CIVIL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Head ( Undergraduate Program )
- Associate Professor and Associate Head, Undergraduate Programs
Job Titles:
- Manager, Student Services
Job Titles:
- Affiliate Professor
- Honorary Affiliate Professor
Job Titles:
- Mechanical Engineer and Machinist
Job Titles:
- Manager, Research and Strategic Initiatives
- Member of Committee
- Sessional Lecturer
Job Titles:
- Project & Construction Management
Job Titles:
- Professor and Co - Director URSY
- Transportation Engineering
Dr. Kim's (she/her) research program in transportation systems analysis focuses on the operations of multimodal networks, and supporting resource allocation strategies across long-distance systems. She aims to better inform the planning of transportation systems that are more adaptable and resilient to a changing world, collaborating with researchers across disciplines in contexts such as strategic planning for wildfire evacuation, transportation infrastructure decisions under climate change impacts, and integrated analysis of air and ground transportation. Dr. Kim received her MS and PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and her BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Prior to joining UBC in March 2021, she was a faculty member at the University of Alberta. Between her MS and PhD studies, she worked in the engineering consulting practice in California and British Columbia. Dr. Kim was most recently awarded a 2022 UBC Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship.
Job Titles:
- Hydrotechnical Engineering
- Professor
Dr. Bernard Laval joined the Department of Civil Engineering in June 2002, and currently serves as the Department Head. Additionally, Dr. Laval served as the Associate Head for the Undergraduate Program from 2012-2015 and 2016-2017. His background in Engineering Physics (University of British Columbia) provides him with a very versatile technological base. He has a Masters in Physical Oceanography (McGill University) and a PhD in Environmental Engineering (University of Western Australia). From 1995-1998 Bernard worked as a research scientist developing Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (submersibles) for use as instrument platforms for the study of lakes and coastal waters. Dr. Laval has over 20 years of experience in applied fluid mechanics of inland and coastal waters and has authored several publications on field instrument and numerical model development, as well as description and theory of transport processes in lakes and estuaries.
Carlos Molina Hutt leads the Engineering for Seismic Resilience Laboratory (ESR Lab) at UBC. Their work focuses on the development of methodological approaches to assess seismic risk in buildings and its implications on urban resilience, and on the translation of this knowledge into tools and information for use by practicing engineers, seismic planners and policy makers. Their goal is to enable seismic policy decision-making with explicit consideration of the societal and economic impacts of the performance of the built environment during major earthquakes.
Carlos Molina Hutt joined the Civil Engineering Department at UBC as Assistant Professor in January 2018 from University College London (UCL), where he was a lecturer. He has degrees in Earthquake Engineering (UCL, PhD, 2017), Structural Engineering (Stanford University, MSc, 2009) and Civil Engineering (Villanova University, BSc, 2007). During his PhD studies, Carlos was a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China (2015-2016). Prior to his PhD, he worked as a structural engineer at Arup New York from 2009 to 2013.
Carlos is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of California in the US and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). He is also a Chartered Engineer (CEng) Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the UK. Carlos has experience as an independent consultant and has worked for civil engineering design firms, the humanitarian sector and the insurance and reinsurance sectors. He also provides structural engineering expertise to the European Union and the United Nations and has deployment experience as a technical expert following damaging earthquakes, including Mexico in 2017 and Ecuador in 2016. In 2019, Carlos received the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) - Shah Family Innovation Prize, which rewards younger professionals and academics for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the field of earthquake risk mitigation and management.
His research has been funded by Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada's Tri-council New Frontiers in Research Fund, the US Geological Survey, the Applied Technology Council, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology or the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, among others. He actively engages in research collaborations with industry (e.g. Risk Management Solutions, Guy Carpenter, Arup, Glotman Simpson and Bush, Bohlman & Partners), researchers at other academic institutions (Stanford University, University of Washington and Tsinghua University), and cities (including the City and County of San Francisco and the City of Vancouver).
