Evaluation of Refugee’s Resilience, Maternal Health and Rights in Kenya

Evaluation of Refugee’s Resilience, Maternal Health and Rights in Kenya

Project Title: Evaluation of Refugee’s Resilience, Maternal Health and Rights in Kenya
Client: International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs
Students: Laura O’Dogherty, Najma Nizar, Netheena Mathews, Raahina Somani
Faculty Lead: Erin Baines
Fieldwork Location: Kenya
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project explores the multidimensional barriers refugee women and girls face in accessing maternal and reproductive healthcare, provided by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), within refugee camps in Kenya. This work aims to produce actionable recommendations to inform humanitarian aid work provided by the KRCS and healthcare policy frameworks, ultimately affecting positive maternal health outcomes for female refugees in Kenya. The goal is to support the development of evidence-based strategies that address the immediate healthcare needs of refugee populations and build long-term resilience and equity within these communities.

Exploring Opportunities for Clean Heating Technologies in Mongolia

Project Title: Exploring Opportunities for Clean Heating Technologies in Mongolia
Client: Global Green Growth Institute
Students: Benjamin Kofa Fyneah, David Mayfield, Ghassan Hamzeh, Maha Siddiqui, Roanna Pizarro
Faculty Lead: Tarun Khanna
Fieldwork Location: Mongolia
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project will prioritize two key areas of research: (a) identifying the subsidies provided for coal heating, including calculating the true cost of coal with externalities and determining the size of the subsidies, and (b) conducting a jurisdictional scan to examine policy instruments and strategies that other regions have used to move away from fossil fuel subsidies for heating, with a specific focus on exploring how to garner buy-in during the shift away from coal energy.

Enhancing Indigenous Oversight of Major Energy Projects in Canada

Project Title: Enhancing Indigenous Oversight of Major Energy Projects in Canada
Client: Canada Energy Regulator
Students: Gabrielle Jacob, Mercy Muthuuri, Sixuan Wang, Yumna Jilani
Faculty Lead: Allison Macfarlane
Fieldwork Location: Kelowna
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project seeks to inform the development of a systemic model to enhance Indigenous oversight of CER-regulated infrastructure pursuant to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan Measure 34. Accordingly, the project will incorporate learnings from current models such as the CER Indigenous Advisory Committees, the Indigenous Oversight Fora, and the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees for the Trans Mountain Expansion and Line 3 Replacement projects as well as other domestic and international mechanisms. The project will explore pathways to strengthen Indigenous involvement at each phase of CER-regulated energy infrastructure projects. 
 
The project aims to support the CER in advancing its commitment to Reconciliation, while enabling the full realization of the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Calls To Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

 

Strengthening Canada’s Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-Up for International Human Rights Commitments

Project Title: Strengthening Canada’s Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-Up for International Human Rights Commitments
Client: Maytree 
Students: Jimmy Yi-Te Ho, Luka Houde, Nishtha Gupta, Su Thet San
Faculty Lead: Matias Margulis
Fieldwork Location: Ottawa
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project seeks to address the challenges in Canada’s human rights reporting, monitoring, and follow-up systems by first investigating the existing mechanisms. Through interviews with federal and provincial actors, the project aims to identify and diagnose the key issues, including gaps in transparency, intergovernmental collaboration, and accountability. Once these challenges are clearly understood, the project will then propose concrete improvements, drawing on best practices from other countries. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance transparency, strengthen collaboration, and improve the overall accountability of Canada’s human rights commitments. 

 

Promoting Sustainable Peace through Transitional Justice in Uganda

Project Title: Promoting Sustainable Peace through Transitional Justice in Uganda
Client: Refugee Law Project
Students: Elizabeth Ogunsemowo, Hei Son Lo, Paige Cummings, Rebecca Zuk
Faculty Lead: Ulrike Lühe
Fieldwork Location: Uganda
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This study broadly explores the impact of conflict on internally displaced peoples in the Acholi region of Uganda, focusing on the changes to family structures as a result of conflicts in the region between 1986 and 2008. The project aims to examine the policy implications of these changing family structures for nation-building, thereby contributing to work currently underway to advance implementation of Uganda’s National Transitional Justice Policy, given that nation building is one key pillar of this policy.

 

Women, Peace, and Security: Understanding Female Participation in the Mongolian Defence Sector

Project Title: Women, Peace, and Security: Understanding Female Participation in the Mongolian Defence Sector
Client: Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security
Students: Alessia Iafano, Alexander Morrow, Anshika Srivastava, Nishi Kant Dixit
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Mongolia
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project focusses on exploring the degree of female participation in the Mongolian armed forces, including involvement in Mongolian defense concepts and policies. The team is exploring ground realities, opinions, experiences, and implicit expectations regarding women in decision-making state security among different stakeholder categories, as well as exploring the priorities and needs of local actors involved in shaping defense, peace and security policies, programs & approaches. 

 

Paths to Participation: Analyzing Adolescent Participation Programs in the Dominican Republic

Project Title: Paths to Participation: Analyzing Adolescent Participation Programs in the Dominican Republic
Client: UNICEF Dominican Republic Country Office
Students: Ankita Goyal, Elena Del Rivero, Khayria Mansouri, Cathy Wang
Faculty Lead: Grace Jaramillo
Fieldwork Location: Dominican Republic
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project aims to identify the key factors that determine the success of efforts by various national and international institutions to promote adolescent participation in the Dominican Republic, to help inform the development of more effective programs in the future. It aims to understand how different variables influence program outcomes. This analysis will explore the design elements of successful programs and assess their adaptability across different contexts. The goal is to determine what makes a program achieve desired outcomes, such as increased youth engagement, retention in educational programs, and improved leadership skills. 

 

Youth Engagement on Sustainable Water Resource Management in Ecuador’s Central Highlands

Project Title: Youth Engagement on Sustainable Water Resource Management in Ecuador’s Central Highlands
Client: Esquel
Students: Claire McPhee, Jie Fang, Kyle Visvanathan, Sophie Groll
Faculty Lead: Atieh Yekta
Fieldwork Location: Ecuador
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project, in collaboration with Fundación Esquel, aims to understand the connection between youth and water resource management in the Central Highlands of Ecuador. By characterizing this connection, the research aims to identify how to best engage youth in advancing sustainable water resource management. More broadly, this project aims to support climate adaptation efforts and to advance Ecuador’s climate and development commitments.

 

Female Empowerment Through Land Ownership in Kenya’s Coffee Industry

Project Title: Female Empowerment Through Landownership in Kenya’s Coffee Industry 
Client: Fairtrade Africa + Fairtrade International
Students: Jia Suwatanapornchai, Kaylie Carr, Layla Haddad, Sherry Madahzad
Faculty Lead: Kristen Hopewell
Fieldwork Location: Kenya
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project aims to address gender inequality and increase female participation in Kenyan land title ownership in the coffee-growing industry. Our project will focus on understanding the root causes of barriers preventing female land title ownership, which may include but are not limited to gender norms, cultural perspectives, laws, deeply rooted policies, customary practices, and demographic factors. We are looking to evaluate access to female land ownership at Fairtrade farms and to inform Fairtrade’s advocacy efforts and develop strategies to achieve inclusive policy changes that will enhance the lives of Kenyan female coffee farmers.

 

A Resilient Future: Evaluating Peru’s National Adaptation Plan and Gender and Climate Change Action Plan

Project Title: A Resilient Future: Evaluating Peru’s National Adaptation Plan and Gender and Climate Change Action Plan
Client: Organisation of American States
Students: Anna Leila Szigeti, Katherine Xu, Maddie Sides, Sifiso Madonko
Faculty Lead: Andre Xavier
Fieldwork Location: Peru
Year: 2024-25

About the Project: This project asses the implementation of gender-focused climate action strategies in Peru, with a particular focus on water resources and risk management. Fieldwork in Huaraz – an area significantly affected by glacial retreat – will provide critical local insights, while broader, national perspectives will be gathered through engagement with institutions in Lima. The aim is to identify gaps in the current Gender and Climate Change Action Plan and develop recommendations to enhance gender-responsive policies. By analyzing both local and national challenges, the project seeks to support the OAS and Peruvian government in improving climate resilience and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly women, across the country.  

 

Ginette Azcona

2024 Practitioner Fellow

CSEAR History

History of CSEAR

CSEAR Reading Room, December 2015.

The Centre for Southeast Asian Research (CSEAR) is one of five regional research centres in the Institute of Asian Research (IAR) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in July 1992, the CSEAR is currently located in the C.K. Choi Building, one of UBC’s greenest buildings. The CSEAR is the only academic institutions in Canada exclusively devoted to the study of Southeast Asia. For the past 23 years, the CSEAR has been organizing seminars, workshops, conferences and publications to promote interest in and understanding of Southeast Asia through scholarly exchange, and serving as a vehicle for the development of collaborative research projects among faculty, graduate students, and colleagues in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in Canada. The CSEAR continues to actively engage with students, researchers, and community members to promote the cultures of Southeast Asia on the UBC campus, in Metro Vancouver, and beyond.

A Rich Beginning: Birth of IAR and the 1980s

Research on Southeast Asia in UBC has a long history. UBC began offering courses on Southeast Asia in the 1960s and created an undergraduate specialization in Southeast Asia in 1988, which was later absorbed into the Asian Studies major. UBC also had a strong group of faculty with a deep interest in Southeast Asia. Well before the CSEAR’s inception, the IAR was headed by a prominent Southeast Asian geographer, Dr Terence McGee. He was the founding director for IAR and held the position for many years (1978-1992, 1995-1998). The late Dr Geoffrey Hainsworth, a well-known developmental economist, served as the first director of the CSEAR and was the President of the Canadian Council for Southeast Asia Studies for several years. A noted historian of Vietnam and China, Dr Alexander Woodside was involved in creating the Institute of Asian Research and remained as the CSEAR’s faculty associate. The faculty of Southeast Asia experts continued to grow over the years and included Dr Diane Mauzy (political science), Dr Tineke Hellwig (Asian studies), and Dr Ian Townsend-Gault (law).

monterona picture

Profs. Tim Cheek and Michael Leaf accept a painting offered by artist Norbert Monterona to the Centre for Southeast Asia Research. September 2004.

In 1988, UBC was also one of the founding members of Northwest Regional Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies (NWRSEAS) with the University of Oregon and the University of Washington. That year, the IAR also became a home to the Indonesia Project, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, whose activities encompassed research, education, training and bilateral aid programs. Through the 1980s, the IAR welcomed visitors from Southeast Asia including Indonesian educators, Malaysian economic researchers, Thai engineering students, and Vietnamese social scientists. Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand visited UBC in 1989 and Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau came to the IAR to meet with UBC researchers after his visit to Southeast Asia.

