Elaine Williamson
Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)
Empowering Haida Gwaii: Revitalizing Indigenous-Led Tourism as a Pathway to Economic Sovereignty, Cultural Sustainability and Self-Determination
Canadian Immigration Updates
Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
In support of the University of British Columbia’s mission to be one of the world’s very best universities, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) strives to elevate achievement and enhance the education of graduate students in a global context.
The role of the Faculty is to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and the entire UBC graduate community in pursuit of a personal, professional and academic experience second to none. Among other responsibilities, G+PS seeks to ensure a transparent, consistent and equitable administration of graduate programs and awards, evaluation and quality assurance of graduate programs, advocacy for graduate and postdoctoral needs within the larger academic community, assistance with individual student and postdoctoral problems, and the provision of outstanding opportunities for professional development of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty in their role as supervisors.
At G+PS, we have been defining graduate education as 'the formation of scholars* who make a difference for good in the world'. Here, 'formation' entails learning, but also cultivating habits of heart and mind, and developing a professional identity and sense of purpose. The scholarship pursued refers to the broad activities that bring knowledge, rigour, and creativity to the extension and transformation of knowledge, whether that is inside the academy, outside its walls, or crossing between.
At the Vancouver campus, there are close to 3600 doctoral students and 6200 master's students, the fourth largest graduate student population among Canadian universities. About 30% of master’s students, and 44% of doctoral students at UBC are international.
G+PS plays a central role in the strategic direction of graduate education at UBC. It facilitates discussion on campus about the future of graduate education, provides an information hub for all topics related to graduate education, celebrates the achievement of graduate students and alumni, and provides advocacy for graduate students & Postdoctoral Fellow needs.
In its administrative capacity it provides services to units and graduate students across all academic faculties on the Vancouver campus – from recruitment of new students along the entire lifecycle to graduation and beyond. Services include: orientation, health and well-being, professional development, program administration, and thesis/dissertation support among other things.
G+PS is the home of the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program (ISGP), a unique graduate program that allows scholars to design their own curriculum under supervision of supervisors from any unit.
The university also hosts 850 postdoctoral fellows. UBC-appointed postdoctoral fellows can be found in over 90 departments and at affiliated sites including BC Cancer Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital, the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, St. Paul’s Hospital, and Vancouver General Hospital.
* term taken from Walker et al (2008), The Formation of Scholars. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Research Highlights
UBC offers over 300 Graduate Degree Programs in nearly every academic field imaginable, and opportunities to pursue cutting-edge transdisciplinary study that crosses traditional boundaries. There is sure to be a program offered that aligns with your interests.
UBC attracts $580 million per year in research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through 8,800 projects and UBC researchers file over 230 patents a year. Many programs have state-of-art new buildings and facilities. At UBC you will work side by side with passionate scholars as you delve into the most meaningful questions of our world.
Graduate Degree Programs
Graduate Student Stories
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Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Castrejon Violante found that explicit constitutional recognition of the right to food is an effective way to comprehensively address food systems' challenges and advance the right's realization. Her work highlights the importance of constitutional entrenchment of human rights and the need for further implementation research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Oswald's doctoral research focused on developing a coastal zone management framework for BC coastal nations which incorporates economic valuation of ecosystem services. His research will help address environmental impacts that are traditionally not accounted for in decision making, leading to more environmentally sustainable outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Dainaraviciute studied resilience, exploring how ethnoracial minority youth navigated racism. Her critical interdisciplinary analysis uncovers the complexities of youth lived experiences. Specifically, she highlights the creative solutions youth developed to cope with the subtle and hidden forms of everyday racism that are prevalent in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gryba, in partnership with Inupiat hunters, developed new methods to include Indigenous Knowledge in statistical models as a sole data source and with animal movement data. This work highlights Indigenous Knowledge that is not available in scientific data, and provides new ways for Indigenous Knowledge to be included in species management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Mayer used critical ethnographic methods to explore how social and structural factors impacted why and how people engage with injectable opioid agonist treatment. Her research examined how people navigate the enabling and constraining aspects of treatment, highlighting the importance of low-threshold, equity-oriented and patient-centred care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Pilarinos's research explored young people's perspectives on and experiences with medications for opioid use disorder. In addition to identifying policy barriers to treatment access, retention, and cessation, Dr. Pilarinos's research outlined young people's suggestions on ways to improve treatment services in the context of the overdose crisis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Accili investigated the ecological imagination of English playwrights William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Combining literary and theatre studies with art history and environmental philosophy, her research shows how Renaissance dramatists and artists understood animals and other non-humans in a way that might widen our ecological perspective. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Kang's doctoral project evaluated how anti-racism and cultural safety paradigms are taken up in local health authorities. The three-phased study highlighted the significant need for provincial and national health organizations to incorporate principles of anti-racism, cultural safety, equity and social justice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Mitra examined the role of socioeconomic marginalization in the production of overdose risk in an urban cohort of men and women who use drugs. Findings from this research emphasize the need for gender-informed, multi-level overdose prevention policies and programs to address the ongoing overdose crisis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Olding studied overdose prevention sites as a community-based response to the illicit drug poisoning epidemic. Her work highlights the importance of these services being designed by and employing people who use drugs. She identified policy and organizational changes to better support the work of overdose responders with lived expertise. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |