Making Our Food Fairer

Making Our Food Fairer

November 10, 2021

Making our food fairer: Podcast on the community work taking place to improve access to food and why Canada’s food system is broken.

Tabitha Robin Martens

Tabitha Robin Martens

Listen to Tabitha Robin Martens, Assistant Professor, speak with Melana Roberts, President of Food Secure Canada, about our country’s food systems and how they intersect with culture, colonization, and the lives of BIPOC Canadians on The Conversation’s podcast series, Don’t Call Me Resilient.

“Our food system has been deliberately decimated and food has been used as a means to control us for so long,” Martens says. “And really, food was the means of the colonization of Canada.”

View the full interview along with a transcript here.

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Research on Wagyu-style beef alternatives start at UBC

November 9, 2021

Research on Wagyu-style beef alternatives start at UBC

Nov. 8, 2021 – As Protein Industries Canada and its industry partners invest $7.6 million to produce made-in-Canada meat alternatives, students in Land and Food Systems (LFS) at UBC will have the opportunity to receive advanced training in making plant-based proteins, which are the foundation to these innovative food products.

The Faculty of Land and Food Systems has secured a new research contract with Wamame Foods Inc., as part of a co-investment with Protein Industries Canada, and along with the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre (SFIDC), will conduct research to support the national consortium as it begins to produce and commercialize high-end pork and Wagyu beef alternatives.
UBC and SFIDC will develop food technologies to ensure a high quality product that minimizes processing and nutrient loss, while adhering to sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. In addition, UBC students will use the university’s sensory lab to evaluate texture, taste, and other sensory measures to ensure that the new products are organoleptically acceptable to consumers.

Assistant Professor Anubhav Pratap-Singh will lead the UBC research along with his students in the food process engineering lab. Dr. Pratap-Singh holds the Food and Beverage Innovation Professorship at UBC, and for the past two years, he has worked closely with B.C. companies in developing innovative food and beverage products.

“Demand for plant-based meat alternatives is rising among consumers who are becoming health and environmentally conscious,” says Dr. Pratap-Singh. “In response, the B.C. food industry is leading the world in plant-based food innovations.”

“At UBC, we are listening to these needs for innovation and working with B.C.-based companies to create new product innovations sustainably, and to improve the competitiveness of B.C. products on the world stage.”

Recent projects from Dr. Pratap-Singh’s lab include improving the taste of plant-based protein products; upcycling food by-products into new foods or sustainable packaging; developing encapsulating methods to better deliver nutrients to the body; and, alternative non-thermal processing innovations to ensure food safety and quality.

Protein Industries Canada (PIC) is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization committed to positioning Canada as a global source of high-quality plant-based food and ingredients. Together with industry, Protein Industries Canada has committed more than $377 million to the Canadian plant-protein sector.

As primary funder of this project, PIC will work with consortium partners Wamame Foods (consortium lead), Merit Functional Foods, Wismettac Asian Foods and Winecrush Technologies to source Canadian ingredients and produce non-soy pork and beef alternatives for sale internationally.

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Meet Peek-a-Moo, a Data Visualization Tool for Dairy Cattle

October 22, 2021

Meet Peek-a-Moo, a Data Visualization Tool for Dairy Cattle

Data is at the heart of all research, and there is no shortage of data points at UBC’s Dairy Education and Research Centre (DERC). The researchers at DERC collect a wide range of data from their herd. Each cow wears one or more devices that measure(s) everything from how much they eat and rest, to where they spend their time, and even who else in the herd they hang out with!

Dairy Centre Calf data visualization

Visualizing Years of Data

Throughout the years, the DERC has built an impressive database of information. However, combing through the data is time consuming, and access to the time and skills of a data scientist is often limited. Presented with this issue, the DERC researchers have worked with the Masters of Data Science (MDS) program to create a new tool to better understand the lives and welfare of their dairy cattle.

Introducing, Peek-a-Moo, a data visualization tool that creates a customizable and interactive dashboard to monitor animal welfare among the dairy cows.

This new tool was born from a desire to fully utilize the years of collected data at the dairy and genuine interest from UBC MDS students, who volunteered their time to develop the tool through a three-week hackathon.

Working closely with Dr Borbala Foris, a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems’s Animal Welfare Program, and Sky Sheng, a graduate student in Applied Animal Biology, the seven-student team of data scientists built a dashboard that allowed at-a-glance summaries of cow behaviour.

Peek-a-Moo dashboards can show:

  • Timelines with every single cow’s behaviour throughout the day along with a “herd average” to detect any abnormal activity
  • Social networks that display relationships between cows, positive and negative associations as well as the frequency of initiating or receiving competitive interactions
  • Feed bin graphs that measure dynamic feed distributions across all bins throughout the day
  • Warning messages for bin malfunction and cows with abnormal level of feed or water intake

See the Peek-a-Moo dashboard in action here:

All of this information can be toggled to select any date range or any selection of cows. Peek-a-Moo allows researchers to monitor the herd without having to watch them in person or via video. The new tool can even be used as part of an alert system, detecting early signs of illness or improvement in the cattle. Its visual nature also means people outside of the industry can easily understand findings and results from the herd.

This example of interdisciplinary collaboration will allow UBC researchers to more efficiently analyze herd behavior. With Peek-a-Moo taking care of data crunching and visualization, the researchers at the DERC have more time to focus on improving the lives of dairy cattle and the people who care for them.

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Fighting Grain Diseases Using Modern Methods

October 21, 2021

Fighting grain diseases using modern methods

October 21, 2021 – The grain industry and UBC are partnering to find out how genome technologies can help prevent pathogens from taking hold in wheat and barley crops in western Canada.

Gurcharn Brar Wheat Grain

Gurcharn Singh Brar

Assistant Professor Gurcharn Singh Brar (Land and Food Systems) and Associate Professor Cara Haney (Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Canada Research Chair in Plant-Microbiome Interactions) are researching the use of portable genome sequencers to manage microbiome-based diseases in wheat and barley.

Specifically, Brar and Haney will work on rapid pathogen identification and genetic pathogen population characterization, identifying new sources of resistance to wheat tan spot and stripe rust from a global gene bank collection. In addition, they will tackle this issue from the angle of identifying disease suppressive soils (soils rich in beneficial microbiomes that produce natural anti-fungal compounds) for cereal production to help in disease management.

Together, Brar and Haney were awarded an NSERC-Alliance grant valued at $1.7 million over four years. Funding from NSERC is valued at $1.1M and the remaining financial support comes from industry partners Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (SWDC), Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), and Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SBDC).

In western Canada, there are more than 50,000 wheat and barley growers, generating approximately $7.5 billion annually from the sale of the two crops to other countries. Insect-pests and diseases are significant production problems: an estimated 18% of the potential wheat yield in Canada and Midwestern US is lost to diseases and insect-pests.

This project will focus on the diseases stripe rust and tan spot of wheat, which alone are responsible for 5% of that 18% yield loss.

This is the first time portable genome sequencers and microbiome-based disease management for tan spot and stripe rust of wheat and net blotch of barley have been used in the context of Canadian crop pathology and disease management.

Brar and Haney hope to significantly reduce economic disease-caused loss by developing strategies for disease management that are not only environmentally-friendly but also economical and sustainable.

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Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation: University of British Columbia

October 20, 2021

Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation: University of British Columbia

Posted October 20, 2021

The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant Professor (tenure track) in Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation. This will be a joint position in the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES) in the Faculty of Science (http://www.ires.ubc.ca) and the Food and Resource Economics Program (FRE) in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (http://fre.landfood.ubc.ca/). The anticipated start date is July 1, 2022.

