Research Stories

December 16, 2025 Dr. Andrea Bundon examines how ableism excludes disabled Canadians at every level of sport, from participation to leadership, and what must change to ensure meaningful access for all. For millions of disabled Canadians, sport presents a contradiction: it promises improved physical and mental wellness while also carrying potential for exclusion and harm. To better understand the complexities surrounding access, representation and ableism in sport, we spoke with Dr. Andrea Bundon, Associate Professor and critical disability scholar in the Faculty of Education’s School of Kinesiology. Why is access to sport so vital for disabled people? Dr. Andrea Bundon: Sport […]

December 5, 2025 Dr. Nicole Johnson sheds light on the misconceptions, barriers and community-based solutions shaping a new era of survivor-centred healing. Content Warning: This article includes discussion of sexual violence. Please take care while reading. If you need support, resources are available here. Each December, Canadians observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This day honours the fourteen women murdered in 1989 at École Polytechnique while renewing our collective commitment to ending gender-based violence. Dr. Nicole Johnson, Associate Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Education, focuses her research on sexual and gender-based violence, survivor experiences, prevention […]

November 26, 2025 Researchers in the Faculty of Education’s School of Kinesiology have built a groundbreaking “body-swap” robot that is changing the way scientists understand human balance. This high-tech system allows researchers to safely alter how the body experiences gravity, inertia, and delays in sensory feedback, providing an unprecedented view of how the brain keeps us upright. Their findings, published today in Science Robotics, reveal that the brain treats delays in sensation much as it does changes in body mechanics—a discovery that could reshape how we support people at risk of falling. From wearable technologies that could help stabilize millions of […]

November 10, 2025 Dr. George Belliveau shares how research-based theatre, from veterans’ stories to global collaborations, is transforming our understanding of trauma, healing and the human experience. Dr. George Belliveau is a professor in UBC’s Faculty of Education and a global leader in research-based theatre – an innovative approach that utilizes theatrical methods to conduct research and communicate findings through workshops and performances. Dr. Belliveau’s work brings together artistic expression and scholarly inquiry to address complex issues across diverse disciplines, including education, healthcare, identity, displacement and climate sustainability. Among his most powerful collaborations is Contact! Unload, a theatrical production co-created with […]

October 28, 2025 23 Faculty of Education members have been recognized among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists according to Stanford University’s 2025 database. The publicly available database provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). Calculations were performed using Scopus author profiles as of August 1, 2025. Name Rank (top %) Dr. Mark Beauchamp 1 Dr. Robert Boushel 2 Dr. Shannon Bredin 2 Dr. Deborah Butler 1 Dr. Ron Darvin 1 Dr. Patricia Duff 1 Dr. Guy Faulkner 1 Dr. Ryuko Kubota 1 Dr. Kristiina Kumpulainen 2 […]

October 23, 2025 Dr. Surita Jhangiani shares how curiosity and compassion can help make Halloween more respectful and inclusive. Each October, classrooms buzz with the excitement of Halloween treats, costumes and creativity. Amid the fun, these moments also offer a chance to explore culture, identity, and respect. For Dr. Surita Jhangiani, Associate Professor of Teaching and David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education at UBC’s Faculty of Education, holidays like Halloween invite reflection on how we celebrate diversity, nurture empathy and challenge bias. We spoke with Dr. Jhangiani about how Halloween can open the door to meaningful conversations, helping teachers, families and […]

October 16, 2025 Dr. Anusha Kassan shares how inclusive classrooms support newcomers while helping every student grow and thrive in a global world. The start of the school year brings excitement—and often uncertainty—for many students. For children and teens who are new to Canada, the transition can be especially complex. In addition to navigating new classes and peers, they are also confronted with an unfamiliar education system and cultural environment. Dr. Anusha Kassan is an Associate Professor in the School & Applied Child Psychology program at the UBC Faculty of Education, where she holds the Myrne B. Nevison Professorship in School […]

