UBC Names two BRC members as 2020/21 University Killam Professors

January 14, 2021

We are pleased to announce that UBC has named BRC faculty members, Dolph Schluter and Rashid Sumaila, as two of the six new University Killam Professors. The highest honour UBC can confer on a faculty member, a University Killam Professorship recognizes exceptional teachers and researchers who are leaders in their fields, and who have received international recognition for their talents and achievements.

Congratulations to Dolph Schluter and Rashid Sumaila! 

Dolph Schluter, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science

Professor Schluter is one of the world’s leading authorities on ecology and the divergence of new species. His seminal research spans a broad range of topics including speciation, natural selection, adaptation to new environments, species diversity and phylogeny. Research and teaching methods developed by Professor Schluter have now become adopted as standard tools in the field. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada, and an International Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. 

Rashid Sumaila, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Science, and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Faculty of Arts

Professor Sumaila’s research focuses on the well-being and sustainability of coastal communities and ecosystems. He is a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics and specializes in bio-economics, marine ecosystem evaluation, and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and the economics of high and deep seas fisheries. Professor Sumaila is a Volvo Environment Prize winner and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding members of the UBC and Biodiversity community as we recognize their extraordinary research and teaching accomplishments. The full announcement can be found here: https://academic.ubc.ca/academic-community/news-announcements/news/2020-21-university-killam-professors 

To learn more about the Killam legacy at UBC, please visit: https://academic.ubc.ca/awards-funding/award-opportunities/killam-awards-fellowships.

In conjunction with receiving the University Killam Professorship, this year's appointees will deliver a public lecture in their area of interest. Details for this lecture series will be announced in the coming months. 


  • Announcement

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