Community connections were already strong in the 1980s. Dr Jim Placzek, a long time research associate of the CSEAR, was a board member of the Friends of Thailand, a community group established in Vancouver in 1988, which helped organize many cultural events with the Indonesian, Thai, Malaysian and Filipino communities.

The 1990s and 2000s: CSEAR’s opening and growth

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Old CSEAR Logo. Asia Pacific Report, Fall 1994. Designed by Lai Wong Chow, UBC Fine Arts Department at the time.

Old CSEAR Logo in Asia Pacific Report, Spring 1993

Old CSEAR Logo in Asia Pacific Report, Spring 1993

In September 1992, together with four regional research centres housed in the IAR, the CSEAR was launched with the largest following on campus made up of 49 faculty and 45 graduate students. Coinciding with the launch, the CSEAR held the CCSEAS-NWRSEAS joint conference in October; over 250 faculty and students, mainly from the US and Canada, attended the event, and there were more than 100 papers presented. In 1996, when the IAR moved to the C.K. Choi Building, the CSEAR moved to its current location in room 221, in the south side of the building.

The CSEAR’s faculty associates have held leadership positions in the academic community throughout the 1990s until present. Dr Diane Mauzy served as the President of the CCSEAS from 1994 to 1996 and Dr Tineke Hellwig served as Chair of UBC’s Women’s Studies Department and Chair of the CCSEAS conference organizing committee between 2008 and 2009. The conference also honoured a long time CSEAR faculty associate, Dr Alexander Woodside. The faculty grew over the years as well. Dr Michael Tenzer joined the Faculty of Music in 1996, Dr Nora Angeles joined the School of Community and Regional Planning in 1998, and Dr Abidin Kusno joined the IAR in 2004.

The CSEAR continued to be the hub of research activities on Southeast Asia. In 1995, the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) received a major CIDA grant for a field research project in Vietnam. Faculty associates, including Drs. Geoffrey Hainsworth and Michael Leaf, with a number of graduate students based in the SCARP’s Centre for Human Settlement, carried out the project. The CSEAR received a Hampton Grant in 1996 to conduct an interdisciplinary research project in Vietnam on resource management, sustainable development and livelihood security. From 1993 to 2000, the CSEAR published a number of research monographs in two series: Working Papers and Development Studies. The most recent title was Globalization and the Asian Economic Crisis: Localized Impacts, Coping Strategies and Governance Reform in Southeast Asia (2000). Dr Abidin Kusno, Canada Research Chair in Asian Urbanism and Culture, opened the Asian Urban Lab, and Dr Michael Leaf, who served as the CSEAR’s director for 8 years, was involved in a major SSHRC research project titled, “The Challenges of the Agrarian Transition in Southeast Asia (ChATSEA).”

Over the years, the CSEAR organized a number of research conferences with partners from across Canada, the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia covering key emerging issues in the region. Notable examples: “Public Eyes/Private Lenses: Visualizing the Chinese in Indonesia and in North America,” in 2007, “The Promises And Limits Of International Criminal Justice: The “Extraordinary Chambers” In Cambodia” and  “Arts, Popular Culture and social change in the new Indonesia” in 2006, “Localized Poverty Reduction in Vietnam (LPRV)” in 2003, “The Poor at Risk: Surviving the Economic Crisis in Southeast Asia” in 2000. The CSEAR also welcomed a number of visitors from the region. In 2000, HRH Prince Norodom Sirivudh of Cambodia visited UBC to give a seminar at the IAR on the future of civil society in Cambodia.

cSEARching for Southeast Asia graduate conference. April 2016.

cSEARching for Southeast Asia graduate conference. April 2016.

Today: Moving Forward

More than 20 years since its launch, the CSEAR strives to promote academic research and exchange, to support community activities that contribute to a fuller understanding of Southeast Asia in Canada, and to facilitate and enhance all aspects of Canada-Southeast Asia relations. The CSEAR is an active member of the Southeast Asian community in Metro Vancouver and works closely with the Southeast Asian consular corps in Vancouver and Canada as well. Keeping in line with the CSEAR’s long-term vision to act as a hub of Southeast Asian studies at UBC, it continues to welcome diplomatic and government visitors from the region as well as academics working on Southeast Asia and a newly formed graduate student network that includes students from different disciplines.

The Centre continues to hold academic events to promote intellectual discourse on the region and supports various student communities at UBC, encouraging the community to stay connected to their roots and promote the region in Canada.

Centre Directors

Geoffrey Hainsworth (Department of Economics), 1992-2000
Michael Leaf (School of Community and Regional Planning), 2000-2007
Abidin Kusno (Institute of Asian Research), 2012-2015
Richard Barichello (Faculty of Land and Food Systems), 2007-2013; 2016 – 2018
Kai Ostwald (Institute of Asian Research and Department of Political Science), 2015-2016; 2018 – Present

Written by Kenneth Yap, Aug 2018

A Case for Culture: Bridging the Gap Between Newcomers & Healthcare System

Project Title: A Case for Culture: Bridging the Gap Between Newcomers & Healthcare System
Client: BCACHC – Umbrella (British Columbia Association of Community Health Centres + Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-Op)
Students: Nicole Ng, Adiya Baratova, Anshul Tipnis, Daniel Beltranena
Faculty Lead: Veena Sriram
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Lower Mainland
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: A Case for Culture: Bridging the Gap Between Newcomers & Healthcare System” delves into the vital nexus between cultural responsiveness and accessible healthcare for cultural communities, including newcomers in British Columbia (BC). Through targeted advocacy for cultural brokering, this project aims to offer practical, actionable strategies to raise recognition of cultural brokers and encourage multi-sectoral collaboration, to advocate for cultural brokering as means to achieve inclusive and equitable healthcare and social services for newcomers throughout BC.

Upholding Squamish Values and Principles in Policymaking

Project Title: Upholding Squamish Values and Principles in Policymaking: Strategies to Address Inequities and Disparities in Policies, Laws, and Regulations of the Squamish Nation
Client: Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)
Students: Alex Talavera Vilchez, Karthik Chinta, Kopal Heda and Tim Linsell
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Squamish Nation Territory
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) is interested in defining inequities and pursuing strategies to reduce inequity and disparity in their policies, laws, and regulations. The vision of the Squamish Nation is to lift one another up according to Squamish values, ways of knowing, and care. This project aims to surface possible approaches and best practices in accordance with this vision that may be used in their policies, laws, and regulations.

Dorjdari Namkhaijantsan

2024 Practitioner Fellow

Mia Yen

2024 Practitioner Fellow

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs Practitioner Fellowship – Application

Applications for the 2024 Practitioner Fellowship are now closed. Please sign up for the SPPGA newsletter to be notified when the next round of applications open.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Overview

SPPGA recognizes that to have a transformative impact on society, academic excellence and policy practice must be integrated throughout the School’s research, teaching and community engagement.

In the spirit of facilitating knowledge exchange, strengthening community ties, and building an ethos of practice into our professional graduate programs, the SPPGA offers a Practitioner Fellowship program, which will host 2-4 practitioners in residence per year for periods of 4 or 8 months with start dates in September and January. While at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia, Practitioner Fellows will be appointed as Adjunct Professors.

SPPGA Practitioner fellows should be professionals with leadership experience in public policy, international development, global affairs and/or government, across a variety of issue areas and sectors.  Policy Practitioner fellows typically work in civil society, various levels of government, think tanks etc. but should not be employed as an academic at another institution.

Eligibility

  • Open individuals with a minimum of 10 years of experience in a broad range of backgrounds, who have demonstrated experience with public policy and/or global affairs.
  • Preference will be given to mid-career professionals; however, senior career professionals are also welcome to apply.  All candidates are expected to articulate how this fellowship would inform current or planned work/research/priorities in the workplace or sector they are coming from.
  • Citizenship or visa requirements. Open to applicants from any country but applicants must be able to obtain the appropriate Canadian visa as residency is required for the fellowship.
  • International applicants are eligible for a 120 day maximum term.

Compensation & Benefits

The Practitioner Fellow will be appointed as an Adjunct Professor.

-Financial compensation package includes:

  • Up to $2.5k relocation allowance for out-of-province/country fellows
    • $10k per month salary
    • Up to $2k per month to support living arrangements if temporary relocation is required.

-Shared office space in SPPGA buildings and access to the UBC library system.

Responsibilities

  • Fellows must reside full-time in the Vancouver area for the duration of their fellowship.
  • Fellows who have full-time employment are expected to refrain from significant roles and employment responsibilities, unless granted permission from the SPPGA Director.
  • Vancouver is a city with low occupancy rates and high housing costs. SPPGA can recommend some ways to search for housing, but securing housing is the responsibility of the Fellow.
  • Fellows are expected to meaningfully undertake at least one activity from each of the three program activity categories below.
  • Fellows are expected to develop a new area of expertise for themselves and in doing so, perform research on a topic of interest related to their professional practice. Fellows will develop a work plan for the duration of the fellowship and meet monthly with the SPPGA Director or designate.  The outcome of their research will be a written product such as a peer-reviewed journal article, magazine article, opinion piece, or podcast on the topic of interest.
  • Fellows will be invited to stay connected to the school through the Practitioner Fellow alumni network at SPPGA.

Program Activities

In addition to advancing an individual professional project, fellows can expect to undertake at least one activity from each of the following three categories per term:

Student and Community Engagement

  • Individually mentor 1-2 MPPGA students
  • Lead a student-oriented workshop on a career-related topic of your choice
  • Participate in workshops and/or community engagement events/lectures
  • Provide a public lecture on a topic of policy, practice and/or research

Research

  • Collaborate with SPPGA faculty or researchers on a topic of shared interest
  • Organize a workshop on the Fellow’s topic of interest

Teaching and Learning

  • Serve as a resource for a GP2 team
  • Deliver guest lectures/co-teach an existing PPGA course
  • Develop and deliver/facilitate a series of workshops on a topic related to PPGA

Commitment & Resources

Fellowships are considered to be a full-time commitment for the duration of the contract.  Hours on campus may vary per week, however, all fellows are expected to hold regular on-campus office hours. Fellows will be provided with shared office space at SPPGA and will have full access to UBC resources.

Application & Criteria

The program seeks distinguished practitioners with 10+ years of leadership experience in public policy, international development, global affairs and/or government, across a variety of issue areas and sectors.

  • Statement of Interest including a professional autobiography (500 words)
  • Research/professional project proposal (500 words)
  • CV
  • Contact information for 3 references

 

Bo Chen

Bo Chen, 2024 Liu Scholar

Bo Chen is currently pursuing his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UBC. He holds a B.S. and an M.A.Sc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Sichuan University, China, and UBC, respectively. His doctoral research focuses on exploring uncertainties in power system operations and analyzing intricate details of electricity market pricing signals, under the guidance of Professor Christine Chen.

As a Liu Scholar, Bo is collaborating with Professor Tarun Khanna to develop and assess a dynamic-aware locational marginal pricing model. This model aims to gauge the impact of battery storage and renewable energy resources on the electricity market.

Angel Espinoza

Angel Espinoza, 2024 Liu Scholar

Angel Espinoza is a Mexican PhD student at the Vancouver School of Economics in the University of British Columbia (PhD supervisor Prof. Torsten Jaccard). Interested in conducting research with clear implications for policymaking, his main field of interest is applied microeconomics, focusing on labor and trade. Angel completed a Master’s in Applied Economics, a B.A. in Economics, and a B.A. in Political Science at ITAM in Mexico. Previously, he worked at institutions like Mexico’s Central Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

As a Liu Scholar he will be working with  on a comprehensive research project that aligns with the theme of international trade and its broader implications for public policy and global issues. This project, mentored by Prof. Matias Margulis, focuses on the dynamic intersection of international trade policy and labor market dynamics in the context of the United States-Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Besides his academic work, his interest in finding solutions to social problems has materialized into concrete actions. In 2015 he founded ITAM Construye, an awarded organization whose aim is to strengthen social cohesion. He has also been involved in some community and reforestation campaigns. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and exploring nature and wildlife with his wife, dog and friends.

Ali Maghzian

Ali Maghzian, 2024 Liu Scholar

Ali is a PhD student at the Faculty of Forestry. He holds a M.Sc. in Energy Systems Engineering and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.

His Doctoral research is supervised by Prof. Jack Saddler on the decarbonizing aviation sector by using biojet/Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and how their feedstock availability, technology maturity, likely costs, and carbon intensity reduction potential compare.

Ali’s Liu Scholars project is mentored by Prof. Milind Kandlikar and is focused on SAF production from Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOG’s) waste feedstocks. However, because of their limited availability, these low-CI lipids will have to be supplemented with higher-CI vegetable-derived lipid feedstocks. The project will assess the availability, cost, and Carbon Intensity (CI) of the lipid-to-biojet pathway to meet SAF 2030 demands.

Email: alimghz@mail.ubc.ca

LinkedIn: Ali Maghzian

Cara James

Cara James, 2024 Liu Scholar

Cara is a PhD student in the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences at UBC, working with Prof. Mark Jellinek. She investigates the physics of deep-sea mining particle clouds to predict their environmental impacts, inform regulation, and design ways to monitor pollutants.

Deep-sea mining is a new industry that operates in international waters and necessitates the creation of new regulations that are currently non-existent. Development of these regulations is slow due to concerns about the unknown environmental and social impacts of the industry. It is tantamount that scientific knowledge relating to these operations is effectively translated and condensed for policymakers.

Cara aims to help bridge the gap between science and policy decisions, with the aim of aiding our transition to a sustainable society.

As a Liu Scholar she will be working with Prof. Milind Kandlikar.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carabgjames/

Email: cjames@eoas.ubc.ca

Gender Situational Analysis and Programmatic Review

Project Title: Gender Situational Analysis and a Gender Programmatic Review for UNICEF-Dominican Republic Country Office
Client:UNICEF Dominican Republic
Students: Alida Oegema Thomas, Elena Gordillo Fuertes, Simran Pachar, Christina Tse, Liliane Pari Umuhoza
Faculty Lead: Grace Jaramillo
Fieldwork Location: Dominican Republic
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: This project involves conducting a comprehensive Gender Situational Analysis in collaboration with the UNICEF-Dominican Republic Country Office. In doing so, the team evaluated and assessed the key gender issues faced by children and adolescents in the Dominican Republic, enhanced UNICEF’s understanding of gender dynamics in the region, identified gaps and challenges, and developed evidence-based recommendations.

Incentive-based Regulatory Models to Improve Energy-saving and Efficiency

Project Title: Developing Policy Recommendations for Introducing and Implementing Incentive-based Regulatory Models to Improve Energy-saving and Efficiency
Client:The Energy Regulatory Commission of Mongolia
Students: Tajwar Arnab, Rachel Thibeault, Clarence Lau, Tong Zhang
Faculty Lead: Tarun M. Khanna
Fieldwork Location: Mongolia
Year: 2023-24
Publications: The Diplomat

About the Project: As a landlocked country with an infamously continental climate, Mongolia relies heavily on coal for its energy supply, especially in heating and industry; approximately 90% of domestic electricity production comes from coal-based combined heat and power plants (CHPP), split into five regionally based energy systems. Further, one fifth of domestic production is supplemented by imports from China and Russia. The most important regional system for energy production is the Central Energy System, which supplies the capital city Ulaanbaatar, and the surrounding central region. However, energy production has not been able to keep pace with the energy demand due primarily to aging CHPP infrastructure and distribution grids. Anticipating a lag between projects to address these issues and increasing energy demand, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) intends to create a short-term incentive-based energy efficiency and conservation program to manage the growing gap and promote energy efficiency within Mongolian industry. The project team intends on collecting case studies of the best international practices and highlighting their benefits and drawbacks while paying a specific attention to their applicability on the Mongolian context. To supplement this, the team intends to collect the perspectives of the industry consumers themselves, to identify incentives which generate interest and are therein more likely to be effective within Mongolia’s industries. The overarching purpose of this study is to recommend effective and practical policy solutions in developing a model for the implementation of an incentive regulation mechanism.

Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation Land Stewardship

Project Title: Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation Land Stewardship
Client: Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation Stewardship Program
Students: Amir Alavi, Jenina Ibañez, Mitali Madhusmita, Rakashdeep Kainth
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Stswecem’c Xget’tem territory (Northern Shuswap-Williams Lake area)
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: The Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (SXFN) is interested in developing its own land stewardship policies. To achieve this, they seek to understand the current Federal and Provincial policy landscape, as well as how different acts interplay or supersede each other. This project, conducted with the SXFN community, aims to support land stewardship practices by examining the relevant policy landscape. This examination will result in policy recommendations, strategic user-group engagement, and actionable guidelines in the form of a handbook for SXFN’s Land Stewardship Department. The project is deeply informed by SXFN’s distinctive geographical and historical circumstances.

Forest Carbon and Land Tenure Issues in the Mekong Region

Project Title: Forest Carbon and Land Tenure Issues in the Mekong Region: A Scoping Study
Client: Mekong Region Land Governance
Students: Song Fu, Melissa Lo, Oluwole Soyinka, Sheng Huan Tang, Simran Kaur
Faculty Lead: Juliet Lu
Fieldwork Location: Laos
Year: 2023-24
Publications: Mongabay

About the Project: In recent years, land-based carbon management projects have become increasingly popular among countries in the Mekong region, where deforestation and forest degradation have greatly undermined the regional resilience against climate change. Nearly 17 million hectares of forest have been lost in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to make room for agribusinesses and other investments in the last 20 years. As these sustainable development initiatives introduce new models of land governance to the Mekong region, they are also facing challenges from existing issues of land tenure security. Our project aims to understand the relationship between the carbon projects in the Mekong region and local land tenure security, by examining whether these projects compromise or improve smallholder farmers’ access to the land and resources they depend on.

Critical Minerals: Canada’s Position and Opportunities

Project Title: Critical Minerals: Canada’s Position and Opportunities
Client: Green Technology Asia (GTAsia)
Students: Zachary Nanji, Xuanming Na, Stephen Odoi
Faculty Lead: Allison Macfarlane
Fieldwork Location: Japan
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: This project is to examine the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, exploring Canada’s future trade opportunities in the critical minerals sector. The project focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of Canada’s positioning and potential collaborations with Japan. The project will investigate diverse factors which affect bilateral trade and cooperation between Canada and Japan, identifying and analyzing key factors to help improve the trade relationship. It also examines the impact of trade on environmental and social outcomes.

Promoting the Rights of Farmers and Workers in the Global South

Project Title: Promoting the Rights of Farmers and Workers in the Global South through Canada’s Upcoming Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation
Client: Fairtrade Canada
Students: Kirsten Badame, Meredith Barkey, Nozomi Shirakawa, Tanya Dawar
Faculty Lead: Kristen Hopewell
Fieldwork Location: Kenya
Year: 2023-24

About the Project: Fairtrade Canada, as a member of Fairtrade International, aims to carry the voices of rightsholders, particularly farmers and agricultural workers from the Global South who are part of the global Fair Trade movement. In line with the international Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislations, Fairtrade Canada wants to further understand the larger impacts of HREDD on rightsholders and develop a policy report. The focus of this report is to investigate the potential burdens of these legislations on farmers, farm workers, and their communities.

Canadian Contributions to Security in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

Project Title: Canadian Contributions to Security in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Client: Embassy of Canada in Vietnam, Global Affairs Canada
Students: Ashley Brownlie, Charlotte Bull, Amanda Doyle, Quinn Goranson, and Nasim Victory
Faculty Lead: Vina Nadjibulla
Fieldwork Location: Vietnam
Year: 2023-24
Publications: Policy Options

About the Project: The Government of Vietnam recognizes the strategic significance of the Mekong Delta to the region and its own future, and continues to call on partners, including Canada, to play a more active role in ‘Mekong security’. Canadian engagement under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, and a Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, creates further expectations for Canada to engage in this area of priority for Vietnam. The Embassy of Canada in Hanoi (GAC) proposes a project to evaluate potential avenues for Canadian involvement in enhancing the security of the Mekong Delta. The project aims to provide recommendations that are grounded in an analysis of security aspects of the Mekong region (economic, environmental, food, human, and geostrategic), relevant political, institutional, and international interests, as well as Canadian policies and programs that may be brought to bear between 2024 and 2027.

Enhancing Child Agency

Project Title: Enhancing Child Agency: Bridging the Gap Between Institutional Standards & Soldier-Centric Child Protection in Peacekeeping Missions
Client: Dallaire Centre of Excellence For Peace And Security (DCOE)
Students: Mahnan Omar, Raashi Dabola, Sarah Sam, and Aydan MacDougall
Faculty Lead: Hugh Gusterson
Fieldwork Location: Uruguay
Year: 2023-24
Publications: Policy Options

About the Project: This research examines how child protection operates in peacekeeping missions. It specifically focuses on topics such as the influence of gender roles on the responsibility for protecting children, as well as the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by soldiers when balancing UN child protection protocols with their country-specific mandates. This study aims to identify potential barriers and solutions for effective child protection. Additionally, it will investigate youth agency, with a specific emphasis on youth expectations and preferences regarding soldiers’ roles in situations of armed conflict, criminal warfare, and high-risk environments. This comprehensive approach aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities of child protection, fostering gender-sensitive and youth-inclusive strategies in peacekeeping missions.

Jawad Hussain Qureshi

Raissa Fontelas Rosado Gambi

2023 Practitioner Fellow

Job Posting: Communications and Project Assistant, Institute of Asian Research

The School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at UBC is hiring a Communications and Project Assistant.

