Each year, these prestigious UBC awards provide approximately $4-million to push forward innovative faculty and student research tackling major sustainability challenges in British Columbia and around the world.
Patrick Keeling - Wall Fellowship recipient
Mapping invisible networks of ocean microbiomes: ocean microbes are essential to healthy marine ecosystems, yet little is known about how they move between species or spread disease. This research will map microbial networks among B.C. coastal invertebrates living adjacent to intensive aquaculture, documenting their microbiomes, identifying hidden reservoirs of marine pathogens, and improving our ability to trace disease outbreaks. Working with coastal First Nations and the Hakai Institute, the project will also engage First Nations students in community-based environmental genomics research, combining scientific discovery with local knowledge to help protect ocean health.
asher leeks - lead pi, jonathan davies & chadi saad-roy - Wall research award - team faculty award
Sociovirology for sustainable management of grapevine leafroll disease: grapevine leafroll disease poses a severe challenge for B.C.’s wine industry, affecting three-quarters of newly planted vines and reducing grape quality and yields. With no cure available, growers often remove infected vines, creating waste and increasing reliance on imported plants and chemical treatments. This research will use sociovirology – an emerging field that explores interactions between viruses – to develop more sustainable disease management strategies, including identifying plants that can safely remain in vineyards and using beneficial viruses to protect against disease. The project will advance environmentally friendly approaches to support a resilient B.C. wine industry.
hannah wittman - lead pi - Wall research award - team faculty award
From field to supply chain: a multi-indicator sustainability benchmarking framework for British Columbia farms: B.C. farmers face growing demands from buyers, certifiers, and policymakers to demonstrate sustainability across areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, biodiversity, and farming practices, yet no single tool helps them measure progress across these areas. Building on LiteFarm, UBC’s globally used farm management application, this research will create a free, bilingual, privacy-protected sustainability benchmarking tool that helps farms respond to diverse supply chain requirements through a unified approach. Co-designed with B.C. and global farming communities, including small-scale and Indigenous producers, the platform will support sustainable agriculture, inform policy, and strengthen climate and biodiversity efforts across the province.
adam ford - team member - Wall research award - team faculty award
Sustainable forestry in an uncertain climate: a co-developed approach to modelling post-harvest regeneration and wildfire risk: forestry is one of British Columbia’s most important economic sectors, but climate change is challenging the practices that have long supported it. Rising temperatures, drought, and wildfire are affecting how forests recover after harvesting and fire. In partnership with Ntityix Resources, a Westbank First Nation forestry company that already practices long-term, sustainable forest management, this research will model how climate and management practices interact to shape forest regeneration, wildfire risk, and wildlife habitat outcomes. The findings will support climate-ready, place-based forestry strategies that advance sustainable forest management across B.C.
amy kim - Wall research award - graduate student award
When does hybridization promote invasion success? Evolutionary insights from a beach invader: my research aims to better understand the evolutionary role of hybridization (cross-species mating) during successful species invasions. Invasive species are one of the largest drivers of global biodiversity loss and can have negative consequences for human health, ecosystem functioning, and native biodiversity. Through investigating a robust system of beach invaders (C. maritima and C. edentula) that are naturally hybridizing along the coast of British Columbia and Australia, and by incorporating advanced genetic and genomic tools, I hope to elucidate the mechanisms underlying invasion success, predict future trajectories of invasives, and help inform invasive species management and prevention.
allie roberts-moore - Wall research award - graduate student award
Characterizing the viruses of copepods and larval dungeness crab in British Columbia: my research identifies, studies, and monitors viruses of copepods and larval Dungeness crab, planktonic animals that are integral to B.C. marine food webs and fisheries. The viruses that infect these organisms and their effects on host populations remain poorly understood, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) identifying a specific knowledge gap in Dungeness crab larval biology. B.C. fishers and conservation bodies rely on accurate biological information, including knowledge of pathogens, to support healthy fisheries and ecosystems. My research will strengthen pathogen surveillance and contribute to understanding the life cycles of organisms key to B.C.’s coastal economy.