Among the most critical elements of any doctoral exam, from the perspective of those who coordinate these complexities, is the search for a strong Chair. Yet this search serves as a perennial challenge to the Doctoral Examinations team. We consider ourselves very lucky indeed if we issue fewer than 10 invitations before confirming 1 chair for an upcoming exam. It is not at all unusual in some disciplines to invite 30 or more chairs before some gracious faculty member agrees to help us out.
If you would like to contribute your time and wisdom to UBC’s doctoral exams:
- Please have a look at the list of upcoming exams below and if one interests you, please send us an email to graduate.doctoral@ubc.ca
- Or send us an email detailing the areas that interest you and days/times that you might be generally available and we'll contact you as new exams are scheduled. Again, send an email to graduate.doctoral@ubc.ca
Please bear in mind that the chair cannot be affiliated with the candidate’s graduate program, or a member of the supervisor's department..
Thursday, July 24, 2025 4:30 PM - 773, Robert H.N. Ho Building, 2635 Laurel St
Luke MacLean
(Biomedical Engineering)
The Design and Validation of Ultrasound-Augmented Self-Localizing Tools for Dynamic and Adjustable Registration and Navigation in Spinal Surgery
Supervisor(s): Professor Antony J Hodgson, Professor John Thomas Street
Monday, July 28, 2025 1:00 PM - Zoom
Yupei Ma
(Vancouver School of Economics)
Essays in Applied Microeconomics
Supervisor(s): Professor K. Siwan Anderson, Professor M. Marit Rehavi
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 4:00 PM - 2071, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 6250 Applied Science Lane
Xinglong Huang
(Mechanical Engineering)
Development and Applications of Light Field Microscopy Systems for On-Chip 3D Characterization of Dynamic Samples in Microfluidic Platforms
Supervisor(s): Professor Boris Stoeber
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 9:00 AM - D213, Chemistry Bldg, 2036 Main Mall
Paul Heine
(Chemistry)
The Atmospheric Fate of Volatile Organic Selenium Measured by Online Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Supervisor(s): Professor Nadine Borduas-Dedekind
Thursday, July 31, 2025 12:30 PM - 1617, Forest Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall
Ramon Melser
(Forestry)
Enhanced Assessment of Boreal Vegetation Productivity Using Integrated Satellite-Derived Datasets and Analysis Approaches
Supervisor(s): Professor Nicholas Coops
Thursday, July 31, 2025 3:00 PM - Zoom
Daniel Jaramillo Calderon
(Vancouver School of Economics)
Essays on the Economics of Crime and Conflict
Supervisor(s): Professor Claudio Ferraz, Professor K. Siwan Anderson
Friday, August 1, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 200
Samantha Myers
(Rehabilitation Sciences)
Understanding Who Engages and Why it Matters: Predictors and Outcomes of Exercise Adherence in Real-World and Remote Cancer Exercise Programs
Supervisor(s): Professor Kristin Campbell
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 200
Evan Muise
(Forestry)
Assessing Forest Ecological Integrity and Protected Area Effectiveness in British Columbia with Satellite Remote Sensing
Supervisor(s): Professor Nicholas Coops
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 12:30 PM - Room 203
Evgenia Rabinovich
(Music)
Fostering Flow in Piano Performance through Effective Practice
Supervisor(s): Professor Leonard Mark Anderson, Professor Scott Goble
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 4:00 PM - Room 203
Zihuan Wang
(Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Machine Learning Enabled Integrated Sensing and Communication for Next Generation Wireless Networks
Supervisor(s): Professor Vincent Wong
Thursday, August 7, 2025 9:00 AM - Room 203
Sneha Singh
(Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Cross-Talk between Somatostatin and Dopamine Receptors: its Role in Neurogenesis and Amyloid Beta-Induced Neurotoxicity
Supervisor(s): Professor Ujendra Kumar
Friday, August 8, 2025 9:00 AM - 224, Biodiversity Research Centre, 2212 Main Mall
Graeme Keais
(Botany)
Evolutionary Consequences of Conflict and Competition During the Haploid Phase
Supervisor(s): Professor Loren Rieseberg
Thursday, August 14, 2025 9:00 AM - 308A, Frank Forward Building, 6350 Stores Rd
Bruce Musariri
(Materials Engineering)
Impact of Organic Compounds on Arsenic Toxicity in Arsenopyrite Biooxidation for Pretreatment of Refractory Gold Ore
Supervisor(s): Professor Wenying Liu, Professor Susan A Baldwin
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 4:00 PM - Zoom
Jasem Estakhr
(Neuroscience)
Important Roles of AKAP150-anchored PKA and CaN in Mediating Crosstalk Between LTP and LTD and Consequently LTP/LTD Balance
Supervisor(s): Professor Yu Tian Wang, Professor Mark Cembrowski
Thursday, August 21, 2025 2:00 PM - 240, West Mall Annex (WMAX), 1933 West Mall
Keisha Maloney
(Community and Regional Planning)
Rehearsals for Transformation: Learning the Craft of Planning
Supervisor(s): Professor James Connolly, Professor Andrew Binet
Friday, August 22, 2025 1:00 PM - 1346, Life Sciences Institute, 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Abhishek Bedi
(Microbiology and Immunology)
WAVE 2 and Tpm3.1/3.2: Actin Dynamics, B Cell Biology, and Targeting B-Cell Lymphomas
Supervisor(s): Professor Michael Gold