Job Titles:
- Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility
- Professor
Dr. Carlos Ventura is currently the Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF) at UBC and has more than 30 years of experience as a structural engineer. Dr. Ventura's areas of research are in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. He has been conducting research on the dynamic behavior and analysis of structural systems subjected to extreme dynamic loads, including severe ground shaking for more than twenty years. His research work includes experimental studies in the field and in the laboratory of structural systems and components. Research developments have included development and implementation of performance-based design methods for seismic retrofit of low rise school buildings, novel techniques for regional estimation of damage to structures during earthquakes, detailed studies on nonlinear dynamic analysis of structures and methods to evaluate the dynamic characteristics of large Civil Engineering structures. His current research is focused on the development of performance-based guidelines for seismic retrofit of schools, on methods to evaluate the interaction between critical infrastructure vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards, and on structural health monitoring of building, bridges and dams. Dr. Ventura has written over 400 technical papers and reports related to the seismic behaviour of structures, and has received numerous awards for his research accomplishments, including the Lieutenant Governor's Award of Excellence (2013), the Innovation Award of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering (2010) and the APEGBC Meritorious Achievement Award (2006). He is a member of several national and international professional societies and advisory committees. He is a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Fellow of Engineers Canada. He is also a member of several building and bridge code committees. In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Ventura is a recognized international consultant on structural vibrations and safety of large Civil Engineering structures.
Job Titles:
- Professor / Geotechnical Engineering
Dr. Wijewickreme joined the UBC Civil Engineering Department in January 2001. His general field of specialty is geotechnical engineering with specific expertise in the fields of earthquake geotechnical engineering and pipeline geotechnical engineering. Dr. Wijewickreme received his Ph.D. and M.A.Sc. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 1990 and 1986, respectively. Immediately prior to joining UBC, Dr. Wijewickreme served in the geotechnical consulting practice in British Columbia, Canada, where he acquired some 11 years of industry experience in the fields of seismic design and pipeline geotechnical engineering.
Dr. Wijewickreme pioneered the establishment of new Pipeline Integrity Institute (PII) at UBC in 2015 with industry funding, and is the Co-Director of the institute. He has received numerous awards, including the Horst Leipholz Medal of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering (2013) for outstanding contributions to engineering mechanics research and practice, the Canadian Geotechnical Journal's Editor's Choice Award (2011), and is a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He was the President of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) for the two year term (2017-2018), and he also served as the Vice President Finance of the CGS between 2013 and 2017.
Dr. Enda Murphy joins the Department as an Assistant Professor in Coastal Engineering. He has 17 years of applied research and consultancy experience involving application of numerical and physical modeling techniques to address coastal engineering and coastal zone management challenges. His research and teaching interests are towards an improved understanding and more sustainable management of coastal hazard risk through trans-disciplinary, whole systems approaches and nature-based solutions.
Dr. Murphy was most recently a senior research engineer with the National Research Council of Canada's Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre, while completing a Doctorate at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Murphy obtained his undergraduate degree in civil and environmental engineering at University College Cork. He went on to pursue his master's degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has been working in the coastal zone management industry since graduation. He is just now completing his PhD at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Hall obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biochemistry from McMaster University in 1972 and 1974. He then pursued studies in the Water Research Group at McMaster, where he received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1981. In 1979, he joined Environment Canada's Wastewater Technology Centre, where he worked as a senior process engineer and a part-time Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McMaster University. In 1992, he came to the Department of Civil Engineering at UBC as Senior NSERC/COFI Industrial Research Chair in Forest Products Waste Management. Dr. Hall has been awarded the Willem Rudolfs Medal by the Water Environment Federation (1994) and the I.H. Weldon Award by PAPTAC (2000). Dr. Hall served as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering from 2003 to 2008, and as Dean pro tem. of the Faculty of Applied Science from 2011 to 2013.