This position is part of a cluster hire of five positions (four of which have already been filled) all in the area of restoring and conserving global biodiversity. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research and scholarship team at UBC focused on solutions-oriented approaches to biodiversity loss and its connection to sustainability and adaptive capacity for humanity. For further information, see https://biodiversity.ubc.ca/ibios.

We seek an interdisciplinary scholar who uses econometric and other quantitative techniques to investigate human dimensions of biodiversity conservation. For example, research interests may include how individual and institutional actions affect conservation outcomes, or how biodiversity conservation affects aspects of human well-being. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or be nearing completion) in economics, natural resource management, environmental social science, public policy, or related fields. They should have strong quantitative skills in econometrics and causal data analysis, and one or more of the following areas: integration and analysis of large social or ecological datasets, social and behavioral field experiments, spatial statistics, and other commensurate approaches. We expect successful candidates will show evidence of working in interdisciplinary teams, and we will favour those whose work is grounded in field studies and in systems approaches (i.e., addressing problems and seeking solutions in the context of broader understandings of social and ecological dynamics).

The successful candidate will be expected to (a) develop an independent, externally funded, and internationally recognized research program; (b) contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching, (including a course in Econometrics at FRE, and a course in data analytics at IRES); (c) contribute to mentoring and academic service across both departments, and the interdisciplinary team at IBios; (c) foster active collaborations in research and teaching across the two departments, and the interdisciplinary team at IBios.

Applications must be submitted through the University of British Columbia’s Human Resources online careers page (https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfacultyjobs/job/UBC-Vancouver-Campus/Assistant-Professor–Human-Dimensions-of-Biodiversity-Conservation_JR4764). To apply, please include:

  • A cover letter (up to 2 pages) that includes the candidate’s current student or employment status, and degree title, date of completion and school name of doctoral program. It should also summarize: the candidate’s research agenda, skills/expertise and goals and how these would advance the research vision of the Biodiversity Solutions Team (https://biodiversity.ubc.ca), interest or experience in conducting collaborative, applied, and interdisciplinary research, and contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, or other relevant activities.
  • Curriculum vitae
  • A statement (up to 2 pages) describing the candidate’s current and proposed research program and showing how their approach can connect to understanding of biodiversity conservation or solutions to biodiversity crises
  • A statement (up to 1 page) of teaching interests and accomplishments, addressing how the candidate could teach undergraduate and graduate courses in econometrics and causal analysis, and quantitative data analysis for social scientists
  • A statement (up to 1 page) identifying previous contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, the ability to work with a culturally diverse student body (with specific examples when possible),and philosophy of and potential future contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Up to 3 representative publications, or works in progress
  • An unofficial transcript or statement of relevant postgraduate courses taken
  • 3 letters of reference

Applicants are asked to complete the following equity survey when they submit their application: (https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cCtQ9RCaa1jvbU). The survey information will not be used to determine eligibility for employment, but will be collated to provide data that can assist us in understanding the diversity of our applicant pool and identifying potential barriers to the employment of designated equity group members. Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidential.

Review of applications will begin on November 25, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. If you have specific questions about the application process, please contact the Chair of the Selection Committee c/o melanie.train@ubc.ca.

The UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. The University of British Columbia embraces innovation and challenges to the status quo. UBC is dedicated to ensuring that diversity, equity and inclusion are embedded throughout the university’s academic and work life, recognizing the significant work remains to be accomplished. For example, UBC’s vision is to be a world leader in the implementation of Indigenous people’s human rights and is guided in a mission of reconciliation as articulated and called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. It is firmly committed to recruiting Indigenous faculty, students, and staff as outlined in its Indigenous Strategic Plan. As one of the world’s leading universities, The University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

The Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) is a problem-focused and curiosity-driven interdisciplinary research institute and graduate program, with interest and expertise in a wide range of topics under the realm of environment and sustainability. Research concentrations at IRES span the natural and social sciences, engineering and public policy fields. Our large graduate program is consistently ranked among the top 15 programs in the world, offering MA, MSc, and PhD degrees. Faculty and students engage in the collaborative study of real world problems that include: ecosystem, human health and resilience; energy, pollution and climate change; land, food, water and waste; emerging technology and development; perceptions, culture, values and behaviour; and environmental governance policy, law and justice. For more information, please visit: http://ires.ubc.ca.

The Food and Resource Economics (FRE) Program uses tools of economic and empirical analysis to examine applied problems in the general area of natural resource and environmental economics (e.g., carbon taxes, conservation and biodiversity, fisheries), commodity markets and trade and food marketing. The FRE Program actively collaborates with other economists at UBC (and also in proximate universities) through a Centre for Food, Resource and Environmental Economics. The Centre facilitates access to a world class and diversified network of expertise in agricultural and environmental economics for our students and researchers. The Program offers a Bachelors in Food and Resource Economics, a professional Masters program in Food and Resource Economics, and supports several research masters and doctoral students through the Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems graduate degree. For more information, please visit: http://fre.landfood.ubc.ca/.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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National Day of Truth and Reconcilliation, Summary and Reflection

October 18, 2021

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Summary and Reflection

On September 30th, our faculty joined the Faculties of Applied Science, Forestry, and Science in an Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt Day and the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. It was a day filled with learning, as we made space for the First Nations speakers and leaders to share their stories with us.

Thank you to all who came. Here is a video of the event.

To learn more about how UBC will continue to support indigenous communities, see the Indigenous Strategic Plan.

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Millet Pumpkin Porridge

October 14, 2021

Millet Pumpkin Porridge

This recipe was written by Xinyan Fan, a program assistant in the LFS Dietetics program. Thank you Xinyan for this lovely fall themed breakfast recipe! Millet is a nutritious grain alternative. Read more about its health benefits here.

Xinyan Fan

Xinyan Fan, Program Assistant

I share this recipe with you and wish you have a lovely and warm morning breakfast. Porridge is a very common breakfast option for Chinese people, similar to cereal or oatmeal here. The half liquid texture will definitely fill your stomach without any burden. The yellow to orange color looks like the sunrise in the morning, to wake your body up. Choosing either milk or plant-based protein alternative to mix in lifts up the flavour and adds on a layer of your taste.

Ingredients:

  • Millet – 2 cups
  • 1/2 of a sugar pumpkin
  • Rock sugar – 6 1/2 tbsp
  • Water – variable, explanation below
  • Milk, or plant-based alternative – To taste when serving

Tools: Instant pot and potato masher

Steps:

1. Soak the millet in a bowl at least 30 minutes before use.

2. Cut pumpkin to small pieces and steam them for 20 minutes. This step softens the pumpkin.

3. Cool the pumpkin to peel off the skin and transfer them into the pot. Use the potato masher to mash the pumpkin into a smoother texture.

4. Drain the millet and pour into the pot.

5. Pour cool water into the pot. The water level should not only cover all of the millet and pumpkin but double.

6. Pour in 6 1/2 tbsp of rock sugar before closing the lid.

7. Set the mode of the instant pot to “porridge” or “soup”. Once cooking finishes, pour in milk or other plant-based protein beverage as you like.

pumpkin porridge

Notes:

  • If you do not have an instant pot, you can use a regular soup pot. After the water boils, turn the heat to medium or medium-low level, and pour in the millet. Cooking millet needs quite a lot of water, and cooking it until it is soft will take a bit of time.
  • Stir your pot constantly, since millet will be stuck at the bottom of any pan/pot (unfortunately, we cannot do this in instant pot; commonly, the bottom will have some burnt bits). Since we already steamed the pumpkin in the beginning, we can add it with the rock sugar when the millet starts to turn soft. After that, stir everything well and let the rock sugar evenly melt into the soup.
  • Again, add milk or a plant-based alternative later when the porridge itself is complete. This is just a step for some flavor and extra nutrition.

