UBC Reports | Vol. 46 | No. 16 | Oct. 19, 2000
Six new faculty members choose UBC for both its intellectual
and natural environment
UBC’s reputation as a world-class teaching and research university
coupled with Vancouver’s breathtaking vistas continues to attract
academic talent from around the world. Seventy new faculty members
have joined UBC since the start of the year, boosting the number
of full-time faculty members to 1,822. The following are six of
the new researchers and teachers on campus. Another six will be
profiled in the Nov. 2 issue of UBC Reports.
Adlai Fisher
Assistant professor, Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Business
Administration Background: PhD, Economics, Yale
Courses taught: Financial Management — short-term financial
planning, valuation, and mergers and acquisitions
Teaching objective: A significant part of my course focuses
on broadening the set of financial tools available to our students,
but the larger goal is to help the class learn to apply techniques
they already know in new situations. This will be important as they
adapt to business decision-making in a changing environment.
Research objective: Right now I am working on developing
new techniques for forecasting volatility and modelling extreme
fluctuations in financial markets.
Why attracted to UBC: The Finance division has a very strong
research record, as well as a reputation for collegiality and supporting
junior faculty. My wife and I were also impressed with the campus
and the lifestyle in Vancouver.
Izabella Laba
Associate professor, Mathematics Dept., Faculty of Science
Background: PhD, Mathematics, University of Toronto
Courses taught: Real Analysis and Measure Theory and Integration,
a basic graduate course in measure and integration theory
Teaching objective: I just give my students an opportunity
to learn some mathematics: the concepts, the problem-solving skills,
the study techniques. It’s up to them to choose what else they will
learn in the process.
Research objective: I am currently working on several problems
which are mostly combinatorial, geometrical, or algebraic in nature,
but which are also connected to many deep open questions in harmonic
analysis. Why attracted to UBC: It’s a wonderful place to live and
to work.
Joseph Lucyshyn
Assistant professor, Educational and Counselling Psychology and
Special Education Dept., Faculty of Education Background: PhD, University
of Oregon
Courses taught: Graduate seminar in behavioural disorders;
Functional Assessment and Positive Behaviour Support.
Teaching objective: I would most like students to gain a
thorough and deep contextual understanding about why children develop
problem behaviours. Based on this understanding, I would like students
to know how to work with parents and educators to build positive,
effective, and do-able plans of support that lead to meaningful
and long-lasting change for all concerned.
Research objective: My research is with families of young
children with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism, mental retardation)
and problem behaviour. I am completing an assessment study aimed
at understanding how problem behaviours develop in the midst of
typical and valued routines of everyday family life.
Why attracted to UBC: UBC and the Faculty of Education share
my strong interest in creating an academic career that brings together
teaching, research, and practice.
Christopher Peck
Assistant professor, Oral Biological and Medical Sciences Dept.,
Faculty of Dentistry Background: PhD, Oral Biology, UBC
Courses taught: Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders;
Occlusion
Teaching objective: To help students understand the relationship
between dental and non-dental structures in the head and neck region
Research objective: To better understand the relationship
between human jaw structure and function using dynamic 3-D computer
modelling. This information will provide insight into the mechanisms
underlying jaw joint and muscle disorders.
Why attracted to UBC: The opportunity to work collabora-tively
with renowned researchers and clinicians
Sunera Thobani
Assistant professor, Centre for Research in Women’s Studies and
Gender Relations and Women’s Studies Undergraduate Program Background:
PhD, Sociology, Simon Fraser University
Courses taught: Race, Class and Gender Relations; Bordering
Women (nation-building, migration, and citizenship); Violence against
Women; Women and Colonization
Teaching objective: To work with students to develop strong
critical, thinking skills and to study our society within the larger
global context
Research objective: To study the impact of globalization
on the social relations of race, class and gender
Why attracted to UBC: The Centre for Research in Women’s
Studies and Gender Relations has a commitment to teaching women’s
studies within the larger global context and is actively developing
links in other parts of the world. The potential for developing
a genuinely global focus foregrounds the interconnections in women’s
lived experiences and offers exciting possibilities.
Cheryl Wellington
Assistant professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Dept., Faculty
of Medicine Background: PhD, Microbiology, UBC
Courses taught: Tutor for first- and second-year medical
and dental students
Teaching objective: To instil a lifelong curiosity about
the complexities and wonders of biological systems and to develop
the intellectual skills to explore questions of interest through
research
Research objective: My research is focused on disease-causing
genetic mutations with an emphasis on pathways leading to cell death
in a variety of diseases.
Why attracted to UBC: UBC is committed to excellence and
Canada is home. I join the faculty of UBC at a very exciting time
filled with opportunity to make significant contributions to health
research and to the education of the next generation of leaders.
