One professor and four alumni named in Top 40 Under 40 Awards

Karen Bakker, an associate professor of geography and director of the Program on Water Governance at UBC, was today named a winner of the 2010 Top 40 Under 40 Awards.  The Top 40 Under 40 Awards recognize the achievements and leadership of young Canadians. Bakker, an expert on water governance, first came to UBC in 1999.  In 2002, she founded UBC’s Program on Water Governance, an interdisciplinary research centre that conducts research on water sustainability, security and management. She is also the Canada Research Chair in political ecology.

Four UBC alumni are also winners of this award:

  • Brian Coombes, associate chair in biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University, completed his postdoctoral work at UBC in 2006.
  • Sean O’Reilly, CEO and founder of Arcana Studio Inc., Canada’s largest comic book company, graduated from UBC’s Bachelor of Education Program in 1999. 
  • David Vocadlo received two degrees from UBC, a Bachelor of Science in 1994 and a PhD in 2002, and is now an associate professor at Simon Fraser University.
  • Nolan Watson is the President and CEO of Sandstorm Resources Ltd., a mining company. He graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2001 and in 2004 he founded an international organization that builds schools in Sierra Leon.