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New DIY Media Studio Enables UBC Library Users to Record High Quality Video and Audio Content

October 14, 2021

New DIY Media Studio Enables UBC Library Users to Record High Quality Video and Audio Content

Recently, our faculty’s Duncan McHugh, Digital & Instructional Media Producer has been featured by the UBC Library group. Below, read about the the library’s new DIY media studio and how Duncan will use the space for his course, LFS 400: Audio storytelling.

DIY Media Studio

Want to start your own podcast? Editing a video for a project? The Chapman Learning Commons is now offering a full DIY Media studio that allows anyone in the UBC community to create unique digital content.

The sound buffered studio, located in the Music Art and Architecture Library on the 3rd floor of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, enables library users to record high quality video and audio with access to microphones, a mixing board, a video camera, green screen, and a Mac computer with audio and video software.

Users have access to key software including:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud – Premiere Pro for audio and video recording and editing
  • Audacity – Audio recording
  • Camtasia – Screen capture/audio recording
  • Open Broadcast Software (OBS) Free – Streaming, Annotation, Webcam Annotation
  • Videoscribe – software for creating whiteboard animations automatically

The studio is a result of a collaboration between UBC Studios, the Centre for Learning and Technology, UBC IT and UBC Library AV and can be booked for as little as 45 minutes and as long as 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Providing technology-rich spaces for research, teaching and learning

For Duncan McHugh, Digital & Instructional Media Producer at the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, the new space is a game-changer for students in his class, LFS 400: Audio storytelling. “The course is really a science communications course disguised as a podcasting course,” says McHugh, “We focus on developing skills and techniques to help get research out of the academy and in front of the general public in an engaging way. By the end of the term, students have the ability to share their knowledge in effective and creative ways and have created a 8 to 12-minute podcast to share with the world.”

Students in LFS 400 will use the DIY Media Studio to record interviews with researchers on campus. “The great thing about the studio,” says McHugh “is that it has two microphones and is set up for a conversation. It is also beautifully built, using broadcast-quality equipment and set up in a way that makes tools very accessible for students.”

“We worked closely with UBC Studios to make sure we got the formula right for our DYI Media Studio. Our goal was to provide a space that had the tools needed by the campus community to create digital media content, and offer it in a central, accessible location within the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. This space also exemplifies how academic libraries continue to evolve to meet the needs of 21st century learners,” says Julie Mitchell, Associate University Librarian and Director of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

McHugh is particularly encouraged by the potential the DIY Media Studio brings to amplify unheard voices in the UBC community: “A lot of people are starting to embrace podcasting on campus, but don’t necessarily have access to the right tools. An accessible studio like this can really help surface voices we don’t always hear from.”

See pictures of the new space and read more about how to use it on the library website.

