After a career at the University of British Columbia that began in 1989, Professor Brian Job has retired as of July 1, 2021. His permanent appointment has been in the Department of Political Science and he has been closely involved in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) as a Faculty Associate by both shaping the direction of the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) program and teaching MPPGA courses since its inception.
Professor Brian Job
One of Canada’s senior scholars on matters of Asia Pacific security as seen in his teaching, supervisions, and involvement in track two processes, Professor Job has left a major mark on Canada’s interactions with Asia. He served as co-editor of International Studies Quarterly and Global Governance and on numerous editorial boards. He was a Senior Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. In 2018, he received a Foreign Minister’s Commendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for his having co-chaired the Canada-Japan Peace and Security Symposium from its inception in 1997. Professor Job is skilled at connecting academic research to policy applications in both Canada and the Asia Pacific, especially in the areas of cooperative and human security.
With his rich history of serving the UBC community, Dr. Job held a number of important leadership roles over the years. This includes having served as Director of the former Centre of International Relations, where he led as Director of the Security and Defense Forum program and the Canadian Centre on Human Security, as Interim Director of the Liu Institute for Global Issues, and as Associate Director of the Institute of Asian Research (IAR). Within the IAR, Professor Job led on various events and workshops of policy relevance, including a major forum on Canada-China Relations and Peacekeeping Cooperation. Job played a significant role in fostering security cooperation through Track 2 engagement in the Council on Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific – as regional Co-Chair, Chair of the Canadian CSCAP Member Committee, and editor of CSCAP’s Regional Outlook for five years.
“In addition to his scholarly work, Brian has served as a mentor and advisor to several of my generation of IAR faculty—always served with a wry sense of humour. I am delighted that he will still be active in our community in the years to come.”
– Professor Timothy Cheek, outgoing Director, Institute of Asian Research, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
At a recent celebration after the conclusion of his final seminar class, more than sixty former graduate students, some of whom are now his colleagues, and others scattered at universities and in government and private sector around the world toasted “Teacher Job.” As his former PhD advisees and graduate students will attest, Job is well respected as a mentor who always treated people with respect, and inspired many to tackle the challenges of international relations, security, and diplomacy. Professor Job received a UBC Killam Teaching Award in 2008.
Professor Job is now Professor Emeritus of Political Science (2021). He will remain a valued member of our SPPGA community as a Faculty Associate and we thank him for his many contributions.