Dr. Greg Lawrence holds a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Environmental Fluid Mechanics and has been a faculty member at UBC since 1987. Focusing on the impact of the fluid mechanics of inland and coastal waters on water quality, chemistry and biology, Lawrence is investigating techniques to minimize the environmental impact of waste discharge; restoring and rehabilitating lakes and other water systems that have been polluted. Dr. Lawrence was elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2011 and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in 2012, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Camille Dagenais Award for his contributions to the development and practice of hydrotechnical engineering in Canada (2011), the BC Premier's Award (2010), and the Journal of Environmental Engineering Editor's Award (2001). Dr. Lawrence is also an instructor in the UBC Master of Engineering Leadership in Integrated Water Management.
Biography
Prof. Jim Atwater completed his B.A.Sc. (1969) and M.A.Sc. (1973) degrees at the University of British Columbia prior to joining the Civil Engineering department as a faculty member in 1979. Prof. Atwater is an expert in solid waste management, and has conducted research on leachate generation, migration and control, and hazardous waste management. He has served as an advisor to federal, provincial and municipal governments on landfill leachate control and the development of regulations to properly handle and control hazardous waste. In 2013, Prof. Atwater was the recipient of the Donald R. Stanley Award from the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering along with his graduate student, Ryan Thoren, and his UBC colleague, Dr. Pierre Bérubé.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor Emeritus
- Member of the Department
Biography
Dr. Howie has been a member of the Department since August, 1997. Before joining UBC, he worked as a Geotechnical Engineer in consulting practice from 1978 to 1983 and 1988 to 1997 and pursued Ph.D. research during 1983 to 1987. He has Civil Engineering degrees from UBC (Ph.D., 1991), Queen's University at Kingston (M.Sc., 1978), and the University of Glasgow (B.Sc., 1976). His consulting experience was obtained while based in Scotland, Alberta, Hong Kong, and British Columbia. Dr. Howie's research interests are in the field and laboratory characterization of soils for geotechnical engineering design, ground improvement, and foundation engineering.
Job Titles:
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Professor / Geotechnical Engineering
Jonathan Fannin received a B.Sc. (Civil Engineering) from the Queen's University of Belfast, and a D. Phil. (Geotechnical Engineering) from the University of Oxford. He worked at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, before joining the University of British Columbia in 1989, and receiving promotion to Full Professor in 2001. Dr. Fannin is the recipient of many national and international research awards, including the 4th International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Award for contributions of laboratory and field research to engineering practice, a CGS Quigley Award for the best paper in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, a Karl Terzaghi Fellowship from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and more recently, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow award from the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering. His professional service has included Chair of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) Geosynthetics Division, Board Member of the North American Geosynthetics Society, Associate Editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal, and Panel Member on the editorial board of Geotechnique Letters. He became a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2013.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Affiliate Professor
- MBIE Chair
Dr. Ken Elwood serves as the MBIE Chair in Earthquake Engineering and Director of the newest Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), QuakeCoRE: Centre for Earthquake Resilience.
Ken joined the University of Auckland in July 2014 after 11 years as a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Ken was drawn to New Zealand to pursue the numerous opportunities for research and implementation in earthquake risk reduction. He is actively involved in research related to the seismic response of existing concrete and masonry buildings.
Ken received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002, M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1995, and BASc from the University of British Columbia in 1993.
Ken is a member of several national and international code committees including the seismic provisions of the American Concrete Instititute Building Code (ACI 318). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and Chair of the EERI Learning from Earthquakes program.
W. D. Liam Finn graduated from the National University of Ireland in 1954 with a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering. He got his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1957 and 1960 respectively. After the 1964 Niigata Earthquake, he began to specialize in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and started the first program in Canada at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. He was Head of Civil Engineering and Dean of Applied Science at UBC. In 1999, he was appointed as the first Anabuki Professor of Foundation Geodynamics at Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Japan. Liam Finn is also president of Pan-American Engineering and Computing Services Ltd. in Vancouver. He is an Honorary International Member of the Japanese Geotechnical Society and the Chinese Society of Soil Dynamics, PRC. He is also an Honorary Professor of the Metallurgical Institute in Beijing.