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Rishi R. Burlakoti

October 4, 2021

Rishi R. Burlakoti

Adjunct Professor, Research Scientist-Plant Pathology

rishi.burlakoti@agr.gc.ca

Education

Ph.D., Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, 2008

M.Sc. Ag., Specialization in Plant Pathology, Tribhuwan University, 2003

Teaching
Selected Publications
  • Burlakoti R. R. and Sapkota S. 2020. Root rot and wilting disease complex of red raspberry in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia in 2018 and 2019. Canadian Plant Disease Survey 2020 Volume 100: Disease Highlights 2019, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 42:sup1, 1-175, DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2020.1752524.
  • Latchman S. R. and Burlakoti R. R. 2020. Bacterial blight of highbush blueberry in the British Columbia Lower Mainland in 2019. Canadian Plant Disease Survey 2020 Volume 100: Disease Highlights 2019, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 42:sup1, 1-175, DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2020.1752524.
  • Burlakoti, R. R. and Dossett, M. 2020. Past efforts and future perspectives of managing major diseases of red raspberries in British Columbia. Acta Horticulture 1277:397-402 ISHS 2020. DOI 10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1277.56.
  • Pandey, A. K, Burlakoti, R. R., Rathore, A., Nair, R. M. 2020. Morphological and molecular characterization of Macrophomina phaseolina isolated from three legume crops and evaluation of mungbean genotypes for resistance to dry root rot. Crop Protection. 127:104962. doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.104962.
  • Burlakoti, R. R., Hsu, C.-F., Chen, J.-R., Sheu, Z.-M., Bihon, W., and Kenyon, L. 2020. Capture of Ralstonia solanacearum species complex strains directly from plant tissue sampled on FTA cards for molecular characterization. Journal of Plant Pathology. 102:11-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-019-00361-z.
  • Burlakoti, R. R., Grant S., and Prasad R. 2019. Diseases of brassica vegetables in the British Columbia Fraser valley in 2018. The Canadian Phytopathological Society Canadian Plant Disease Survey: Disease Highlights 2019, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 41:sup1,189, DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2019.1619270.
  • Tedford, S. L., Burlakoti, R. R., Schaafsma, A. W., and Trueman, C. L. 2019. Optimizing management of Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora beticola) of sugarbeet in the wake of fungicide resistance. Canadian Journal Plant Pathology 41:35-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/07060661.2018.1561518.
  • Pandey A. K., Burlakoti R. R., Kenyon L., Nair R. M. 2018. Perspectives and Challenges for Sustainable Management of Fungal Diseases of Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek var. radiata]: A Review. Frontier in Environmental Science 6:53. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00053.
  • Burlakoti, R. R., Hsu, C.-F., Chen, J.-R., Wang, J.-F. 2018. Population dynamics of Xanthomonads associated with bacterial spot of tomato and pepper during twenty-seven years across Taiwan. Plant Disease 102:1348-1356.
  • Burlakoti, R. R., Chen, J.-R., Hsu, C.-F., Burlakoti, P., Kenyon, L. 2018. Molecular characterization, comparison of screening methods, and evaluation of cross-pathogenicity of black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) strains from cabbage, choy sum, leafy mustard, and pak choi from Taiwan. Plant Pathology. 67:1589-1600.
  • Barchenger, D. W., Sheu, Z.-M. Sheu, Kumar, S., Lin, S.-W., Burlakoti, R. R., Bosland, P. W. 2018. Race characterization of Phytophthora capsici as a basis for global anticipatory resistance breeding in Capsicum. Phytopathology. 108:964-971.
  • Tedford, S. L., Burlakoti, R. R., Schaafsma, A. W., and Trueman, C. L. 2018. Relationships among airborne Cercospora beticola conidia concentration, weather variables, and Cercospora leaf spot severity in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Can Journal Plant Pathology. 40:1-10.
  • Barchenger, D. W., Lamour, K. H., Sheu, Z.-M. Sheu, Shrestha, S., Kumar, S., Lin, S.-W., Burlakoti, R. R., Bosland, P. W. 2017. Intra- and intergenomic variation of ploidy and clonality characterize Phytophthora capsicum sp. in Taiwan, Mycological Progress 16:955-963.
  • Burlakoti R. R., Neate, S. M., Gyawali, S., Horsley, R., Smith, K. P., Cooper B., and Chao, S. 2017. Genome-wide association study of spot form of net blotch in the Upper Midwest Barley Breeding Programs. Phytopathology 107:100-108.
  • Burlakoti, R. R. Tamburic-Illincic, L., Limay-Rios, V., and Burlakoti, P. 2017. Comparative population structure and trichothecene mycotoxin profiling of Fusarium graminearum from Corn and Wheat in Ontario, Central Canada. Plant Pathology. 66:14-27.

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Tier I Canada Research Chair in Agricultural, Food or Nutritional Science (Associate Professor / Professor)

September 23, 2021

Tier I Canada Research Chair in Agricultural, Food or Nutritional Science (Associate Professor / Professor)

Posted September 23, 2021

The Faculty of Land and Food Systems (https://lfs-ps-2023.sites.olt.ubc.ca) at The University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus) invites applications from outstanding investigators for a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Agricultural, Food or Nutritional Science. The successful candidate will be appointed at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor (with tenure). The anticipated start date is September 1, 2022.