October 5, 2025 Dr. Leyton Schnellert reflects on how educators are transforming student learning with inclusive, community-based education Celebrated on October 5, World Teachers’ Day honours educators globally, recognizing their dedication to education and the support they need to fulfill their calling. To mark the occasion, we spoke with Dr. Leyton Schnellert, Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy at the UBC Faculty of Education. A former K–12 teacher, Dr. Schnellert’s scholarship focuses on inclusive education and community-based practices, centring the voices of teachers, learners, and communities, and the transformations that emerge when they work together. What makes a […]

September 17, 2025 A five-year project at UBC Okanagan is transforming K–12 education by centring Indigenous knowledge and relationships to land. The project, Co-Curricular-Making: Honouring Indigenous Connections to Land, Culture and the Relational Self, brought together over 240 educators who worked alongside Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community partners to reimagine curriculum as a shared, evolving process. This approach helped educators move away from colonial teaching practices while building the confidence to facilitate meaningful discussions about history, culture, and identity. The project emphasized experiential learning where students explore multiple perspectives through art, dance, drama, music, and poetry. The research, co-authored by Drs. […]

August 28, 2025 We’re delighted to congratulate Dr. Rosalin Miles, MHK’98, on receiving a $1 million CIHR Implementation Science Chair in Human Development, Child and Youth Health (Indigenous Pool). As Chair, Dr. Miles will lead the ShQUooz Circle Program, an Indigenous-led initiative that connects children and youth with aunties, grandmothers, and Knowledge Keepers to share teachings and strengthen cultural identity through land- and water-based activities co-created with Indigenous partners. The program aims to enhance community wellness, sustain cultural continuity, and advance Indigenous-led approaches to health research. Read the full story here.

August 27, 2025 A UBC Faculty of Education–led teacher education initiative enabled more than 300 members of the Dadaab refugee community to earn teaching credentials and become teachers in one of the world’s largest and longest-running refugee settlements in northeastern Kenya. Coordinated by Dr. Samson Nashon and Dr. Rita Irwin, and developed with partners in Kenya and Canada, it provided displaced learners with pathways to professional qualifications while strengthening local schools. Though the initiative has since concluded, its impact continues through the work of its graduates and through ongoing Faculty of Education research on teaching and learning in contexts of displacement. […]

May 15, 2025 Dr. Kristiina Kumpulainen has been selected as a 2025 International Academy of Education Fellow Dr. Kristiina Kumpulainen has been named a 2025 Fellow of the International Academy of Education (IAE). This prestigious honour recognizes exceptional contributions to education through groundbreaking research, innovative teaching, and a steadfast commitment to advancing educational knowledge and practice. Dr. Kumpulainen’s research explores how social, historical, political, cultural, and digital contexts shape learning. With a focus on creating inclusive, imaginative, and participatory teaching approaches for diverse learners, she collaborates with interdisciplinary partners to drive innovative work in areas like STEAM, health literacies, and climate […]

April 16, 2025   Dr. Shannon Leddy and Dr. Nancy Perry Awarded 2024-25 UBC Community-University Engagement Support Fund The UBC Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund, jointly administered by UBC Community Engagement and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, supports impactful, collaborative, community-based research, teaching and learning across British Columbia. It prioritizes projects that address the needs of diverse communities, particularly those that have been historically marginalized or underserved. Among this year’s recipients are Dr. Shannon Leddy, for her project Student Leadership for Change (SLC) 3.0, and Dr. Nancy Perry, for her project Training Modules in Self-Regulated Learning. Student Leadership […]

March 6, 2025 Dr. Guofang Li has been selected as a 2025 American Educational Research Association Fellow Dr. Guofang Li, Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transnational/Global Perspectives of Language and Literacy Education of Children and Youth, has been selected as a 2025 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow. This prestigious honour recognises scholars whose research has significantly advanced knowledge in their field, inspired others to follow in their footsteps and contributed to the public good. Among the 29 scholars selected for 2025, Dr. Li is the only representative from a Canadian university, underscoring the global significance of her […]