Job Description


The Communications and Project Assistant contributes to the overall promotional strategy and communications initiatives of the SPPGA with a particular focus on the Institute of Asian Research (IAR) and its projects. The communications responsibilities of this position include copy editing and writing for print and online, website updating and maintenance, email marketing, social media management and providing communications support and oversight to student employees. The IAR project responsibilities of this position include administrative and logistical support for IAR initiatives, internal communication and coordination, and acting as a liaison between the many branches of IAR.

This is a full time union position (CUPE 2950), one year contract with possibility of extension.

Application Deadline: September 17, 2023

MPPGA Featured Alumni: Meet Beatrice Zano

Beatrice Zano MPPGA Alumni

Policy Analyst, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), Vancouver, BC
MPPGA Class of 2020

MPPGA stream: Development and Social Change
Undergrad: Bsc Honours Development Studies, Lupane State University Zimbabwe

“I became interested in understanding how the policies and decision support tools used to manage programs and activities were developed. This led me to the MPPGA program as I was attracted to the professional development aspect it offered alongside engaging with real life potential clients.”
MPPGA Class of 2020

Beatrice Zano MPPGA Alumni Careers

Looking Back:
Prior to joining the MPPGA, I worked as a Community Services Coordinator at Tongogogara Refugee Camp located near Chipinge, Zimbabwe. I was a part of a team working for Terre Des Hommes Italia, an implementing partner supporting the Ministry of Public Service and Social welfare and UNHCR’s refugee program in Zimbabwe. As a part of the implementing team, it was also my role to engage with and discuss programs and services with interested and affected parties. I became interested in understanding how the policies and decision support tools used to manage programs and activities were developed. This led me to the MPPGA program as I was attracted to the professional development aspect it offered alongside engaging with real life potential clients.

Where I am now:
I work in the Policy Management Office at PHSA and promote quality policy work through providing standardized terminology and definitions, helping establish clear accountabilities and ensure policy and document owners align with the policy management processes. I have the opportunity to utilise my previous project coordinator experience to provide support, coordination and recommendations that streamline redundancies across the Health Authority.​As I guide policy leads within PHSA facilities, services and programs, I ensure that throughout the policy cycle document owners are making considerations for impacts on Indigenous Peoples, Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. While I am no longer on the ground implementing programs directly, the work that I support is helping to provide equitable solutions within the Health Authority.

Advice for new MPPGA students:
Do not limit yourself to one area, be open to learning new skills and new subject areas. Ask questions and build your network as it really helps.

MPPGA Alumni Careers Graph

MPPGA Featured Alumni Series: Meet Sanmini Koffi

Sanmini Koffi Alumni MPPGA

Bilingual Business Expertise Consultant, Service Canada
MPPGA Class of 2020

MPPGA stream: Development and Social Change
Previous Position: Policy Analyst, Vancouver Coastal Health

“For me, one of the most valuable aspects of the MPPGA program was GP2. (...) Through this experience, I learned how to work with interdisciplinary teams to deliver reports, briefs and present strategies to high-ranking public officials such as Assistant Deputy Ministers.”
MPPGA Class of 2020

Sanmini Koffi Career Trajectory

 

Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and how you became interested in public policy and global affairs?

I grew up in Ottawa and moved to Montreal to pursue an undergraduate degree in political science, with a focus on international Relations, and took courses focused on how international and domestic government decision making impacts individuals. I wanted to learn more about government decision making and this desire turned into a call to action. I decided to apply for the MPPGA program to deepen my understanding of public policy and global affairs. My goal was to learn how to make a difference on issues that I care about deeply.

What was it like moving into your first full-time position after graduation from the MPPGA program?

I graduated in June 2020 as the pandemic was worsening and it was a bit frightening to enter the federal government at this time. I felt quite a bit of imposter syndrome as I worked with people who were decades older than me and had been working for longer than I had been alive. But it was one of my dreams to work at the federal level and I am grateful to serve Canadians at a time of great need.

What motivated you to move from Vancouver Coastal Health to Service Canada? What do you in your capacity as a Bilingual Business Expertise Consultant, and could you mention anything that you particular enjoy about your work?

I had been working at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) since the summer of the first year of the MPPGA program and one of my goals was to work for the federal government. By 2020, I had gotten a relatively good understanding of the dynamics at the provincial level and I felt ready to implement the skills I had learned in a new role. As my contract with VCH was coming to an end, the pandemic had reached new heights and I began reaching out to federal government employees to learn more about the work they do. The incredible people that I spoke with during informal interviews motivated me to apply for a position with the government.

One of the most exciting parts of my work is to be able to work in both French and English. As a Francophone living in BC, the opportunities to speak my first language are relatively rare. However, in my current position, I do most of my work in both languages and I have the pleasure of working with colleagues who also speak French. In fact, I started an Official Languages Community of Practice which has over 200 members. I lead a team of volunteers who create a safe space for employees interested in practicing their second language. One of the key highlights was when our department’s Deputy Minister joined our session to share his own second language journey. These moments, where my colleagues and I come together to help other succeed, are some of my favourites.

Were there any experiences (particular courses, GP2, etc.?) that you had during the MPPGA program that directly or indirectly contributed to your post-graduation career success?

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of the MPPGA program was GP2. I worked with a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and personalities and developed abilities to work with clients and in a team. Through this experience, I learned how to work with interdisciplinary teams to deliver reports, briefs and present strategies to high-ranking public officials such as Assistant Deputy Ministers.

Do you have any career development advice for incoming MPPGA students and/or soon to be new graduate?

Do not let fears, rejections or failures stop you from achieving your goals. This program and life once you graduate will be full of challenges but always believe in yourself and persevere. On a more practical note, network! Reach out to all the professors and speakers whose work you are interested in. Do not be afraid to cold call, ask for advice, prospects and their own journeys. Keep pushing forward, you can fulfill your dreams.

MPPGA Alumni Careers Graph

WL W23 MPPGA Student Support Assistant

Job ID: 969182

The MPPGA Student Support Assistant supports communications and administration for the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program with a focus on student support and correspondence. This position is an integral part of the MPPGA program team, and part of the larger community at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

UBC Department: School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Hours Per Week: 10
Salary/Wage: 21.14/hr
Anticipated Start Date: September 1, 2023

Application Deadline: Aug 14, 2023

Note:  All applications must be sent through the Career Services Online Portal.  Search for the applicable Job ID and kindly follow the instructions stated on the job posting.  All applications through other channels will not be reviewed.

Work Learn positions are offered to currently registered students of UBC Vancouver.  For more details on eligibility, please visit UBC Work Learn Program.

WL W23 Graphic Design and Communications Assistant

Job ID: 969221

UBC Department: School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Hours Per Week: 10
Salary/Wage: 22.67/hr
Additional Documents (preferred): Cover Letter, Writing Sample, Class Schedule
Anticipated Start Date: September 6, 2023

Application Deadline: Aug 14, 2023

The Graphic Design and Communications Assistant will support the overall design and communication needs as part of the Marketing and Communications team at School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA), including but not limited to the website, newsletter, and social channels for the school, its institutes and centres. They will provide ongoing design support in order to effectively promote our various initiatives across campus and to community stakeholders for the purposes of knowledge mobilization and collaboration. This also includes designing promotional materials for our professional Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) program, speaker series, and research initiatives.

Note:  All applications must be sent through the Career Services Online Portal.  Search for the applicable Job ID and kindly follow the instructions stated on the job posting.  All applications through other channels will not be reviewed.

Work Learn positions are offered to currently registered students of UBC Vancouver.  For more details on eligibility, please visit UBC Work Learn Program.

WL W23 Communications Assistant

Job ID: 969230

UBC Department: School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Hours Per Week: 10
Salary/Wage: 21.14/hr
Additional Documents (preferred): Cover Letter, Writing Sample, Class Schedule
Anticipated Start Date: September 6, 2023

Application Deadline: Aug 14, 2023

The Communications Assistant will support the overall marketing and communications activities at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA), for its institutes and centres, and the professional Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program (MPPGA). The student’s role is integral in helping SPPGA build our brand, and that of our professional Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program, through marketing the program to prospective students and through communications that help enhance the reputation and impact of SPPGA both on and off campus.

The student’s tasks and duties include:

  • Overall marketing support for the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, its institutes and centres, and the MPPGA program in particular
  • Support for the MPPGA digital marketing campaign. This includes monitoring and reporting through Google Analytics to track website traffic, social media numbers, newsletter subscribers, and contact form submissions
  • Website updates for the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (sppga.ubc.ca)
  • Researching, writing and editing news posts (including announcements, profiles, interviews, event recaps, and other related content pertaining to the students, staff and faculty of SPPGA) for online channels including the website and social media
  • Assistance with the creation of the monthly SPPGA e-newsletter
  • Assistance with promoting the events of SPPGA, its units, centres, programs and initiatives, as well as related activities
  • Social media postings (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)

Note:  All applications must be sent through the Career Services Online Portal.  Search for the applicable Job ID and kindly follow the instructions stated on the job posting.  All applications through other channels will not be reviewed.

Work Learn positions are offered to currently registered students of UBC Vancouver.  For more details on eligibility, please visit UBC Work Learn Program.

Trym Eiterjord

Trym is a PhD student with the Geography Department at UBC. His research focuses on Chinese foreign policy and extractive activities in the global commons. In his doctoral project, he studies interactions between science and diplomacy in developing regional expertise in the Arctic region, again focusing on China. He is a Predoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, where he is involved in a project studying the rise of China and the changing geopolitics of international science. He is also a Research Associate with the Arctic Institute in Washington D.C., tracking developments related to shipping, extractive industries, and Chinese foreign policy in the Arctic region.

He is also a frequent contributor to The Diplomat, a magazine focusing on politics in the Asia-Pacific region, where he writes on the abovementioned topics.

Trym has previously worked for the Norwegian Foreign Service in China. He is trained as an anthropologist and went on to specialize in China Studies. He has previously studied at the University of Oslo, Peking University, and Fudan University.

Younus Mushtaq Ahmed

Younus is a Ph.D. student in anthropology at the University of British Columbia and a recipient of the Public Scholars Initiative. His research is inscribed in the subfield of medical anthropology with a focus on development in public health interventions. His doctoral project seeks to explore the absence of caste in India’s sanitation intervention program, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission, and the impact this absence continues to have on marginalized communities in the slums of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His doctoral project is supervised by Dr. Vinay Kamat, and his supervisory committee includes Dr. Sara Shneiderman and Dr. Priti Narayan.

Younus has a master’s degree in sociology and anthropology from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Loyola College, India. In the academic year 2021/2022, he was an Institute for Asian Research (IAR) fellow at the Centre for India and South Asia Research (CISAR).

Younus’ Liu Scholars project will explore the coloniality in global health practices vis-à-vis Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Dr. Veena Sriram will be his mentor on this project.

Research Interest: Caste, development, infrastructure, public health, sanitation, slum, social justice, toilets, and urban India.

