March 19, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. David McMillon

This talk will discuss a framework for systemic discrimination that has applications ranging from reparations and the racial wealth gap, health disparities, and environmental racism.

March 5, 2026: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Helen Brown

The session will adapt to the questions and interests of the group but might include an intro to services and resources available at UBC Library and tips for managing the research process. 

January 29, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Aisling Rayne

This talk explores the multiple meanings and effects of new nonhuman neighbours, and how to support more inclusive and transparent environmental decision-making

March 12, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Emily Yeh

Join Dr. Emily Yeh for her seminar on the political economy of geothermal development in Indonesia

April 2, 2026: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Rich Francis

This session offers a broad overview of the history and implementation of the US federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, that governs the cleanup of historical hazardous material waste sites.

February 26, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Sally Pusede

Join Dr. Sally Pusede for her talk on coal dust pollution and environmental justice.

April 16, 2026: IRES Student Symposium with Samantha Blackwell, Anaïs Pronovost-Morgan, Renata Rovelo and Valerie Zimmermann (Last seminar in Term 2)

Join us for our student symposium, given by four IRES grad students! Talk titles: 1. “Birding is like a gateway drug”: The role of bird observation in urban human-nature relationships 2. Exploring Non-Indigenous City Employees' Emotions and Responsibilities in the Implementation of Vancouver's UNDRIP Strategy 3. Listening to the River: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Relationships with Water 4. Assessing the Impacts of Organic Farming Practices on Farm Economics and Climate Resilience in British Columbia

April 9, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Kaitlyn Gaynor

This talk explores how human disturbance shapes risks and resources for wild animals, and how responses of animals can have implications for ecological dynamics and human societies. This can help inform more effective biodiversity conservation and human-wildlife coexistence on an increasingly crowded planet.

New book from Stephanie Chang: Legacy in the Landscape

Discover how urban growth drives disaster risk. This accessible book links tech, economy, and landscape with hazards, using a new Urban Risk Dynamics framework and six global cities to guide better planning.

January 15, 2026: IRES Student Seminar with Neha Sharma-Mascarenhas and Jessica Mukiri (First seminar in Term 2)

Join us for the first seminar of term two, given by our IRES PhD students! Topics: Electronics at the End-of-Life: Repair Ecosystems, Consumer Decisions, and Policy Barriers and Consumption of Alt-Proteins to Mitigate Food Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Canada

February 12, 2026: IRES Student Seminar with Chloë Chang and Aloy Kouzak Campos da Paz

Join us for our upcoming seminar, given by two IRES grad students! Topics: Can profit maps trigger win-win management solutions for the environment and farmers? and Socio-Economic Wellbeing in B.C.'s Energy Transition​

February 19, 2026: No Seminar This Week

There is no IRES Seminar on February 19 due to the Midterm Break (Feb 16 - 20, 2026).

February 5, 2026: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Karthik Akkiraju

By integrating perspectives from positive psychology and public policy, this talk explores an approach to reimagine how societies can secure a high quality of life for everyone, beyond the limits of efficiency or consumption-driven paradigms.

January 22, 2026: IRES Professional Development Seminar with Rebecca Dirnfeld

This session offers a practical overview of interviewing tips and techniques, emphasizing how strategic career planning during graduate school can set the foundation for interview success.

Q&A with Vicky Lucas on the private sector at COP30

With COP30 in full swing, IRES Master’s student Vicky Lucas wants us to watch the attendee list as closely as the agenda.

TA Opportunity for UBC Course: ASIC 220

This is an introductory course to provide a comprehensive introduction to sustainability from a science, economics, and societal perspective.

Bridging Global Water Policy and Practice | Nov 25 12pm

Dr. Leila Harris will moderate a discussion with experts in hydropolitics and governance on how global environmental agreements shape real-world water policy.

IRES’s Kate Reynolds situates Palestinian identity within relationships to plants, place and food

Reynolds's work on Palestinian displacement and ecological identity takes memory from the abstract into the sensory, exploring how taste and smell bring land and people closer together.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Transforming Chemical Risk Management with Indigenous Expertise

The candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Giang, with supervisory support from Dr. Susan Chiblow, and Dr. Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, on a subproject linking Indigenous experiences on chemicals policy development across scales.

Equation-Based Modeling and Reactive Computational Notebooks for Education | Nov 3

Many Geoscience concepts are difficult to transmit to students in lecture format. At the same time, geoscience models are often difficult to understand and improve. This talk will explore the convergence of several technologies to increase interactivity in scientific education and connect it to professional science.