He is Editor of the International Journal of Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering and is on the editorial boards of other journals. He is Chairman of TC-4 the Earthquake Engineering Committee of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Finn's main research interest is geotechnical earthquake engineering with particular interest in liquefaction, seismic response of sites and earth structures, seismic safety evaluation of dams, seismic response of pile foundations and seismic risk. He has published over 300 papers on these topics. Finn consults internationally especially on the seismic safety of dams, beginning in 1967 with the Ingura dam in the old Soviet Union. He pioneered the use of dynamic effective stress analysis in practice in 1975 and the use of large strain deformation analysis for the analysis of post liquefaction deformation of dams in 1989 on Sardis Dam in Mississippi. Finn is currently working on a major research project funded by the Anabuki Construction Company, Takamatsu, Japan on the seismic response of large diameter cast in place concrete piles in reclaimed land in which liquefaction effects are a major problem.
Job Titles:
- Project Engineer
- Professor
Dr. Loretta Li joined the Department of Civil Engineering in 1995. She has a strong background in fundamental and applied work on the spread, degradation and treatment of contaminants in water/soil/sediment and the natural environment. Dr. Li led and founded the UBC Cluster for Microplastics, Health and the Environment in 2021 with a group of outstanding researchers.
Dr. Li's research has helped influence strategic planning efforts and key policy decisions on issues related to contaminated sites and contamination by per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs), as well as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). She has worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Stockholm Convention, Environment Canada, Health Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the BC Ministry of Environment in addressing these chemicals of emerging concern.
In the past, Dr. Li has served as a project engineer and as a junior structural engineer, and worked with a number of professional societies and associations. She has made significant technical contributions to her profession. Her findings on metals dispersion and distributions along highway were used by the B.C. Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and Infrastructure. Her research has also been used extensively in environmental assessments along the Sea-to-Sky, Gateway, Okanagan Lake Bridge and Highway 37 Widening projects.
Dr. Li's education includes a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. in Environmental Soil Science at Queen's University and a M.Eng. in Geo-environmental Engineering at McGill University.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Affiliate Professor
- Honorary Affiliate Professor / Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Hydrotechnical Engineering
Biography
On August 1, 2021, Dr. Marc Parlange was appointed President of the University of Rhode Island. Prior to this, he was provost and senior vice president of Monash University in Australia.
From 2013 to 2017, Dr. Parlange was the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science here at UBC, and a Professor in our Department. He also served as Dean of the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and held faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California at Davis.
His research in the broad area of environmental fluid mechanics primarily relates to the measurement and simulation of air and water flows over complex terrain, with a focus on how air turbulence and atmospheric dynamics (atmospheric boundary layer flow) influence water evaporation and transpiration in plants and soil.
Dr. Parlange received numerous awards for his academic achievements, including the Macelwane Medal of the American Geophysical Union in 1997 and the Dalton Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2007. He has a master of science degree and Ph.D. from Cornell University and a bachelor of science degree from Griffith University in Australia.
Job Titles:
- Dean Emeritus
- Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada
- Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia
Dr. Michael Isaacson is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia and is registered as a Professional Engineer in British Columbia. He received his degrees in engineering from the University of Cambridge, and was subsequently employed in engineering design and research in Great Britain and the United States. He joined UBC in 1976, and has since remained active in research, teaching, university service and professional service.
Research. Dr. Isaacson's primary research interests relate to coastal and offshore hydrodynamics, with a particular emphasis on ocean waves and their effects on structures. In the context of his research, Dr. Isaacson has supervised to completion 36 Masters students and 11 Ph.D. Students; he is the author of over 240 papers, including over 90 in professional journals; he has co-authored two books, including Mechanics of Wave Forces on Offshore Structures that has been widely used in the offshore industry; and he has served as a specialist consultant on a wide variety of coastal and ocean engineering projects for government agencies, major oil companies, consulting engineering companies and law firms.
