Updates, news and stories

Mary MacDougall

Dr. Mary MacDougall joined UBC in August 2017, as Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. From the US originally, she is an internationally recognized scholar, having published 18 book chapters and over 150 peer-reviewed articles. In addition to holding leadership positions at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and most recently, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. MacDougall has served as President of the International Association for Dental Research and as President of the American Association of Dental Research.

Cultivating fairness in our community

John Innes

Dr. John Innes is Dean of the Faculty of Forestry. He came to British Columbia in 1999, having previously worked in the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. He is actively involved with climate change research, particularly its effects on forest ecosystems. In 2007, he was part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) team that shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Dr. Innes teaches in the field of international and sustainable forestry. Under his leadership, the Faculty has taken significant steps toward broadening the curricula and academic content to reflect changing realities in the forest and conservation sectors.

Gail Murphy

Dr. Gail Murphy is the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI). In addition to her role in the VPRI office, Dr. Murphy is a professor in UBC’s Department of Computer Science. Dr. Murphy joined UBC in 1996 and was a key driver of data science initiatives in the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on improving the productivity of software developers and knowledge workers by providing the necessary tools to identify, manage and coordinate the information that matters most for their work. Dr. Murphy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Distinguished Scientist, as well as co-founder, board member and former Chief Scientist at Tasktop Technologies Incorporated.

Taryn Cigagna goes global

If there were ever a job custom-fit for an individual, it’s Taryn Cigagna’s role as Associate Director of UBC’s Go Global international learning program.

Fighting the good fight

When it comes to conflict, most people try to avoid it. But Aftab Erfan, UBC's first Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement in the Equity & Inclusion Office, views it as an opportunity for growth and change.

The value of engagement: An interview with Darren Dahl

Darren Dahl, Senior Associate Dean of Faculties and Director of the Graduate School at the Sauder School of Business, works with faculty in the hiring, development, and tenure process for research faculty and also supervises 36 staff. Here, he shares his perspective on why workplace engagement matters.

Karen Carriero

Karen Carriero (Kcee) is the Associate Vice-President, Communications. She is responsible for developing an over-arching long-term communications strategy for UBC, ensuring alignment with the university’s vision, mission and values. She oversees the Public Affairs, Brand and Marketing and Internal Communications units within the External Relations portfolio. Originally from Australia, Kcee brings with her a wealth of experience in communications, having served in senior leadership positions at a number of large organizations, including Curtin University of Technology and most recently, the University of Western Australia.

Perfect synchronization – at work and on the water

Andrew Szeri

Professor Andrew Szeri is the Provost and Vice-President Academic for UBC Vancouver, providing leadership for the university’s academic strategy, budgetary and planning processes. The role also includes overseeing UBC’s academic programs and support functions, faculty affairs, enrolment, sustainability and information technology. Prior to his appointment at UBC, Professor Szeri served as Vice-Provost for Strategic Academic and Facilities Planning, at the University of California at Berkeley. Professor Szeri was also a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, teaching in the areas of fluid mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He has won several research awards.

Karyn Magnusson

Karyn Magnusson is the Managing Director of Building Operations at UBC Vancouver. A UBC alumna, Karyn is a registered professional engineer, and spent 14 years within progressive leadership roles with the City of Vancouver’s engineering department. She joined UBC in 2014 to lead the operations and maintenance of over nine million square feet of building space and over 1,000 acres of landscaping at UBC Vancouver’s Point Grey campus. She is a former elite-level swimmer.

Stephen Lamb

Stephen Lamb joined UBC’s Office of the CIO in April 2017 as Deputy Chief Information Officer, a new role to help lead significant change across the information technology landscape of the university. Prior to joining UBC, Stephen was Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he was responsible for leading the delivery and advancement of IT services and data analytics in support of teaching and learning, applied research and business administration. During his career, he also served as the CIO for the Vancouver School Board, one of Canada’s largest and most diverse school systems, serving 56,000 students across 109 schools.