Dear LFS graduate students,

The Applied Biology Program will be interviewing 3 candidates for a faculty position in Soil Science (see Ad). We would like to invite all graduate students to lunch with the candidates on October 21, 28 and November 4, from 12:00-1:00pm in McM 350.

Please RSVP to Sasha Pollet (sashapol@student.ubc.ca) and include any dietary restrictions by 2pm on Thursday, Oct 17.

You are also invited to attend their research and teaching seminars. We would welcome your feedback following the interviews as per forms below. Note the seminars will be in person only but we will have recordings available afterward.

Dr. Henry Chau (Oct 21-22)

Henry Chau is a Research Scientist in Soil Conservation and Land Resilience at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His current research examines how environmental stressors and agricultural management practices impact soil resilience and ecosystem services.  Henry earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a Specialization in Microbiology at the University of Alberta in 2007. He completed a PhD in Soil Science (Soil Physics) at the University of Saskatchewan in 2014. He previously worked as a Lecturer (2014-2018) & Senior Lecturer (2018-2022) in Soil and Environmental Physics in the Department of Soil and Physical Sciences at Lincoln University, New Zealand. In his academic role, he was actively involved in the understanding of the impacts of land use and management on soil physical and hydraulic properties, processes and related ecosystem functions that are essential for addressing global societal challenges of water and food security, sustainable land management, economic development, weather uncertainty, and climate adaptation.

 

Research Seminar: Soil’s Dichotomy Dilemma: Balancing Productivity with Ecosystem Services and Climate Mitigation

October 21, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Water Flow

October 22, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5zEGdPBKLsRmdP8

 

 

Dr. Cynthia Kallenbach (Oct 28-29)

Cynthia Kallenbach is an Associate Professor at McGill University in the Natural Resource Sciences department. Her research group integrates soil ecology and biogeochemistry to understand soil organic matter turnover and accumulation and microbial-plant interactions affecting carbon and nutrient cycling under land use and global change. She has two MSc from the University of California-Davis in International Agriculture Development and in Soil Biogeochemistry and completed her PhD from the University of New Hampshire in Earth and Environmental Science. Before coming to McGill, she was a United States Department of Agriculture postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University.

 

Research Seminar: Microbial-Organic Matter Interactions and Responses to Changing Soil Moisture

October 28, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Physical Properties:  Impacts on the Soil Environment

October 29, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1IaLOLGXuTMeMx8

 

 

Dr. Nan Li (Nov 4-5)

Nan Li is a soil scientist with a Ph.D. in Environmental Management from the University of New South Wales. Her research integrates remote and proximal sensing technologies with digital soil mapping to promote sustainable soil and water management in agriculture. Currently, she is an Assistant Project Scientist at the University of California, Riverside. Nan’s ongoing work focuses on using artificial intelligence and big data from high-resolution imagery and ground sensor networks to optimize irrigation, fertilization, and soil salinity management. With a passion for promoting sustainable agricultural practices, Nan aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical field applications.

 

Research Seminar: Farming the Data: Leveraging Sensing Technologies and Digital Soil Mapping Method for Sustainable Soil Management

November 4, 9:30-11:00am

MacMillan 158, 2357 Main Mall

 

Teaching Seminar: Soil Texture and Electromagnetic Induction

November 5, 1:00-2:00pm

MacMillan 160, 2357 Main Mall

 

Feedback Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7LPWuIjSfNNudM