Email: younus06@student.ubc.ca

Visit Younus’ Public Scholars Profile

Learn more about Younus’ doctoral research

Kiran Sunar

They are a Liu Scholar, a guest doctoral fellow at the Max Weber Kolleg for Advanced Social and Cultural Studies, and a PhD student in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Kiran received their BA (Jt. Hons) from McGill University in Religious Studies and Gender Studies, and an MA from UBC in English Literature examining representations of Sikh masculinity in contemporary diasporic literature. Their PhD project entitled “Situating Sohni: Gender and Sexuality in Qissa Sohni Mahiwal” traces the transformations of narrative and performance within the Sohni Mahiwal story tradition. Kiran also holds a Diploma in Creative Writing from SFU’s The Writer’s Studio.

Their interdisciplinary PhD project, entitled “Gender, Sexuality, and the Fantastical in Punjabi Narrative Traditions (the Qissā),” aims to directly challenge the marginalization of Sikh and Muslim lives by re-centering Punjabi regional texts, oral traditions, and performance as literature with significant value for Canadian and global culture and policy. They unearths the rich narrative universe of Punjabi gender and sexuality through an analysis of the Punjabi qissā – a set of influential texts that depict complex religious and cultural continuities, and ones that work as alternate sources to British colonial misrepresentations of religious identity. In so doing, their project challenges the homogenization and misrepresentation of Sikh, Muslim, and other “othered” cultures as one-dimensional and regressive, offering insights which can enrich and inform Canadian and global policy pertaining to queer and women’s rights. With Punjabi as the fifth most-spoken language in Canada, it is a loss to Canadian culture that this vital and relevant history, especially with regard to its textured approach to the lives of South Asians, is underrepresented and forgotten. Kiran’s project operates as a site of local and global continuities, seeking to reconstitute a past across borders, and recuperate and value a language across its multiple scripts.

As an interdisciplinary scholar who is also involved in creative work on the complexity of Punjabi identity in Canada, Kiran is working on a novel entitled Nerve and is also involved, from time to time, in performance work. In relationship with their academic work, Nerve engages alternate readings of Punjabi sexualities, as well as questions of migration, trauma, and agriculture.

Email: kiran.sunar@alumni.ubc.ca

Hallie Dau

Hallie Dau is a Liu Scholar and PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health. She also holds a Canadian Doctoral Scholar award. Hallie is supervised by Dr. Gina Ogilvie. She obtained her Master of Public Health in maternal and child health from The George Washington University where she researched the impact of the Liberian civil war on maternal and child health.

Her doctoral research focuses on the social and economic impacts of cervical cancer on women and children in Uganda. Along with her study partners at the Uganda Cancer Institute, Hallie led the development and implementation of a mixed-methods study that recruited women undergoing cervical cancer treatment in Uganda. The data from this study will be used to demonstrate the far-reaching impacts that a cervical cancer diagnosis has on not only Ugandan women, but their children as well.

As a Liu Scholar, Hallie will work under the mentorship of Dr. Veena Sriram where she will write a policy brief using the data she collected to advocate for the expansion of the cervical cancer screening program in Uganda.

In her free time Hallie likes to be in the ocean, read, knit, and explore British Columbia.

Research interests: global health, cervical cancer, contraception, women’s health, and implementation science

Email: Hdau@student.ubc.ca

Twitter: @Hallie_Dau

Eric de Roulet

Eric de Roulet is a Liu Scholar and a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program (Global Studies theme) at the University of British Columbia. He was also a fellow of the U.S.-based National Bureau for Asian Research (NBR) through its Chinese Language Fellowship Program, 2021-2022. Prior to commencing his doctoral studies, he earned a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Linguistics, then taught English as a second language (ESL) at the university level in Liaoning Province in mainland China. Additionally, he participated in field research training in 2019 through the Mongolia Field School organized by the American Center for Mongolia Studies (ACMS). Eric’s dissertation research, supervised by Dr. Manfred Elfstrom, investigates the roles of agency and subjectification in prospective Chinese international graduate students’ academic career planning. In particular, this mixed-methods research analyzes how both PRC nationals and ethnic Chinese students from elsewhere perceive opportunities and obstacles in the domestic and international higher education markets, including the human security risks that come with studying abroad. Notably, by examining the experiences of prospective graduate students, this project avoids the survivorship bias built into numerous studies of the experiences of those who have already moved to their destination country. As a Liu scholar under the mentorship of Dr. Juliet Lu (School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; UBC Faculty of Forestry), Eric will assess the extent to which Chinese international scholars in the U.S. and allied countries are framed as potential security threats amidst the ongoing downturn in China-U.S. relations and rising Sinophobia.

Research interests: Academic and labor migration; the securitization of international academia and academics; Chinese diaspora experiences; modern Chinese history; social mobility and social fields; the production of international scholars and scholarship amidst the persistent Western hegemony over academic knowledge production.

David James Watson

David Watson is a Liu Scholar and PhD student at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia.

David researches in the field of international trade and intellectual property law. His focus is on the protection of geographical indications in regional trade agreements and he is looking at whether countries are agreeing to provisions relating to the protection of agri-food product names that conflict with their other obligations. He is supervised by Dr. Ljiljana Biuković.

David’s Liu Scholars project examines the impacts of protecting translations and transliterations of geographical indications in other languages and scripts. He is mentored by Dr. Matias Margulis.

Prior to starting a PhD, David worked as an international trade lawyer for the United Kingdom Government in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. He advised on agricultural trade issues and negotiated trade agreements on behalf of the Government. David holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge and an LLB and BSc from the University of Sydney.

Email: dwat8318@student.ubc.ca

ESG Report in the Context of BC Local Government

Project Title: Exploring environmental, social & governance (ESG) reporting in the context of BC local government
Client: Climate Action Secretariat (CAS) of BC & Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) of BC
Students: Cait Cameron, Chun Lok Tang, Jiaxin Zhang, Kritika Kukreja, Sanat Kanwar
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – British Columbia
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: This research explored Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) reporting within the context of BC municipalities with an emphasis on climate-related risks and opportunities specific to the ‘E’ of ESG. Interviews with local government representatives and subject matter experts working in areas of sustainability, climate and accounting demonstrated the practice of sustainability reporting among local governments and the potential for incorporating ESG reporting. The desk research encompassed identifying good practices in Canada and foreign jurisdictions of ESG and other relevant reporting mechanisms at the municipal level. Further, the project reviewed Canadian legislation and accounting standards concerning asset management, global standards for disaster risk reduction, finance, accounting standards, and other relevant literature.
The two outputs from this project include an ESG primer created for local government staff and representatives as a conversation starter, and a policy brief for the project’s clients which outlines the challenges facing local governments and areas of improvement for prospective ESG reporting by municipalities. Additionally, the brief highlights areas for further inquiry and summarizes relevant climate-related disclosures to inform recommendations about how ESG reporting could be phased-in by local governments on an opt-in basis if such a program were to be pursued by the clients.

Key Words: Climate Change, ESG Reporting, Local Government, Asset Management

 

MPPGA Featured Alumni Series: Meet Kingsley Eze

Kingsley Eze MPPGA Featured Alumni

Senior Consultant, Ernst & Young (EY), Vancouver, BC
MPPGA 2021

MPPGA stream: Development and Social Change
Undergrad: B. Mgmt., University of Lethbridge

“While I was always passionate about ESG, I was not explicitly set on applying this passion to the real world. The multidisciplinary nature of the MPPGA degree was a fit that allowed me to do that, and also connected me with a very supportive and uplifting network.”
MPPGA Class of 2021

Kingsley Eze Career Trajectory MPPGA

 

Looking back:

Before pursuing the MPPGA, I worked for an asset management company, where my role sometimes involved analyzing impact of policies and leadership decisions from a people perspective. At this point, I realized that understanding how policy originates is critical, leading me to the MPPGA program. I was always interested in public policy and global affairs as policies have always impacted my life one way or the other. Two opportunities in particular that contributed to my career journey was a research assistantship and the GP2 project. The RA position allowed me to explore solutions to complex policy problems, and the GP2 project was very dear to me as the impact of climate change is disproportionately faced by communities like the Squamish. My Co-op experience was with the US State Department at the US Consulate in Vancouver. While work there as a political economic intern, I was able to participate in foreign policy implementation. This exposed me to a pretty wide range of issues involving diplomacy, foreign policy, and how foreign policy impacts domestic policy.

Where I am now:

My role at EY primarily involves working with businesses and governments to align their strategies and help them meet their environmental, social and governance responsibilities. I am quite proud of what I do because to make the monumental social change needed, all stakeholders (public, private, and civil society) must play a part. My EY work allows me to contribute to efforts that range from decarbonization and climate change-related efforts to ESG strategies and the frameworks around them. The policy impact of this role is the ability to support stakeholders in identifying and understanding the pathways required for developing and putting in place sustainability policies, regulations, and disclosures across sectors.

Advice for new MPPGA students:

Take advantage of the many learning opportunities such as events and networking functions. Keep an open mind because you will be exposed to things you might not even know existed. Finally, connect with the staff, alums, and faculty – they help you imagine what your journey can be.

MPPGA Alumni Careers Graph

 

Responding to Climate Misinformation in Vancouver

Project Title: Responding to Climate Misinformation in Vancouver: Best Practices from Local Governments
Client: Department of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, City of Vancouver
Students: Duo Pan, Xinyu Zhang, Nicolas Côté, Ian McAuliffe
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vancouver, British Columbia
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: Through the Climate Emergency Action Plan, the City of Vancouver has set a bold climate target to cut carbon pollution in half by 2030. Implementing policies and programs to reach these climate targets requires building understanding and support from local residents, and, in some cases, clarifying misinformation. This research seeks to identify interventions the City could adopt to address misinformation and increase public understanding and support for evidence-based municipal climate solutions.

KeywordsClimate Change, Misinformation, Social Impact

 

Embodying Values, Protecting Futures: A Sḵwxwú7mesh Constitution

Project Title: Embodying Values, Protecting Futures: A Sḵwxwú7mesh Constitution
Client: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)
Students: Divija Madhani, Joseph Flores Ayala, Karla Erika Ordoñez, Matthew Putman
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Squamish Nation Traditional Territory
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: This project explores how Indigenous peoples around the world have exercised their right to self-determination within colonial constructs through constitution-building. It identifies rights, responsibilities, and best practices that Squamish Nation can use to develop a constitutional framework that is consistent with Squamish values, but legally robust in a colonial system.