Candidates will have established an internationally recognized research program in one of the following areas: 1) climate change and resilient food systems; 2) nutrition and food security; 3) sustainable agriculture or; 4) the health and welfare of animals in society. The successful candidate will develop a program appropriate for support under the umbrella of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Index_eng.asp). The Chair’s research program will attract substantial new funding from national and international agencies, and support collaborations and build bridges across the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and across UBC and the international research community.

Nominees for Tier 1 CRC positions must be Professors, or Associate Professors who are expected to be promoted to the Professor rank within one or two years of the nomination. The Canada Research Chairs Program supports outstanding researchers in areas that will further UBC’s strategic research plan. All Chair nominations are subject to review and final approval by the CRC Secretariat. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website (https://www.chairs-chairs.gc.ca) for full program information and further details on eligibility criteria.

The University of British Columbia is located on traditional, ancestral and unceded Musqueam territory in Vancouver, British Columbia, a region recognized worldwide for its natural beauty. The University is recognized internationally as a leading research institution and the UBC Faculties of Land and Food Systems and Forestry were collectively ranked 15th globally among faculties of Agriculture and Forestry (2019 QS World University Rankings). The Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) is a recognized leader in sustainable agriculture; food, nutrition and health; and food safety and quality. The vision of the Faculty is balancing our food system and planetary health to create a better world, and our action plan focuses on navigating a better future (https://lfs-ps-2023.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/03/LFS-Action-Plan_21March2021-2.pdf). Our scientists have informed and influenced policy related to food insecurity, animal welfare, and climate change from agriculture. LFS currently consists of 54 faculty members and 111 full time staff with an enrolment of 1781 undergraduate students and 226 graduate students. Core areas of expertise and training include Applied Animal Biology, Food Science, Human Nutrition, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, Plant Science, and Soil Science. The Faculty operates the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, the Dairy Education and Research Centre in Agassiz, B.C., and the Wine Research Centre at UBC Okanagan and UBC Vancouver.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a detailed summary of research interests describing funded projects and future directions (maximum 5 pages), a statement of how you will build a collaborative program within the LFS, and a statement describing your experience working with a diverse student body, as well as your past, present, and/or future contributions to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion.

Apply at https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfacultyjobs/job/UBC-Vancouver-Campus/Associate-Professor-or-Professor_JR4489-1. All inquiries should be sent to the same address with “CRC-I position” in the subject line. Review of completed applications will begin on November 1, 2021.

In assessing applications, UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., maternity leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement. These leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Accommodations are available upon request for all candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To confidentially request accommodations, please contact Melanie Train at melanie.train@ubc.ca. For contact information regarding UBC’s accommodation and access policies and resources (for faculty and staff as well as students), please visit the Centre for Accessibility: https://students.ubc.ca/aboutstudent-services/centre-for-accessibility.

In accordance with UBC’s CRC Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights code, the selection will be restricted to members of the following designated groups: women, visible minorities (members of groups that are racially categorized), persons with disabilities, and Indigenous peoples. Applicants to Canada Research Chair positions are asked to complete the equity survey (https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6WJHol7SfPxRMu9) as part of the application, and candidates from these groups must self-identify as belonging to one or more of the designated groups to be considered for the position. Because the search is limited to those self-identifying as members of designated equity groups, candidates must also provide their name to be considered.

Personal information is collected under the authority of sections 26(a) and 26(c) of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information you provide will only be used to determine whether you qualify for participation in this hiring process. Data will be collected by the Equity & Inclusion Office and only the names of those who identify as women, visible minorities (member of groups that are racially categorized) and/or Indigenous peoples will be shared with the search committee. BC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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