News and Notes
Celebrating the strides our LFS community has made in conservation, nutrition, applied biology, and agriculture.
Hall of Fame
From leadership to legacy, we congratulate the two alumni inductees to the LFS Hall of Fame 2025.
Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk, BSc Ag ’87, PhD (Animal Science)’95 receives her plaque in recognition of her exceptional dedication to transforming the way humans think about animal welfare, and guiding Canadian animal agriculture towards meaningful change.
Parm Bains, BSc Ag ’79 receives his plaque in recognition for championing agriculture with innovation, resilience and generosity, and for his leadership on industry boards, in government, and through international collaborations.
Launched in the summer of 2024, the LFS Hall of Fame recognizes alumni who have excelled in their fields and are contributing to a healthier and more sustainable future. Its inductees are innovators who inspire us to overcome obstacles, transcend limits, and work towards creating a better and brighter world.
Celebrating 25 Years of Mentorship Excellence in LFS
We are thrilled to mark a significant milestone! The LFS Mentorship Program celebrates its 25th anniversary. As the longest-running Faculty-based program of its kind at UBC, we are proud to have created spaces for community and connection.
In our 25th year, we have the highest number of countries represented in our history, with many mentees returning to LFS as new mentors. We truly appreciate all mentors who have dedicated their time, insight and guidance over the years and look forward to celebrating this milestone with you in the near future.
To celebrate our mentorship community and commemorate this milestone, we are sharing weekly mentor or mentee spotlights on our LFS Instagram account. Check them out! LFS Instagram.
Andrea Frommel Awarded for Salmon Sustainability
Assistant Professor Andrea Frommel, Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture, was part of a research team that won a 2025 Peter Wall Legacy Award, a prestigious award supporting sustainability research. Dr. Frommel joins Zoology researchers Dr. Benjamin Matthews (Lead principal investigator), Dr. Colin Brauner, and Dr. Patricia Schulte in a project called Smell Steers the Salmon: Bringing Pacific Salmon Home in BC Using Cutting-Edge Olfactory Analysis. Pacific salmon are vital to B.C.’s economy and cultural identity, but their populations are declining. Together with hatcheries and stream-keeper organizations, they will investigate how stressors, such as high levels of CO₂ and urban pollutants, affect salmon’s sense of smell, and aim to recommend solutions to best support Pacific salmon.
Link to story here.
Jerzy Zawistowski named a Fellow by ISNFF
Dr. Jerzy Zawistowski, Academic Director, Master of Food Science Program was named a Fellow by the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF). This is a professional distinction awarded for outstanding qualifications and experience, and for overall contributions in the field of functional foods and nutraceuticals. He previously received a Merit Award from the ISNFF, and last year received an Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. Dr. Zawistowski is also an Adjunct Professor in the Food, Nutrition and Health program.
Link to story here.
Land conservation research funded by SSHRC Grant
Dr. Joséphine Gantois has received a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her project titled Quantifying the Conservation Value of Land Investments using Local Ballots and Bird Outcomes. Dr. Gantois is an Assistant Professor, in the LFS Food and Resource Economics program who holds a joint appointment with the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. This funding supports her early-stage research project, which assesses the ecological footprint of humans in natural and agricultural landscapes.
Link to story here.
Improving Pediatric Nutrition Care
Dr. Tamara Cohen received funding through UBC Community Engagement‘s Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund. She is working with the Provincial Health Services Authority and BC Children’s Hospital onco-designing pediatric nutrition guidelines in critical care focussing on enteral nutrition (EN), a special formula provided through a tube to the stomach. They will work on standardizing EN practices, incorporating and empowering family values, and optimizing nutrition delivery, which will in turn promote faster recovery and improved outcomes for critically ill pediatric patients.
Link to story here.
2025 NSERC Discovery Research Program
Three NSERC Discovery grants have been awarded to LFS faculty members: Vasileios Kontogiorgos (Responsive multiphasic foods – novel strategies to control nutrient delivery); James McKendry (Mechanisms of Human Skeletal Muscle Proteostasis Across the Age and Activity Spectrum); and, Anubhav Pratap-Singh (Buccal Tablets and Nasal Sprays for non-invasive delivery of therapeutic peptides and hormones).
Simone Castellarin received an NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant for his project titled Urgent requirement of a mass spectrometer for plant and food research.
Anubhav Pratap-Singh received an NSERC Create Grant for his project Packaging Leaders Training Program (PackLead).
Link to story here.
CSFS at UBC Farm named Smart Agriculture Living Lab by CENGN
The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm has been named a Smart Agriculture Living Lab, part of the CENGN (Canada’s Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Networks) national Living Lab Initiative. This new partnership with CENGN will enable Canadian companies to test and validate their products and services related to agriculture, robotics, and applied artificial intelligence at UBC Farm, and support entrepreneurs in launching their advanced technology products.
Link to story here.
Dairy Education and Research Centre Enters new Era of Data Intelligence
The UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre is partnering with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to embark on a new era of research that includes the broad use of data intelligence. FCC is investing $1 million to create an integrated data hub at the dairy centre that consolidates multiple data streams from various sensors and monitoring devices – to facilitate data driven innovations through machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) – and to fund a new postdoctoral fellow position in support of this research.
Link to story here.
Employee Milestones
Congratulations for reaching these important milestones at UBC!
Two staff members were recently inducted into the 25-year club: Dan Naidu, Applied Biology Program Coordinator and Roxana Quinde, Global Resource Systems Coordinator.
Three faculty members were also recognized: Professors Andy Black and Rick Barichello for reaching more than 50 years of service at UBC, and Dean pro tem David Kitts for more than 40 years of service.
More LFS News
UBC Begins LFS Dean Search
UBC welcomes applications and nominations for the appointment of Dean, Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
From Campus to the Field: Valarmathi Vishnu Explores R&D in Indonesia
From lecture hall to tropical field site, Valarmathi Vishnu’s journey takes innovation from campus to the heart of Indonesia’s research landscape.
UBC Farm named Smart Agriculture Living Lab
CENGN (Canada’s Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Networks) announced the first partnership under its national Living Lab Initiative – located at UBC Farm.