Key Words: Constitution, Self Governance, Colonialism

National Security Threats Enabled by AI

Project Title: Understanding National Security Threats Enabled by Artificial Intelligence: Implications for CSIS
Client: Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Students: Linda Xu, Mackenzie Edwards, Edi Qereshniku, Hisham Hazari
Faculty Lead: Chris Tenove
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Ottawa
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: This research identifies three categories of threat-related activities exacerbated by AI-enabled technologies. It analyzes CSIS’ capabilities to define, detect, and respond to AI-enabled threats under its current legislative framework. It also describes how AI-enabled threats and possible investigative actions conducted by CSIS interact with the rights and freedoms of Canadian citizens. The outputs from this project were a slide deck presentation and a policy report provided to CSIS.

Key Words: Artificial Intelligence, National Security, Governance

Consent in Nuclear Waste Disposal Siting

Project Title: Consent in Nuclear Waste Disposal Siting: The Role of Canada’s Nuclear Regulator
Client: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 
Students: Rashi Chaturvedi, Sabah Haque, Jasmine Parmar, Jack Crompton 
Faculty Lead: Allison Macfarlane
Fieldwork Location: Finland and Sweden
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: Understanding how community consent is obtained and maintained for long-term radioactive waste management project proposals to inform the CNSC’s policies and approaches for consultation and engagement on radioactive waste management projects.

Key Words: Community Engagement, Consent, Transparency

Promoting Urban-to-Rural (Reverse) Migration in Mongolia

Project Title:Promoting Urban-to-Rural (Reverse) Migration in Mongolia
Client: International Organization for Migration, Mission to Mongolia (IOM Mongolia)
Students: Alyssa Brochu, Paola Matha, Nellie Kamau, Niloufar Vahid-Massoudi
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Mongolia
Year: 2022-23
Publications: The Diplomat

About the Project: Understanding the needs and expectations of migrants and Ulaanbaatar inhabitants to incentivise reverse migration, away from Ulaanbaatar towards secondary cities in Mongolia such as Darkhan.

Key Words: Urban, Migration, Social Impact

Agri-Food Trade with ASEAN

Project Title: A Partner in Food Security: Canada’s Opportunity for Agri-Food Trade with ASEAN
Client: Canada-ASEAN Business Council
Students: Karine Kfoury, Khanh Pham, Mia MacKechnie, Oliver Boucher
Faculty Lead: Kristen Hopewell
Fieldwork Location: Singapore
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: This project assessed the barriers to the two-way agri-food economic relationship between Canada and ASEAN and how Canada can increase its presence in the region to both increase trade revenues for Canadian exporters, while also helping to strengthen food security in the region by leveraging its strengths in agri-food. This includes identifying evidence on possible policy solutions and mechanisms that other countries (i.e. Australia, the US, and the Netherlands) are using to strengthen and promote their relationship with ASEAN and further their agri-food trade presence.

Key Words: Trade, Food Security, Agro-Food

Child Marriage and Early Unions (CMEU) in Latin America and the Caribbean

Project Title: Positioning the Issue of Child Marriage and Early Unions (CMEU) in Latin America and the Caribbean – The Case of UNICEF Dominican Republic
Client: UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office
Students: Clara Renault, Condie Cantrell, Darby Walton, Norma Patiño Sánchez
Faculty Lead: Grace Jaramillo
Fieldwork Location: Dominican Republic
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: The project consists of documentation of strategies and challenges of the UNICEF Dominican Republic (DR) Country Office that contributed to positioning the issue of child marriages and early unions (CMEU) in the public and government agenda. The students analyzed the policy process and the roles of the most relevant stakeholders involved. The objective of the project is to support UNICEF DR in building its institutional memory and sharing learnings and best practices (of bringing the CMEU problem into the public and government agenda) with other programs in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Key Words: Social Impact, Children, Knowledge Transfer

Canada, Latin America and the Russia-Ukraine War

Project Title: Canada, Latin America and the Russia-Ukraine War
Client: Global Affairs Canada
Students: Jose Villagra, Bianca Batacan, Genevieve Varelas, Gustavo Villela
Faculty Lead: Maxwell Cameron
Fieldwork Location: Washington, USA
Year: 2022-23

Publication: Open Canada

About the Project: Assessing the diverging responses from states in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the key factors and vulnerabilities that are influencing those positions. This research will inform recommendations on how Canada can influence and support partners in the region, and help mitigate their vulnerabilities, to oppose (or continue to oppose) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as help to identify key areas or countries where Canada could focus its efforts.

Key Words: Geopolitics, Foreign Policy, Peace

Trade Justice Advocacy in Canada

Project Title: Advancing Trade Justice Advocacy in Canada
Client: Fairtrade Canada
Students: Rutu Patel, Oliver Zhang, Celine Ng, Julia McKenzie
Faculty Lead: Matias Margulis
Fieldwork Location: Belgium, France, and Germany
Year: 2022-23
Publication: Policy Options

About the Project: This research explored leading trade justice policy jurisdictions in Belgium, Germany and France to understand how best to activate Canadian trade justice advocacy efforts. The outputs from this project were a policy report, two relevant op-eds, and presentations to support Fair Trade Canada in advancing its emerging advocacy strategy.

Key Words: Trade, Advocacy, Due Diligence

MSME Climate Risk in Southeast Asia

Project Title: MSME Climate Risk in Southeast Asia: A Gender-Based Approach
Client: Greentech Asia
Students: Shifa Thobani, Mana Murakami, Maira Malik, Michelle Kadzirange
Faculty Lead: Shashi Enarth
Fieldwork Location: Thailand and Philippines
Year: 2022-23

About the Project: This study aimed to identify the impact of climate change on women-owned micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (WMSMEs) in ASEAN’s tourism sector. The outputs from this project were a presentation, a report, a toolkit and a research proposal for building climate resilience among WMSMEs in the sector.

Key Words: Tourism, Social Impact, Sustainability, Gender

Women, Peace and Security and Human Security

Project Title: Women, Peace and Security and Human Security: A Canadian Approach
Client: Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security (DCOE)
Students: Samantha El-Ghazal, Nicole Johnston, Jasmine Mastracci, Delali Ofori, Panthea Pourmalek
Faculty Lead: Luna KC
Fieldwork Location: Ghana
Year: 2022-23
Publication: Research Network on Women, Peace and Security

About the Project: This research responds to a need within the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense to understand and operationalize the concept of ‘human security’ in a contemporary geopolitical context. It aims to uncover how human security interacts with Canada’s commitments to implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and obtaining stakeholder perspectives on the Canadian Armed Forces’ implementation of both security approaches.

Key Words: Peace, Human Security, Gender

Julia G. Bentley

2023 Practitioner Fellow

Binoy Mascarenhas

2022 Practitioner Fellow

Meggin Messenger

2022 Practitioner Fellow

Thea Bracewell

2022 Practitioner Fellow

Natasha Thambirajah

2022 Practitioner Fellow

Jessica Wood

2020 Practitioner Fellow

Andrea Reimer

2020 Practitioner Fellow

Research or Graduate Academic Assistant

Job Classification: Research or Graduate Academic Assistant

Status: Part-time Hourly

Start Date: June 1, 2023

End Date: October 15, 2023

Salary: $30(minimum)-$35 (maximum) per hour including benefits, depending on skills and experience

Hours per week: 24 hours per month

Funding: Grant funding

Job Description:

A highly motivated and experienced Research/Graduate Academic Assistant is required for a project “Mobilizing a Network of Health Communicators to Investigate and Respond to Online

Abuse”. The project is led by Heidi Tworek. The RA/GAA would work with Saima Hirani, a research collaborator on this project supporting the mental health focus of this study. The RA/GAA will be assigned to undertake a range of research tasks including literature review, data analysis, manuscript and report writing, communicating with team members, keeping records, preparing presentations or other activities related to the research and its dissemination.

Work Performed:

The candidate will work under the direction of Dr. Saima Hirani to undertake the following tasks:

  • Assists with academic research
  • Meets regularly with the supervisor to discuss research assignments
  • Manages and replies to project related correspondence
  • Analyzes research data
  • Carries out literature review and contributes to the interpretation and analysis of review
  • Prepares reports and assists in manuscript writing and presentations
  • Assist in preparing knowledge translation materials
  • Works in cooperation with other members of the research team
  • Carries out any other related duties if essential to the research activities of the supervisor or project to which the graduate assistant is assigned.

Consequence of Error/Impact of Decision:

  • Errors or incorrect decisions in accuracy, judgement, and communication could potentially result in delays in completing the project or seriously compromise the productivity and quality of the research.
  • Failure to seriously follow the project procedures will result in an inability to meet the deadlines and delay in completion of the project.
  • Failure to demonstrate professional and ethical performance could result in loss of credibility for the project, researcher, and the organization.

Supervision Received:

The post holder will be expected to work relatively independently with direction and guidance provided by Dr. Saima Hirani.

Supervision Given:

None

Qualifications and experience level:

  • A graduate (PhD or master student) preferably from Nursing, Psychology, Sociology, Public Health, Public Policy and Global Affairs) at UBC
  • Previous research and publishing experience (preferred)

Desired Skills

  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Interviewing
  • Transcription and data analysis
  • Report and manuscript writing skills
  • Time management skills
  • Ability to work under minimal supervision

Application deadline: May 15, 2023

How to apply:

Please send your CV to Saima Hirani (saima.hirani@ubc.ca)

Working Towards Data Management Bias Mitigation in the National Security Context

Project Title: Working Towards Data Management Bias Mitigation in the National Security Context
Client: Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Students: Claire Okatch, Savannah Tuck, Melissa Hollobon, David Markwei
Faculty Lead: Timothy Cheek
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Ottawa
Year: 2021-22
Publication: Lights on Data

About the Project: This research identified options for best practices to mitigate the emergence of bias within data management. These options will inform recommendations on how CSIS can balance the privacy-security dilemma, with emphasis on bias mitigation, accountability, privacy rights, and alignment with CSIS’ mandate. The outputs from this project were a publication, presentations, a policy brief, and a policy report (available in English and French) provided to CSIS to support these goals.

Key Words: Data management, Bias Mitigation, National Security

The Youth Housing Crisis

Project Title: The Youth Housing Crisis: Barriers Youth Face in Accessing Housing in Urban Centres
Client: UN-Habitat – Human Rights and Social Inclusion Unit
Students: Annie Law, Dariel Filwood, Jamal Khamis, Priya Rai, Samira Hosseina
Faculty Lead: Tara Cookson
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Global
Year: 2021-22

About the Project: UN-Habitat has identified that the specific experiences, needs and barriers of youth ages 18-29 transitioning into the housing market are insufficiently covered by policy debates and urban planning design. This research analyzed the diverse barriers that youth face when accessing safe, adequate and affordable housing across global urban centers, the findings of this project were provided to UN-Habitat in a policy report and final presentation to be used to inform policy pathways for addressing youth housing needs.

