UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs

The SPPGA staff team took to the water this week for our annual staff retreat, paddling through the Salish Sea at Jericho Beach and reconnecting with one another outside of offices and computer screens.
 
We are grateful to live and work on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations whose deep connection to these lands and waters continues today.

Last month, the Vancouver Public Library hosted a timely conversation on the "new international order" with SPPGA Professors Max Cameron and Heidi Tworek.

Presented in partnership with the UBC Public Humanities Hub, the discussion explored how geopolitical realignments, information ecosystems and democratic institutions are being reshaped, and what this means for Canada's role in the world.

Watch the full conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5LeS2zhwDA

Prof. Candis Callison (SPPGA; CIS) co-authors a new article proposing a rethinking of the research methods used upon the Arctic. The article puts forth 'mobility as place,' Arctic 'kinfrastructures,' and integrative modelling to understand the impact of geopolitical and climate change in a highly dynamic environment.

Learn more here: https://theconversation.com/researchers-ask-us-to-rethink-the-ways-we-see-and-study-the-arctic-281612

Established in memory of a scholar, storyteller, and passionate advocate for the transformative power of education, the Jordan Levi-Matin Memorial Award in Public Policy and Global Affairs has been awarded to Mehre Dlir as its inaugural recipient. Mehre is a year one MPPGA student who has dedicated her work to fostering equity and opportunity for women, youth, and newcomers.

Read more here: https://sppga.ubc.ca/news/announcing-the-jordan-levi-matin-memorial-award-in-public-policy-and-global-affairs/

Dr. Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA; IOF) co-authors a new piece published in npj Ocean Sustainability, alongside an international team of leading ocean and climate scientists. In this publication, "The ocean crisis demands a new kind of science," the authors call on scientists to move beyond observation and become active catalysts for change.

Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-026-00204-2

What is possible for the safety of Canadians in the online space today? What role does the Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety play in this?
SPPGA Professor and Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) Director, Heidi Tworek, evaluates the limits and necessity of developing safety regulations for the online environment in the Canadian cultural context.

Read more: https://rsc-src.ca/en/voices/heidi-tworek-shaping-safer-online-future-for-canadians

A new report, Learning from Disasters in Scholarship & Practice, explores insights from a South–North knowledge exchange between Nepal and British Columbia, with a focus on disaster risk reduction and policy-relevant collaboration. Several members of the SPPGA community contributed to the project, including MPPGA students Salina Dolmo Lama and Yi yi Wang, as well as Prof. Sara Shneiderman.

The full report is available here: https://drrn.ubc.ca/learning-disasters-scholarship-practice

Are you a Post-doctoral Fellow interested in mining design decision-making?
An interdisciplinary group of researchers are inviting candidates for a UBC-based Post-doctoral Research Fellow to bridge the gap between mining design decisions and social, ecological, and cultural practices. Applications to be considered until the position is filled.

Learn more: https://sppga.ubc.ca/news/post-doctoral-fellowship-ethnographic-research/

Interested in learning about the climate landscape? In this course designed by the CARE consortium (SciencesPo, U of Toronto, U of Guelph, UBC), students curious about the climate crisis engage in communication with diverse audiences and learn how various levels of government directly impact the climate through policy design. Applications close on July 3.

Learn more here: https://sppga.ubc.ca/news/new-course-on-global-climate-action-policies-practices-apply-by-july-3/

SPPGA is welcoming applications for Sessional Lecturers for the Winter 2026-2027 academic term (September 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027). Deadline extended to June 16.

Learn More: https://f.mtr.cool/dcgtucyurh