Terry Sunderland
I am currently a Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia focusing on the biological and human dimensions of the sustainable management and utilization of tropical forests. I was previously a Senior/Principal Scientist at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, where I coordinated CIFOR’s work on forests and food security, biodiversity conservation and integrated landscape management. Prior to joining CIFOR in early 2006, I was based in West Africa for over fifteen years and worked on numerous conservation and livelihood-focused projects. Having both a field practitioner and academic background gives me a wide perspective on conservation, livelihoods and related issues. I have a Masters degree in Forestry from the University of Oxford and a PhD from the University of London. I have published more than 240 research papers, book chapters and books. I am an active blogger and engage regularly with the media on disseminating research for policy influence and outreach. |
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Visiting Professors
Sima Fakheran
Dr. Sima Fakheran is currently a Visiting Associate Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, and an Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at Isfahan University of Technology, Iran. Her research interests include Monitoring Landscape Pattern Change and its Impacts on Biodiversity, Ecological Impacts of Road Networks, Corridor Design, Climate change, and Conservation Planning. She did her Ph.D. at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and has been Head of the Swiss desk (Leading House for Iran–Switzerland Science and Technology Collaboration) since 2017. Graduating from two different continents in different languages, environments, and cultures; consulting many students, founding and working in several professional organizations; sitting on the board of directors for the International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) as Vice president, IALE-Iran President, Director of International Affairs of the Isfahan University of Technology, Head of the department of environmental sciences at the Isfahan University of Technology; and many other environmental and international activities provided her with a unique set of skills to listen, understand, solution, plan, develop and deliver. She is passionate about helping organizations to foster development and innovations through international networking, communication, and learning. Email: sima.fakheran@ubc.ca |
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PhD students
Alida O’Connor is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Terry Sunderland. Her research contributes to COLANDS |
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Winy Vasquez
My name is Winy Vasquez and I completed my undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Forestry in the Natural Resources Conservation program in 2017. I joined Dr. Sunderland’s lab as a Master’s student in 2019. During my undergraduate degree in Forestry I joined the co-op program which paved the way for my interest in academia as I was able to work at research institutes both abroad, in Chile and India and at home, in the Faculty of Forestry. For my thesis research I will be working in collaboration with an Indigenous community in Peru that lives inside of, or in proximity to, a protected area in order to assess how their food security may be impacted and to gain a better understanding of what their local food system entails. I will be undertaking fieldwork in Peru in 2020, where I will be employing a variety of research methods such as household questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and photovoice exercises with youth. By undertaking this research, I hope to be able to highlight the many contributions forests make to healthy and sustainable diets as well as contribute to better-informed food related policies that strengthen Indigenous food systems. ResearchGate | Google Scholar | Twitter |
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Debbie Pierce is a PhD student in the Sunderland lab. Her research is in tropical forestry, land tenure, and gender. She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and graduated with a double major in economics and environmental policy from the University of Michigan. After graduation she spent a year working in environmental philanthropy and non-profit organizations in New York City. She received a masters in environmental science and management from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she worked to develop a business model for the sale of biochar on California farms and vineyards. While at the University of California, Santa Barbara she worked with Dr. Gary Libecap on a land demarcation and land value project in California and Ohio. Prior to beginning her PhD she spent four years at the World Bank in Washington, DC working on indigenous peoples, gender and forestry issues. During this time she worked in Latin America and Africa, specifically working with forest-dependent communities in Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Burkina Faso.
Email: debbiepi@mail.ubc.ca Personal Website | ResearchGate | Google Scholar | Twitter |
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Masters students
Undergraduates
Research Assistants
Joseph Mumuni
I am a natural resource scientist, with over five (5) years of field and academic experience in forest management, biodiversity conservation, and livelihoods. My current research is transdisciplinary and aligns with landscape ecology, strategic foresight, innovation, and environmental governance. Prior to joining Sunderland Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant, I was a research trainee at the European Forest Institute (EFI), Vienna office. I am from Ghana, and a privileged Erasmus Mundus, and Queen Elizabeth II Scholar. I hold a double master’s degree in Agrosciences, Environment, Territories, Landscape, and Forest from AgroParisTech, France, and the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Finland, as well as a Master of International Forestry degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. Since my undergraduate degree in 2016 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, I have worked as a Research Assistant and Projects Officer in several development-focused projects in Ghana, such as community-based natural resource management, timber trade legality, and sustainable cocoa agroforestry systems in the light of climate change. In 2017, I volunteered with the Dedicated Invasive Species Removal Team (DIRT) of Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) for ecological restoration at Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada. Website: https://josephmumuni.wordpress.com/ (includes links to Twitter, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Facebook and ORCID) |
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Alumni
Joli Rumi Borah
I am originally from Assam, Northeast India and a Postdoctoral fellow at Sunderland lab. My work focused on the biodiversity aspects of the integrated landscape approach that aims to reduce emissions and poverty and contribute to the sustainable use of biodiversity. My broad research interests are sustainable management of agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation and human well-being, ecosystem services management and science-policy interface. My doctoral work at the University of Sheffield, UK assessed the potential of conservation interventions in effectively managing shifting cultivation for reducing biodiversity loss and carbon emission in Nagaland, Northeast India. Post-PhD, I worked as a Conservation Officer at Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) that involved providing conservation advice to farmers for sustainable management of the Irish countryside in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. ResearchGate | Google Scholar | Twitter | Website
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Sheriff Ola
My name is Sheriff Ola. I graduated with an MSc in Forestry program after defending my research on co-managing rattan harvesting in Ghana. I also have a background in information science with specialization in data science from UBC. Again, I have professional experience in the natural resource sector in West Africa, including in Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast. Primarily, I am interested in studying the role of information services consulting in driving forest and natural resource investments. Other research interest includes NTFP commercialization and livelihood implications for resource dependent communities. My ultimate aim is to improve my knowledge in these areas in order to be able to make meaningful impacts, both academically and professionally. |