The Olav Slaymaker Scholarship in Environment is provided by the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs to support UBC doctoral or Master’s students working on topics related to environmental issues.
Scholarships totaling $12,000 have been endowed by The Simons Foundation and UBC in recognition of Dr. Olav Slaymaker’s contributions to research on environmental issues. They are awarded to graduate student(s) pursuing environmental studies who are supervised by a faculty member appointed in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.
Preference will be given to students studying topics related to the environmental aspects of nuclear energy or weapons production or use. The awards are made on the recommendation of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
How to Apply
Application deadline October 6, 2023
Eligibility Requirements
Current UBC doctoral or Master’s students in any year who are working on topics related to environmental issues and supervised by a faculty member appointed in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs can apply.
Selection Criteria
- Academic Excellence
- Quality of Proposal
Application Process
- Complete the online application form by October 6, 2023 (11:45 PM PT)
- Include:
- a copy of your CV (max 2 pages)
- post-graduate level transcripts (unofficial is fine)
- a research proposal of 1000-1500 words
- a brief letter of support from your SPPGA supervisor (supervisors may only nominate one applicant per year)
Olav Slaymaker Scholarship Recipients
Rudri Bhatt is currently a PhD student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability. Her research focuses on clean energy technologies and the electrification of non-road equipment in British Columbia, with a specific emphasis on air quality and equity. She has previously worked on energy security for Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada. Rudri holds a Master of Science in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability from UBC, where her work centered on promoting cleaner alternatives to agricultural waste burning in Northern India. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Mercy Muthuuri is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. Her expertise lies at the intersection of finance, policy, and climate change. She holds a Master’s of Science in Finance and a Bachelor’s of Commerce, both from the University of Nairobi. Her career has effectively connected investments and the private sector to economic contributions, with a particular focus on domestic resource mobilization and sustainable infrastructure projects. Her academic pursuit at UBC aligns with her commitment to addressing global sustainability challenges. She is also certified as an Expert in Climate Adaptation Finance, actively participating in infrastructure funding and climate finance discussions. Her research project on the Role of Nuclear Power in Low-Carbon Electricity Generation has earned her the prestigious Olav Slaymaker 2023 nuclear scholarship, further solidifying her position as a transformative force in advancing sustainable initiatives.
Prerna Gupta is a student in Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at UBC who is studying what makes for the acceptance or rejection of nuclear energy in India.
Alice Guimaraes is a student in the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at UBC who is studying the mitigation and management of water risks in mining in Canada and Indonesia.
Privacy Notification: Applicants personal information is collected under the authority of section 26c of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This information will be used for the purpose of evaluating eligibility for this award. Questions about the collection of this information may be directed to sppga.admin@ubc.ca.