion; CO₂ reduction electrolysis; Bicarbonate electrolysis; Continuum modelling of electrochemical systems; Multi-scale physics-based modelling; Reactor design; Transport phenomena; Electrochemical separations; Rare-earth metal extraction; Environmental pollutant remediation; Gas diffusion electrodes; Ion-exchange membranes; Electrode materials development; Bipolar membranes; Porous electrodes; Techno-economic assessments; Life cycle assessments; Clean energy technologies; Climate-related technologies; Atmospheric water harvesting; Heat and mass transfer phenomena; Adsorption processes; Water insecurity solutions. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Clean Energy Research Centre Clean Energy and Energy Transitions, Carbon Management, Electricity, Water Resources and Supply, Manufacturing and Heavy Industry
Valerie LeMay UBC Vancouver Biometrics; Forest measurements; Modelling; Sampling design; Stand Dynamics; Stand regeneration estimation; Genetic impacts on growth at the stand level. Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest Resource Management; Forest Measurements and Biometrics Forestry, Carbon Management
Barbara Lence UBC Vancouver Optimizing design and operational strategies of water resources projects; Reliable withdrawal-treatment strategies for contaminated groundwater supply systems; Water distribution system operational procedures to meet hydraulic and water quality objectives. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering; Master in Engineering Leadership Pollution, Policy and Governance, Water Resources and Supply, Freshwater Systems, Climate Risk Management, Buildings and Sustainable Infrastructure Design
Avi Lewis UBC Vancouver Social and political change; Communication, education and documentary filmmaking; Climate justice. Faculty of Arts Department of Geography; Centre for Climate Justice Climate Education and Environmental Literacy, Climate Justice, Policy and Governance, Climate Activism and Social Movements, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change
Eric Li UBC Okanagan Consumer culture; Social innovation and social enterprise; Healthy living and well-being; Food consumption and food security; Digital economy, Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of People (IoP); Social media marketing and consumption; Ethical consumerism and prosocial behaviour; Corporate philanthropy; Fashion marketing and consumption. Faculty of Management Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention (IHLCDP); Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies; Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER); Battery Innovation Research Excellence Cluster Environmental Psychology, Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Sovereign or Sustainable Food Systems, Poverty, Health and Wellbeing, Rural and Northern Communities
Kai Li UBC Vancouver Corporate governance mechanisms; Economic consequences of corporate governance; Gender and finance; Corporate culture; Green innovation; CEO compensation; Mergers and acquisitions; Shareholder activism; Gender in corporate decision-making; Board of directors; National culture and innovation; Machine learning in finance; Creditor governance; Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in corporate finance. Sauder School of Business Finance Division Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Climate Finance and Investment, Economic Modeling and Data Analysis, Policy and Governance, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change
Loretta Li UBC Vancouver Contaminated site investigation and management; Environmental monitoring; Risk and impact assessment; Soil-contaminant interactions; Mobility and migration of contaminants; Remediation technology; Mine tailings waste disposal and treatment processes. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering; Microplastic Cluster; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC); Climate Change Health Effects, Adaptation, and ResiLience (HEAL) Pollution, Water Resources and Supply, Waste and Waste Management, Biofuels and Biomass, Mining, Policy and Governance
Sunny Li UBC Okanagan Enhanced heat transfer; Multiphase flows; Aerosol (Airborne) transmission; Electronics cooling; Thermal-fluidics in sustainable energy systems; Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning. Faculty of Applied Science School of Engineering (Mechanical); UBC Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC); Natural Gas Fuel System Laboratory (NGFSL); Airborne Disease Transmission Research Cluster; Thermal Management and Multi-phase Flows Lab (TMMFL) Sustainable Materials and Composites, Clean Energy and Energy Transitions
Carol Liao UBC Vancouver Social enterprise law; Business ethics; Corporate law and sustainability; Climate governance; Social justice; Climate risk disclosures; Fiduciary obligations. Peter A. Allard School of Law Centre for Law and the Environment; Centre for Business Law; Centre for Asian Legal Studies; Centre for Feminist Legal Studies; Allard School of Law History Project; Decision Insights for Business & Society (DIBS); Future Minerals Initiative Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Environmental Law, Mining, Climate Justice, International Negotiations and Treaties
Jim Lim UBC Vancouver Spouting and fluidization phenomena; Biomass gasification with CO2 capture in a circulating fluidized bed; Hydrogen production in a fluidized bed membrane reactor from steam reforming of higher hydrocarbons; Performance of limestone for CO2 capture from a high-temperature/ pressure reactor over many calcinations/carbonation cycles; Chemical looping combustion for CO2 separation; Development of thin Pd-based composite membrane suitable for hydrogen separation at high temperature/pressure. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group at UBC; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC); Fluidization Research Centre Biofuels and Biomass, Hydrogen, Clean Energy and Energy Transitions, Carbon Management, Waste and Waste Management
