ReachOut Spring 2024

For Associate Professor Dr. Risa Sargent, lead researcher in the Plant Pollinator and Global Change Lab (PPGC), many of the world’s smallest and most vulnerable critters are on the frontlines of some of our biggest and most pressing resiliency challenges.

Dean Rickey Yada looks back on his time with the Faculty. He highlights how our research has adapted to changing climate and food systems.

Understanding and addressing agriculture’s biggest climate change challenges starts at the microscopic level for plant physiologist Dr. Thorsten Knipfer.

In the face of multiple crises converging on the way we grow, distribute and eat food, the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) at the UBC Farm is responding with a new plan to facilitate change.

While Dr. Andrew Riseman takes a lengthy view of the research topics he tackles at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm (CSFS), many of the real world challenges in his field are arising more often and becoming more dramatic.

Assistant Professor Dr. Jean-Thomas Cornelis spends a lot of time getting his hands dirty. But when your research focuses on understanding the intricate micro-scale soil processes that underpin macrosized ecosystems, grubby fingernails at the end of the day are a standard occupational hazard.

Dr. Leluo Guan joins the Faculty as a Professor in the Applied Biology Program and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Animal Functional Genomics and Microbiome.

Dr. Michael Zulyniak’s research is focused on how diet, metabolism and genetics integrate to affect health and disease risk across populations.

Social media during the pandemic broadcast countless images of empty grocery store shelves, often fuelling panic buying among shoppers. But according to Dr. James Vercammen, supply systems held up well throughout this uniquely demanding time.

The concept of food security was one of the main reasons Dr. Anubhav Pratap-Singh became a scientist. That original inspiration is about to come to full fruition in Dr. Pratap-Singh’s latest role as Director of UBC’s highly anticipated new Food and Beverage Innovation Centre (FBIC).

Dean Rickey Yada reflects on the relationships, communities, and lasting changes he cultivated at LFS.

In January 2024, temperatures in B.C. dropped as low as minus 29 degrees Celsius. Dr. Simone Castellarin talks about the impact of climate change in B.C.’s wine sector.