Teaching. Dr. Isaacson's teaching interests relate to fluid mechanics and various aspects of hydrotechnical engineering, as well as to more general aspects of engineering education and the role of engineers in society. Courses taught at the undergraduate level include coastal engineering, engineering design, engineering economics, fluid mechanics, hydraulics, mechanics, and wind engineering; and those at the graduate level include waves and wave effects, coastal and offshore modeling, fluid loads, sedimentation mechanics, and structural dynamics. Over the past few years, Dr. Isaacson has taught or co-taught the courses listed below.
University Service. Dr. Isaacson served as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering from 1992-1997, and as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science from 1997-2008. He has also served in many roles outside his Faculty, including service as a member of UBC's Vancouver Senate for 17 years, and as Special Advisor to the Deputy Vice Chancellor of UBC Okanagan for two years.
Professional Service. Dr. Isaacson was Editor / Co-Editor of the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering for 8 years (1995-2003), and has served on many national and international professional committees and boards. Since 2009, he has been a member of Council of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, including service as President for 2012-13; and since 2011 he has been a member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board.
Honours and Awards. Dr. Isaacson is Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers, and is a past Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is the recipient of several national and international awards, including the R.A. McLachlan Award of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia; the Killam Research Prize from UBC; the Camille A. Dagenais Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering; the Julian C. Smith Medal from the Engineering Institute of Canada; and the Chairman's Award for Career Achievement from the BC Innovation Council.
Professor Emeriti, Dr. Michael Quick was with the Department from 1962-65 and 1967-98. Aside from his many achievements in teaching, research and professional practice in the area of hydrotechnical engineering and his contributions to the Department, Dr. Quick's distinguished career highlights include his authorship of the UBC Watershed Model and his teaching awards - Walter Gage in 1985, Civil Engineering in 1995 and 1996, and the prestigious Killam teaching award in 1996. Michael remains active in research, graduate supervision, and consulting work.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Department of Civil Engineering As a Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Obinna Onuaguluchi joined the Department of Civil Engineering as a postdoctoral fellow in 2014. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Eastern Mediterranean University in 2012. As a Research Associate, Dr. Onuaguluchi's studies over the past years have been centered mainly on material sustainability and the reduction of the negative carbon footprint of the construction industry. In collaboration with industrial partners, the development of durable cement-based applications, reinforced with biomaterial, and the valorization of industrial byproducts as additives in cement composites are the main thrust of his recent research activities.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Project & Construction Management
- Project & Construction Management, Transportation Engineering
Omar Swei joined the Department of Civil Engineering at UBC as an Assistant Professor in 2018. He received his graduate training at MIT in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems Division and was a recipient of a U.S. Fulbright grant for the 2016-2017 academic year. His research broadly centers on the development and implementation of operations research methods to improve the design and maintenance of infrastructure systems. This work emphasizes the development of optimal infrastructure management policies under uncertainty and improving the economic performance and environmental sustainability of existing infrastructure assets. Dr. Swei is also an instructor in the UBC Master of Engineering Leadership in Integrated Water Management.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Systems Engineering
- Professor and Associate Head, Faculty Affairs and Development
- Professor With the Department of Civil Engineering
Dr. Pierre Bérubé is a Professor with the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. He has over 25 years of research and consulting experience dealing with the development and optimization of membrane technologies for water and wastewater treatment applications. Dr. Bérubé actively collaborates with researchers nationally and internationally on a number of research projects funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Water Network, the Water Environment Research Foundation, and the European Membrane- Network.
Dr. Rachel Scholes (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on protecting human and environmental health by addressing contaminants of concern in urban water systems. In particular, she investigates occurrence and transformations of trace contaminants with the aim of optimizing contaminant removal in engineered and nature-based treatment systems.
