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. Four UBC alumni were also among the recipients of the award.
The Top 40 Under 40 Awards recognize the achievements and leadership of young Canadians. Established in 1995 by Doug Caldwell, the awards are given to Canadians who demonstrate vision and leadership, innovation and achievement, impact, growth and development and community work.
Bakker, an expert on water governance, first came to UBC in 1999 after completing her doctorate and postdoctoral work at Oxford University in England. 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, Sean O’Reilly, David Vocadlo and Nolan Watson.
Coombes, an assistant professor at McMaster University, was a postdoctoral fellow at UBC in 2006. Coombes studies infectious diseases and his research focuses on the evolution of pathogenic bacteria. His goal is to find new treatments for bacterial diseases and to combat the evolution of infection.
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. O’Reilly is one of Canada’s most prolific comic book writers and publishers. He is also a feature film producer and co-owner of an animation studio.
Having received two degrees from UBC, a Bachelor of Science in 1994 and a PhD in 2002, Vocadlo is now an associate professor at Simon Fraser University. His research aims to find new treatments for bacterial infections and diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Vocadlo is also the co-founder of Alectos Therapeutics Inc., a small molecule drug company.
President and CEO of Sandstorm Resources Ltd., a mining company, Watson graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2001. The alumnus has always been involved in community work and in 2004 he founded Nation Cry, an international organization that builds schools in Sierra Leon.
For more information about the awards and recipients,visit: Top 40 Under 40
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