Key Words: Urban, Youth, Housing Crisis

Exploring Policy Options for the Village of Ging̱olx

Project Title: Exploring Policy Options for the Village of Ging̱olx in the Context of Large Infrastructure Development
Client: Ging̱olx Village Government
Students: Prajna Singh, Paige Inglis, Arthur Zhang, Surabhi Gupta
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Nisga’a Lands
Year: 2021-22
Publications: National Observer

About the Project: The Ksi Lisims Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a proposed 12-million-tonne-per-year liquefied natural gas project that will be situated at Wil Milit, north of Prince Rupert, BC, approximately 15 kilometers east on land owned in fee simple by the Nisga’a Nation. The Ksi Lisms LNG project will generate social and economic benefits, including public revenues, jobs, training, and business opportunities, for the Nisga’a Nation and the Village of Ging̱olx. Guided by the idea that “we don’t know what we don’t know”, the research team provided the Ging̱olx Village Government with examples of economic development policies in similar communities or projects, policy frameworks in line with Indigenous self-governance, and evidence-based policies to gain community support for their evolving local economic development opportunities. The outputs of this project were a presentation provided to the Ging̱olx Village Government Council and an infographic explaining Impact Benefit Agreements.

Key Words: Economic Development, Self Governance, Energy

Setting a Course Toward Social Public Procurement in India

Project Title: Setting a Course Toward Social Public Procurement in India: A Global Good Practice Report
Client: SELCO Foundation 
Students: Julia Brown, Katherine Pease, Tasha Carruthers, Annabel Steidl
Faculty Lead: Matias Marguils
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – India, Brazil, Malaysia, New Zealand, UK
Year: 2021-22
Publication: Pub Poli

About the Project: This research explored case studies to determine the enabling environment required for the successful implementation of social public procurement in India, specifically analyzing how best to engage social enterprises to maximize social outcomes. The outputs of this project were a policy report, presentation and policy brief provided to the SELCO Foundation to support their advocacy work.

Key Words: Public Procurement, Social Enterprise, Social Impact

Inspirations for the City of Vancouver

Project Title: Inspirations for the City of Vancouver: Engagement, Climate Policy & Reconciliation
Client: Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability Department, City of Vancouver
Students: Kazi Mohua, Sason Ross, Shanel Feller, Soheil Nasseri, Yeonjin Lee
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vancouver
Year: 2021-22

About the Project: This research provided inspirations for City of Vancouver on how to develop meaningful and impactful engagement practices with local First Nations and Urban Indigenous peoples to advance reconciliation with its climate policy. The project explored literatures and actual applications in several jurisdictions and provides actionable toolbox in the form of a presentation and a policy report.

Key Words: Climate Change, Reconciliation, Urban

Collaboration to Prevent the Recruitment of Child Soldiers

Project Title: Collaboration to Prevent the Recruitment of Child Soldiers
Client: Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security (DCOE)
Students: William Shelling, Wilson Dargbeh, Moysal Sana, Kshitij Sharan
Faculty Lead: Michael Small
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Global
Year: 2021-22
Publication: RAUSI

About the Project: This research examined the role of armed forces in UN peacekeeping missions in the prevention of recruitment of child soldiers through the lens of the Vancouver Principles. The outputs of this project were a  publication, presentation, policy brief and a policy report provided to the DCOE to support their advocacy work.

Key Words: Social Impact, Peace and Security, Interdisciplinary

Changing the Rules of the Game

Project Title: Changing the Rules of the Game
Client: Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)
Students: Arthur Bledsoe, Chloei Andres, Joshua Codd, Nadine Van Dalen, Prithy Ahmed
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Squamish Nation Traditional Territory
Year: 2021-22

About the Project: Researching good practices for developing and maintaining relationship agreements that advance Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw strategic goals.

A Comparative Analysis of One Health Policies in Asia

Project Title: A Comparative Analysis of One Health Policies in Asia: Opportunities for Application in British Columbia
Client: Genome BC
Students: Lisa Slager, Lindsey Wall, Soumya Kolluru, Benedetta Beltramo
Faculty Lead: Kai Ostwald, Drona Rasali
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand
Year: 2021-22
Publication: Genome BC

About the Project: This research explored the implementation of One Health (a multidisciplinary approach that recognizes and addresses the interdependencies between human, animal, and environmental health) in jurisdictions in Asia to find ‘good’ practices that can inspire, inform, strengthen, and accelerate One Health policy implementation in British Columbia, Canada. The outputs from this project were a blog post, presentations, and a policy report published by the One Health Commission provided to Genome BC to support these goals.

Key Words: Health, Interdisciplinary, Whole-of-Government Approach

Activating the Mongolian Diaspora

Project Title: Activating the Mongolian Diaspora
Client: International Organization for Migration, Mission to Mongolia (IOM Mongolia)
Students: Hari Narayan, Jemimah Ogundele, Anoushka Chandarana, Anthony Coompson
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Mongolia
Year: 2021-22
Publication: The Diplomat, Mongolia Focus

About the Project: This research works to assess the concerns and priorities of the Mongolian diaspora in North America while researching best practices for engagement to activate benefits for Mongolians both at home and within the diaspora. The outputs from this report were a presentation, policy report and a proposal for funding provided to IOM to support their work in engaging the Mongolian diaspora

Key Words: Diaspora, Community Engagement, Knowledge Transfer

Zana Mody

Zana Mody is a Liu Scholar and PhD student at the University of British Columbia’s IRES (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability) and a recipient of UBC’s Four Year Fellowship and the SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) Doctoral Fellowship.

Her interdisciplinary research combines qualitative research methods, social-ecological systems thinking, and blue carbon coastal ecosystems, and is supervised by Dr. Simon Donner. Her research to date has focused primarily on South Asia and South-East Asia, working with communities on locally-focused social-ecological systems and resilience.

Zana’s professional career has included working as a radio journalist and producer at the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) headquarters in Toronto, lecturer in Anthropology at the College of the Rockies, and as a manager of youth education programs on ocean conservation and climate literacy at Ocean Wise. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Environmental Studies and an MA in Anthropology, both from Trent University.

Zana currently lives in North Vancouver, on the traditional and unceded territories of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and she likes to spend her free time hiking, gardening, climbing, yoga, and Latin dancing.

Zana’s Liu Scholars project is mentored by Dr. Rashid Sumaila (School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries), and addresses the emerging field of blue carbon, marine policy surrounding carbon credits, and the socio-economic valuation of coastal blue carbon ecosystems.

Research interests: Blue carbon, coastal ecosystems, social-ecological systems, ecosystem services, marine policy, climate change mitigation

Khadija Anjum

Khadija Anjum is a Liu Scholar and a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning and a recipient of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Her interdisciplinary research relies on quantitative and qualitative methods approaches to gain planning and policy insights for food security amid high food prices and other sustainability challenges. Her research to date has focused primarily on Pakistan, and other lower-middle income Global South countries, particularly those in South Asia.

Khadija’s professional career has included roles in the development and academic sectors. She holds Masters’ degrees in Economics and Regional Planning, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Khadija lives in Vancouver and in her spare time, she enjoys exploring the city and reading up on fashion.

Khadija’s Liu Scholars project is mentored by Dr. Matias Margulis (SPPGA; Faculty of Land and Food Systems). The project focuses on studying how the policy instruments propounded by the Community and Regional Planning (CRP) and Social Network Analysis (SNA) disciplines can importantly complement the sociocultural, technological, and policy innovations put forth for sustainable food systems reform by the more traditional disciplinary vantage points on this subject.

Research interests: Sustainable Food Systems, Social Network Analysis, Regional Planning, Intersectionality

Raphael Deberdt

Raphael Deberdt Liu ScholarRaphael Deberdt is a Liu Scholar and PhD student in the Department of Anthropology of the University of British Columbia and a recipient of the Public Scholar Initiative. His research is inscribed in the subfield of mining anthropology and explores the impacts that extractive industries hold on local communities. He studies the role of artisanal miners in the cobalt industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and their integration in global markets, particularly in the battery manufacturing sector.

Raphael’s professional career has included roles in the supply chain and minerals sustainability sector, from a private sector and non-profit perspectives. He holds a MA in International Relations from Sciences Po Lyon, a MA in African Studies from Stanford University, a LLM in African Legal Studies from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and a MA in Anthropology from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS).

His project is mentored by Dr. Philippe Le Billon and addresses the development of deep-sea mining and its potential impacts on traditional mineral suppliers such as the DRC.

Research interests: green transition, anthropology of mining, Democratic Republic of the Congo, battery manufacturing, cobalt

Karen Wong

Karen Lok Yi Wong is a Liu Scholar and a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Social Work. She received her MA in social policy at the University of York, the United Kingdom and Master of Social Work at UBC, Canada.

Karen’s research interests include ageing and technology, stigma on people living with dementia, and ageing and cultural and language diversity. She researched and analyzed policies in Canada, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. She published and presented widely academically and professionally. She was interviewed by radio and press media on her research. She will be mentored by Dr. Heidi Tworek (SPPGA; History).

Apart from the Liu Scholars program, she is also affiliated with Simon Fraser University Science and Technology for Aging Research (STAR) Institute as a research scholar, the University of British Columbia Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia (CRPD) as a research assistant, and Innovation for Dementia and Aging (IDEA) Lab as a project manager. She has been invited as the reviewer of academic and professional journal articles, conference presentation abstracts and community project proposals.

Karen is a registered social worker in British Columbia, Canada and has been practicing in diverse settings related to older adults such as community senior services centre, long-term care, and geriatric acute care. She is the recipient of the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year in British Columbia 2021. She also serves in the Seniors Community of Practice and Anti-racist and Actions Committee of the British Columbia Association of Social Workers. She is a long-term volunteer of Alzheimer’s Society BC as a family support group facilitator and educator.

Strategies for Strengthening Relations

Project Title: Strategies for Strengthening Relations Between the Canadian Armed Forces and Civil Society Organizations
Client: Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security (DCOE)
Students: Claudia Kobetitch, Muhyee Nyera Bakini, Travis Liu
Faculty Lead: Erin Baines, Ketty Anyeko
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Ottawa and Iraq
Year: 2020-21
Publications: Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada

About the Project: The purpose of this research was assessing the role of Canada’s National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security in the Canadian Armed Forces approach to implementing UNSCR 1325 within its operations in Iraq. The outputs of this project were a policy report and policy brief provided to the Dallaire Centre of Peace and Security to support their continued work in this area.

Key Words: Whole-of-Government Approach, Peace and Security, Social Enterprise

Impact of Climate Change on Sexual and Gender Based Violence

Project Title: Impact of Climate Change on Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Internally Displaced Persons in Haiti
Client: Global Justice Center (GJC)
Students: Gina Zuno, Paige Rumelt, Joshua Diemert, Sogol Ghattan-Kashani
Faculty Lead: Erin Baines, Ketty Anyeko
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – New York and Haiti
Year: 2020-21
Publication: The Pub

About the Project: This research included analyzing the gaps within the Haitian legal and policy frameworks, which allow climate emergency events (eg. hurricanes) to heighten the risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking. The output of this project was a policy report provided to GJC, which acts as a scoping report to help GJC access the practical and thematic issues attached to this stream of work.

Key Words: Climate Change, Gender, Peace and Security

Disparity and Disconnection

Project Title: Disparity and Disconnection: Impacts of COVID-19 on Education in Nepal
Client: Open Learning Exchange (OLE) Nepal
Students: Boyd Hayes, Nabila Farid, Riya Sirkhell
Faculty Lead: Sara Shneiderman
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Nepal (Sindhupalchok and Lalitpur)
Year: 2020-21
Publications: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Nepali Times

About the Project: This research assessed the opportunites and challenges that have emerged as the Nepalese education system adapts to COVID-19 through a hybrid back-to-school model. The output of this project was a policy report developed for Open Learning Exchange Nepal.

Key Words: Education, Digital, Social Impact

Advancing Electronic Commerce and Digital Trade

Project Title: Advancing Electronic Commerce and Digital Trade between ASEAN and Canada
Client: Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC)
Students: Esther Ocheni, Edwin Edou, Shane Dial
Faculty Lead: Kai Ostwald
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Singapore
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: The goal of this research was to understand the gaps that Canada’s future ASEAN Free Trade Agreement can address by harnessing electronic commerce and digital trade. The output of this project was a policy report developed for the Canadian ASEAN Business Council describing all relevant FTAs in terms of their digital trade provisions and summarizing the experiences of the CABC’s members whose work includes digital trade.

Key Words: Economic Development, Digital, Governance

A Farmer Assistance Scheme Database

Project Title: A Farmer Assistance Scheme Database: Agriculture, Solar and Food Processing in India
Client: SELCO Foundation
Students: Ziwei Luo, Gavin Davies, Matthew Colenbrander, Clinton Mix
Faculty Lead: Matias Margulis
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – India (Karnataka, Odisha, and Assam)
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: This project provided in-depth research and a comprehensive description of the policies and initiatives that facilitate small/micro scale green-energy food processing in India, supporting SELCO’s future programming and advocacy work. The output of this project was a database and a slide deck describing the government schemes currently available in three Indian provinces.

Key Words: Social Enterprise, Climate Change, Social Impact

Contributing to a Safe Land-based Education Program for the Tahltan Community

Project Title: Contributing to a Safe Land-based Education Program for the Tahltan Community
Client: Tū’desē’cho Wholistic Indigenous Leadership Development Society (TWILD)
Students: Sumaiyyah Adam, Jessika Woroniak, Khushi Nilani Mohan Haranahalli, Lilian Shams-Amiri
Faculty Lead: Nadja Kunz
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Tahltan Territory
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: In partnership with TWILD, the researchers worked with the Tahltan community to assess the existing processes for that land-based learning and review the strategies used in similar programs to support the creation of a community-specific education policy. The outputs from this project were a policy report describing the team’s findings as well as a summary of available data storage platforms and their benefits.

Key Words: Education, Youth, Self Governance

Village of Lax̱g̱alts’ap Assessment of Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Strategies

Project Title: Village of Lax̱g̱alts’ap Assessment of Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Strategies
Client: Nisga’a Village Government of Lax̱g̱alts’ap
Students: Brayden Pelham, Stephen Patenaude, Erica Steele, Victoria Ker
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Nisga’a Lands
Year: 2020-21
Publication: National Observer

About the Project: This research from this project focused on assessing the adaptation startagies that are available for the Lax̱g̱alts’ap as they respond to rising water levels along the Nass River. The output of this project were a policy report and an infographic summarizing the findings.

Key Words: Climate Change, Self Governance, Community Engagement

Climate Action Strategy

Project Title: Climate Action Strategy: Coordinating Action on Squamish Nation Territory
Client: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)
Students: Kingsley Eze, Remy Hellstern, Nidhi Sharma, Claire Ross
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Squamish Nation Traditional Territory
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: This project is situated in the information-gathering phase of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw’s Climate Action Strategy. The overall focus is on identifying recommendations on practical, implementable mitigation and action strategies and highlighting opportunities for strengthened intergovernmental relations. The outputs from this project included a comprehensive report and a presentation to the Squamish Nation Council describing the research findings.

Key Words: Climate Change, Self Governance, Social Impact

Prioritizing Threats and Allocating Resources

Project Title: Prioritizing Threats and Allocating Resources: Applying Lessons from Four Sectors to Inform National Security Priorities
Client: Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Students: Daniel Park, Easton Smith, Nicolas Jensen, Yahe Li
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Ottawa
Year: 2020-21
Publications: The Pub

About the Project: This research worked on improving the policy planning process at CSIS pertaining to the challenge of balancing priorities between short-term threats to life (e.g. terrorism), and long-term strategic threats (e.g. economic security) by developing a menu of prioritization options by studying how other governmental and private sector organizations balance competing priorities. The output of this project were a policy brief and policy report provided to CSIS.

Key Words: National Security, Knowledge Transfer, Governance

Refugee Resettlement Strategies

Project Title: Refugee Resettlement Strategies: Exploring Barriers to Success for New Vermonters
Client: State of Vermont Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Student: Hazel Brewster
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vermont, USA
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: This project was a partnership with the Vermont Lieutenant Governor’s Office that aimed to supply the Lt. Governor with the information necessary to garner a comprehensive understanding of the current state of refugee resettlement in Vermont. This research highlighted existing barriers that must be addressed to strengthen the existing policy infrastructure in anticipation of an influx of refugees coming to the state. The outputs of this project were a short policy report and a presentation to the LG Vermont.

Key Words: Migration, Community Engagement, Social Impact

Opportunities to Decolonize ‘The Vancouver Plan’

Project Title: Opportunities to Decolonize ‘The Vancouver Plan’
Client: Department of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, City of Vancouver
Students: Archana Rajendren, Michael Law, Isabella Pepe, Alexander Howes
Faculty Lead: Andrea Reimer
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vancouver
Year: 2020-21

About the Project: The goal of this research was assessing strategies used by communities to the City of Vancouver to support the COV in developing an initial understanding of what they imagine a decolonized City should look like from a policy and/or land-use perspective. This reserach can be used by the COV as they continue to understand what a “decolonized city” might look like in the context of “the Vancouver Plan” planning process. The output of this project was a policy report and presentation to the City of Vancouver.

Key Words: Urban, Governance, Reconciliation

Redefining Policy and Practice

Project Title: Redefining Policy and Practice: Unraveling Definitions of Sexual Violence through a Survivor-Centred Approach
Client: Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ)
Students: Ravina Anand, Solomon Atta, Dinoba Kirupa, Israa Noureddine, Eseohe Ojo
Faculty Lead: Erin Baines
Fieldwork Location: The Hague, Netherlands; Geneva, Switzerland; New York, USA
Year: 2019-20

About the Project: Recommending changes to the UN’s definition of conflict-related sexual violence so it can be more inclusive, contemporary, victim and survivor focused. The output of this report was a policy report given to the client that outlines the rationale behind these recommended changes.

Key Words: Gender, Peace, Security

Strengthening the Canadian-ASEAN Connection

Project Title: Strengthening the Canadian-ASEAN Connection: Business Mobility
Client: Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC)
Students: Hadir Ali, Somi Ajagu-Amamgbo, Zeynya Alemayehu, Anam Imtiaz Elahi, Alessia Rodríguez Di Eugenio
Faculty Lead: Kai Ostwald
Fieldwork Location: Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; Ho Chi Min, Vietnam
Year: 2019-20

About the Project: Identifying key barriers to business mobility and provide policy recommendations to increase connectivity and facilitate business activities between Canada and ASEAN. The output of this project was a policy report, which was published by the CABC articulating a concern the organization has with current policies and connecting it with the opinions of the CABC’s members.

Key Words: Migration, Economic Development, Governance

Expanding Water Harvesting Practices in Rajasthan

Project Title: Expanding Water Harvesting Practices in Rajasthan
Client: Gram Gaurav Sansthan (GGS); Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS)
Students: Rai Friedman, Sanmini Koffi, Chengkun Lv, Andrés Penaloza
Faculty Lead: Milind Kandlikar
Fieldwork Location: India (Karauli, Jaipur, New Delhi)
Year: 2019-20

About the Project: Focusing on upscaling water harvesting structures within the Dang region in India, with the aim to explore strategies of how GGS can effectively advocate for the promotion of successful community based water harvesting policy alternatives at the state level. The output of this project was a policy report for the GGS clearly outlining the benefits of their program in comparison to other options as well as identifying areas for improvement and advocacy.

Key Words: Social Enterprise, Climate Change, Social Impact

Barriers to Effective Teaching and Evolution

Project Title: Barriers to Effective Teaching and Evolution in Nepal
Client: Open Learning Exchange (OLE) Nepal
Students: Citlali Cruz Cruz, Hannah Geiser, Hafsa Khan, Beatrice Zano
Faculty Lead: Sara Shneiderman
Fieldwork Location: Nepal (Kathmandu, Sindhupalchok, Gorkha)
Year: 2019-20

About the Project: Synthesizing and evaluating factors that negatively impact the quality and capacity of primary school educators in Nepal. The outputs of this research were a detailed policy report, a presentation of the head of OLE outlining the findings, and a policy brief relevant to OLE’s advocacy work.

Key Words: Education, Community Engagement, Social Impact

Applying an Equity Lens

Project Title: Applying an Equity Lens to the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Response Plan
Client: Department of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, City of Vancouver
Students: Schyler Edmundson, Shivangi Khanna, Alexandra Martin, Nikki Wirawen, Sean Wu, Yi Yang
Faculty Lead: George Hoberg
Fieldwork Location: Virtual – Vancouver
Year: 2019-20

About the Project: Understanding how low-income Vancouver seniors are particularly vulnerable to ambitious municipal climate policies, as well as how policy instruments can mitigate potentially disproportionate impacts on this equity-seeking group. The output of this project was a report for the City of Vancouver to use when further developing their Climate Emergency Response Plan.

Key Words: Climate Change, Equity, Governance

Strategies for Increasing Youth Civic Engagement in Nalaikh

Project Title: Strategies for Increasing Youth Civic Engagement in Nalaikh
Client: Governor’s Office of Nalaikh District, Office’s Division of Family, Youth, and Child Development (DFYCD)
Students: Claire Casher, Samantha Coronel, Rasmus Dilling-Hansen, Cassandra Jeffery
Faculty Lead: Julian Dierkes
Fieldwork Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Year: 2019-20
Publications: The Diplomat

About the Project: Developing strategies to address the lack of youth civic engagement in the Nalaikh District, which hinders effective policy creation and implementation. The output of this project was an indepth report for the District of Mongolia as well as initial findings on youth perceptions from a series of focus groups that the UBC team fascilitated with local university students.

Key Words: Youth, Community Engagement, Governance