Dr. Scholes earned an MS and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University.
Dr. Reza Vaziri is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, and served as Department Head from 2008 to 2014. He obtained his B.Sc. from the University of London, England (1982), and his M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of British Columbia (1985 and 1989), specializing in mechanics of fibre reinforced composite materials. Dr. Vaziri's research is focused on the development of analytical and numerical modelling techniques to simulate the manufacturing process of composite structures as well as their fracture and damage behaviour under service loads including high intensity impact and crash loadings.
Job Titles:
- Senior Instructor Emerita
Dr. Ruth Derksen first joined the Department of Civil Engineering in 2004 after completing her PhD in the Philosophy of Language at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her academic activities have integrated socio-linguistics, rhetoric, discourse analysis and genre theory into professional communication curriculum. Courses are now embedded in various Applied Science departments. In the CIVL Department, she has also introduced curriculum specifically for engineering capstone design projects. Currently, she is an advisor in the MEL degree program, assisting students with their professional communication tasks.
Dr. Sara Beck (she/her) joined the Department of Civil Engineering as an Assistant Professor in April of 2021 with a research group focused on understanding and preventing pathogen transmission at the confluence of public health, water quality and innovative water treatment solutions. She and her students use microbiology tools to improve water treatment and reuse processes and bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. Prior to joining UBC, Dr. Beck evaluated cost-effective decentralized water reuse technologies at the Asian Institute of Technology near Bangkok, Thailand and at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology near Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr. Beck earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2015. Her doctoral dissertation on Wavelength-Specific Effects of UV Light on Microorganisms and Viruses for Improving Water Disinfection received the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award by the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) in 2016. She received an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. / B.A. in Aerospace Engineering / Studio Art from the University of Colorado Boulder. In her first career, as a NASA flight controller, she supported the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
Job Titles:
- Department Head ( Pro Tem )
- Member of Committee
- Professor and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Professor and Head ( Pro Tem )
Dr. Staub-French is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science. She is Director of the BIM TOPiCS Lab where she leads inter-disciplinary research focused on developing methods and tools to support the digital delivery of sustainable building construction projects through effective and collaborative use of building information modeling (BIM). She has published over 100 papers in leading journals and conferences on BIM and related topics. Her lab has made significant contributions in developing BIM guidelines and best practices; collaborating with industry and government to advance technology transfer; and developing tools to support virtual design and digital delivery.
As the first Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Faculty of Applied Science, Dr. Staub-French is a strong leader and advocate in advancing EDI in engineering and leading the Faculty's EDI initiatives. She received her BS in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University and her MS and PhD from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Professor of Teaching Emerita / Engineering Education for Sustainable Development
Dr. Nesbit is a leader in sustainability education with experience in course design, program design, and institutional change. Her teaching achievements, which include in introduction of service learning into undergraduate programs, and the successful development of on-line and blended courses in sustainability and engineering, have been cited by engineering educators across North America for their excellence. She is a co-director of the Masters of Engineering Leadership in Urban Systems.
Job Titles:
- Professor / Transportation Engineering
- Professor at the University of British Columbia
Dr. Sayed is currently a Professor at the University of British Columbia. He has a number of prestigious awards including the appointment as a UBC Distinguished University Scholar, the ITE Wilbur Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering Sandford Fleming Award, the Transportation Association of Canada Academic Merit Award, the Transportation Association of Canada Gilchrist Medal and several best paper and teaching awards. Dr. Sayed is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Dr. Sayed is the Editor of the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering and the Director of the Bureau of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Freight Security (BITSAFS-Engineering) at UBC. Dr. Sayed received two early promotions to the Associate and Full Professor levels. He served as a chair of both the Transportation and the computer application divisions of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. He has authored or coauthored about 250 journal/conference papers and has instructed and organized many short courses and seminars in traffic safety, operations and ITS for the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), the BC Ministry of Transportation (BCMOT), Ashghal (Qatar), Ministry of Public Works (Kuwait), State Farm Insurance (US), and the US Federal Highway Administration, among others. He also serves on several national and international committees including the US Transportation Research Board safety data and analysis Committee, the US Transportation Research Board future directions for road safety subcommittee, the US Transportation Research Board Pedestrian Committee and the Canadian National Road Safety Committee. He has completed numerous consulting projects in traffic safety and ITS in North America and internationally and has supervised 60 Master and Ph.D. students. Dr. Sayed's transportation engineering research has been focused within three main areas: 1) to improve road safety analysis and evaluation techniques, 2) to improve the level of knowledge associated with the safety implications of traffic operations and highway design, and 3) developing and evaluating Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to increase the efficiency of traffic.