September 20, 2024 Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Insight and 2024 Insight Development Grants These awards provide essential funding for research that deepens our understanding of social, cultural, and economic issues, while also driving innovation and real-world solutions. The UBC Faculty of Education extends its gratitude to the communities, collaborators, and partner organizations who work alongside our scholars in advancing this important work. View the complete list of this year’s Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants. SSHRC 2024 Insight Grant Recipients in the UBC Faculty of Education SSHRC Insight Grants support […]

September 20, 2024 24 Faculty of Education members have been recognised among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists according to Stanford University’s 2024 database The publicly available database provides standardised information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). Calculations were performed using Scopus author profiles as of August 1, 2024. Name Rank (top %) Dr. Vanessa Andreotti 1 Dr. Mark Beauchamp 1 Dr. Shannon Bredin 2 Dr. Deborah Butler 1 Dr. Peter Crocker 2 Dr. Ron Darvin 1 Dr. Patricia Duff 1 Dr. Guy Faulkner 1 Dr. Ryuko Kubota 1 […]

June 14, 2024 Congratulations to Drs. Daniel Gamu and Michael Koehle, 2024 NSERC Research Program Discovery Grant recipients Dr. Daniel Gamu and Dr. Michael Koehle have been awarded 2024 Discovery Research Program Grants by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The NSERC Discovery Grant will support Dr. Gamu’s project “Histone Post-Translational Modifications and Tissue Adaptability,” which explores how chromatin packaging proteins regulate the ability of muscle and fat to respond to changing energy needs, including exercise and diet. This project has also been awarded an NSERC Discovery Launch Supplement, additional funding which provides timely resources to support […]

June 5, 2024 Congratulations to Drs. Anusha Kassan and Hongxia Shan, 2023-24 SSHRC Partnership Development Grant recipients Dr. Anusha Kassan, Dr. Hongxia Shan, and their respective team members have secured 2023-24 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partner Development Grants. Dr. Kassan leads the project “Capturing Stories of Child Language Brokering: An Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography with Newcomer Families.” This grant will support deeper insights into Child Language Brokering, where newcomer parents and guardians depend on their children for linguistic translation and interpretation in various contexts, enhancing understanding of immigrant integration into Canadian society. Similarly, the SSHRC Partnership Development Grant will […]

April 16, 2024 Dr. Bill Cohen receives 2023-24 Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation The Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation celebrates outstanding faculty members from UBC’s Okanagan campus who demonstrate preeminence in educational leadership, innovation, and teaching while embodying a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism, thus elevating teaching and learning on campus and beyond. This year, Dr. Bill Cohen (OSE) has been selected as the recipient of the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation for his remarkable contributions, passion, and dedication to fostering reconciliation and decolonization through education. Dr. Cohen, a member of the Okanagan […]

March 8, 2024 Dr. David Wright, along with co-applicant Dr. Margaret Hahn of the University of Toronto, secures a significant Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) grant for their project, “Targeting the Exercise-Inducible Signalling Factor FGF21 as a Novel Approach to Mitigate the Side Effects of Antipsychotics,” which addresses a critical need in mental health treatment. Dr. Wright’s research focuses on lifestyle interventions, such as exercise and ketogenic diets, as a means to unlock molecular tools that could serve as targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at mitigating the adverse metabolic effects induced by antipsychotic medications in individuals with schizophrenia. Over the […]

February 2, 2024 We are pleased to announce the below 2023 major research awards awarded to Faculty of Education graduate students Tri-agency funding programs The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) jointly administers many funding programs with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The interagency collaboration reflects the federal research funding agencies’ commitment to their shared principles on research excellence, as well as on the growing importance of interdisciplinary research. Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s Jessica Ahn (ECPS) Jennifer Doyle (ECPS) Makayla Freeman (ECPS) Samantha Graham (KIN) Claire Hein-Salvi (ECPS) […]

January 24, 2024 The UBC Faculty of Education is pleased to announce an extension of Dr. Mary Bryson’s appointment as Academic Director of the Public Humanities Hub through June 30, 2025. The Public Humanities Hub (PHH) began as a three-year pilot project in 2019 to foster and support collaborative research, as well as to highlight and develop public-facing research in the Humanities at the UBC Vancouver. Research grants, awards and fellowships are made available annually through funding support from the Faculty of Arts, the Allard School of Law, the Faculty of Education, and the Office of the VP Research and Innovation. […]

January 9, 2024 The Office of the Associate Dean, Academic, Graduate, and Innovation, is pleased to announce the following graduate student award winners in the 2023 Graduate Student Endowed Awards competition. These merit-based awards are given in recognition of magistral or doctoral students (as applicable to the award) who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the field in which they are researching. Dean of Education Scholarship Xi Chen (ECED) Amanda Dumoulin (ECPS) Jungah Lee (ECPS) Haoyu Zhao (ECPS) Rachel Moylan (EDCP) Angela Baldus (EDCP) Moussavi Yasaman (EDCP) Roshni Kumari (EDST) Annika Szarka (KIN) Regan Thompson […]

November 17, 2023 Congratulations to the 20 faculty members of the Faculty of Education who have been recognized among the world’s top 3% most-cited scientists, according to Stanford University’s science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators published in October 2023. Name Rank (top %) Dr. Mark Beauchamp 1 Dr. Robert Boushel 1 Dr. Deborah Butler 3 Dr. Ron Darvin 1 Dr. Patricia Duff 1 Dr. Guy Faulkner 1 Dr. Laura Hurd 1 Dr. John Kerr 3 Dr. Karim Khan 1 Dr. Ryuko Kubota 1 Dr. Guofang Li 2 Dr. Bonny Norton 1 Dr. Nancy Perry 1 Dr. William Pinar 1 Dr. […]

October 27, 2023 UBC Faculty of Education ranks 2nd in Canada and 23rd globally for education Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings highlights universities leading across various disciplines, including education, teacher training, and academic studies in education. The education subject table uses the same range of 18 performance indicators used in the overall 2024 World University Rankings with the methodology calibrated to suit the individual fields. The weightings for the education ranking are: Teaching: 32.2 % Research environment: 28.8 % Research quality: 27.5 % International outlook: 7.5 % Industry: 4 % This year’s education table includes 703 universities, up from […]

October 12, 2023 The UBC Faculty of Education is tied for first place in Canada in Maclean’s 2024 University Rankings Once again, the UBC Faculty of Education is tied for first place in Canada for education programs in both research and program reputation in Maclean’s Education 2024 University Rankings. Maclean’s annual university rankings were established in 1991 to help students choose the university that best suits their needs. Maclean’s categorizes universities into three groups based on their characteristics, such as size, research funding, and program diversity. Each category has its own set of performance indicators and weightings to rank institutions. The […]

September 13, 2023 Dr. Johanna Sam is named Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Dr. Sam uses a strength-based approach, in creating youth-friendly educational and mental health resources. Melding digital technology with Indigenous perspectives, her research explores the relationships among cyber-aggression, resiliency, academic achievement, and wellness.

September 14, 2023 Dr. Eli Puterman, Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists Dr. Eli Puterman is among ten UBC faculty members who have been inducted as a fellow or new member to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) in 2023. Founded in 2014, the RSC’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists is a handpicked selection of top mid-career scholars and artists in Canada. College Members have already received recognition in their fields for excellence and serve as ambassadors of their fields. The term of Membership in the College is seven years. Dr. […]

Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen is appointed Canada Research Chair in Mental Health and Intersectionality. Her research harnesses methodology from clinical and counselling psychology, health psychology and public health to understand intersectional risk and resilience factors that contribute to the development of psychological distress in parents and children.

Dr. Jeff Reading, CM, Affiliate Professor at UBC School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada for his groundbreaking contributions to Indigenous health research and for his leadership in bringing Indigenous perspectives to scientific and health institutions.