Theodore Lim UBC Vancouver How data and models are used in environmental policy and planning contexts; How to engage with community around urban climate adaptation to achieve just outcomes; Environmental and climate justice; Participatory action research; Participatory planning; Public engagement; Sustainability planning; Urban analytics; Quantitative socio-environmental systems simulation Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning Climate Justice, Urban Planning and Cities, Weather and Climate Extremes, Water Resources and Supply, Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change
Liwen Lin UBC Vancouver Comparative corporate governance; Corporate social responsibility; State capitalism; Chinese law; Law and economic sociology. Peter A. Allard School of Law Centre for Asian Legal Studies; Centre for Business Law Environmental Law, Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Policy and Governance
Charles (Robin) Lindsey UBC Vancouver Traffic congestion; Road pricing; Financing transportation infrastructure; Public transit; Advanced traveler information systems. Sauder School of Business Operations and Logistics Division; Commerce and Business Administration Transportation, Economic Modeling and Data Analysis, Climate Finance and Investment, Environmental Psychology, Urban Planning and Cities
Jane Lister UBC Vancouver Corporate social responsibility; Environmental governance; Sustainable supply chain management; Maritime policy and trade. Faculty of Science, Sauder School of Business Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability; Operations and Logistics Division; Global Reporting Centre Commerce and Business Administration; Centre for Transportation Studies; Green Shipping Project Business Processes and Corporate Governance, International Negotiations and Treaties, Carbon Management, Policy and Governance, Environmental Psychology, Transportation
Jian Liu UBC Okanagan Advanced nanofabrication; Nanomaterials and nanotechnology; Energy storage systems; Next-generation batteries. Faculty of Applied Science School of Engineering (Mechanical); Advanced Materials for Energy Storage Lab; Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions; Battery Innovation Research Excellence Cluster; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) Electricity, Sustainable Materials and Composites
Tianjia Liu UBC Vancouver Wildfire dynamics and human-fire relationships; Climate extremes and natural disasters; Fire impacts on air quality and public health; Remote sensing and satellite data analysis; Atmospheric modeling and climate science; Fire suppression and fire spread dynamics; Agricultural and monsoon fires; Geospatial analysis and GIS; Human-environment interactions; Climate adaptation and fire management strategies Faculty of Arts Department of Geography; Environmental Modeling, Observations, and Remote Sensing (EMBRS) Lab Wildfires and Forest Fires, Atmospheric Science, Weather and Climate Extremes, Health and Wellbeing, Pollution
Wenying Liu UBC Vancouver Use of sea water in heap leaching; Release of selenium and associated toxic elements from mine waste materials; Heap leach modelling. Faculty of Applied Science Department of Materials Engineering; Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining Mining, Waste and Waste Management, Water Resources and Supply
Kees Lokman UBC Vancouver Sea level rise adaptation; Energy transition; Design challenges related to water and food shortages; Depleting energy resources; Climate change; Ongoing urbanization. Faculty of Applied Science School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture; Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning; Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions; UBC Coastal Adaptation Lab; Disaster Resilience Research Network Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Oceans and Coastal Systems, Urban Planning and Cities, Climate Risk Management, Policy and Governance
Tina Loo UBC Vancouver Environmental history of Canada; Postwar Canada; Canadian wildlife; Rivers; State power; Dams; Caribou. Faculty of Arts Department of History Social Dimensions of Climate and Systems Change
Gordon Lovegrove UBC Okanagan SMARTer Growth; Sustainable community planning & design; Sustainable transport & safety; Hydrail powered, zero-emission regional passenger & freight rail; Affordable housing & Cohousing. Faculty of Applied Science School of Engineering (Civil); Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention (IHLCDP); SMARTer Growth Partnership; Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) Health and Wellbeing, Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning and Cities, Hydrogen
Maggie Low UBC Vancouver Indigenous-state relations; Indigenous community planning; Indigenous-led reconciliation efforts; Indigenous sovereignty and jurisdiction; Environmentalism and climate change; Public sector innovation labs. Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning; Centre for Climate Justice; Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions; UBC Indigenous Community Planning Program; Balanced Supply of Housing Research Clutster; Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice; Disaster Resilience Research Network Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Urban Planning and Cities, Climate Justice, Housing
Juliet Lu UBC Vancouver Conflicts and governance issues around resource extraction and intensive land use; Transnational land investments; Chinese rubber plantations in Laos; Promotion of monoculture plantations at the expense of more biodiverse systems; Rise of private sector sustainable governance initiatives worldwide. Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest Resource Management; School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory (IBioS) Policy and Governance, Land Use, Business Processes and Corporate Governance, Forestry, International Negotiations and Treaties

First Nations land acknowledegement

We acknowledge that UBC’s campuses are situated within the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.


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