Dr. Sayed's research to improve the methods of traffic safety analysis and evaluation is helping to reshape how road safety problems are identified and evaluated. The methods and techniques developed have received wide recognition and are being used by several agencies such as the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), US State Farm Insurance, US AAA Michigan, and the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Dr. Sayed has completed numerous safety audits in Canada, the US and the Middle East. Improving the understanding and relationship between safety performance and traffic operations/road design is another research interest of Dr. Sayed and responds to the demand for this knowledge among transportation professionals. A good example of the applicability of his research within this area, are the methods that developed to explicitly evaluate safety and design consistency. His research work led to an evaluation framework that was adopted by BCMOT to evaluate the new design of the Sea to Sky Highway, located between Vancouver and Whistler, in southern British Columbia. The highway is being rebuilt to meet the demand for the 2010 Winter Olympics with a budget exceeding 1.00 billion dollars. This framework allowed decision makers the opportunity to analyze the safety benefits in relation to the cost of new highway design improvements. This facilitated a "trade-off" analysis that allowed for the justification and rationalization of highway infrastructure investment levels.
Within the area of ITS and traffic operations, Dr. Sayed's research to develop a comprehensive strategy for Transit Signal Priority has been successfully applied on two corridors in Vancouver. Also, on a strategic level, he helped establish a provincial ITS vision and strategic plan for using advanced technologies to help solve provincial, regional and local transportation issues. He has supervised the completion of many ITS projects as the Director of the Bureau of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Freight Security (BITSAFS-Engineering) at UBC.
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Structural & Earthquake Engineering
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to Dr. Nemy Banthia
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- Manager, Head Office & Facilities
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- Financial Processing Specialist
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- Undergraduate Student Support
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- Associate Professor / Environmental Systems Engineering
Job Titles:
- Senior Financial Processing Specialist
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- Research Associate
- Laboratory Engineer
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- Professor / Structural Materials Engineering
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- Associate Professor of Teaching
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Teaching
- Assistant Professor of Teaching / Engineering
Pamela Wolf, P.Eng. obtained her B.A.Sc. (Geophysics) and B.A. (English) from UBC and her M.Ed. (Adult Learning and Cultures of Curriculum) from SFU. Ms. Wolf works at the intersection of communication and design, with a focus on communication for collaboration, the community consultation process, storytelling, and leadership. Previous to her role at UBC, she co-founded and was CEO of the Engineering Leadership Council, whose programs were developed and scaled internationally under her leadership. Ms. Wolf was a board member of the UN Group Earth Charter Cities Canada and is an active leader with Engineers Without Borders. Ms. Wolf has also worked in major capital procurement strategy, negotiation, and facilitating executive decision making.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor / Environmental Systems Engineering
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- Director, Safety & Research Facilities
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- Coordinator, Pipeline Integrity Institute
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- Manager of Business Operations
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- Professor Emeritus / Environmental Systems Engineering
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- Associate Head ( Graduate Programs )
- Professor and Associate Head, Graduate Programs
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- Assistant Professor of Teaching, Co - Director ENVL Program and Co - Director ENVE Program
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- Honorary Affiliate Professor / Project & Construction Management
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- Associate Professor Emeritus
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- Honorary Affiliate Professor