September 16-20 is National Postdoc Appreciation Week. To celebrate, we are profiling several UBC Forestry postdoctoral researchers. Read about them below!
Dr. Salar Ghotb
I have been privileged to be a postdoctoral fellow in the FRESH lab since October 2023, where I have many wonderful learning and growth opportunities. With a background in operations research and Industrial Engineering, I am leveraging my skills to address real-world problems. During my postdoc, I was very fortunate to contribute to the climate change mitigation efforts by leading a project with Environment Climate Change Canada to build a decision support prototype to improve harvesting decisions affecting carbon sequestration. I had the chance to present my research to the academic community at a conference. I won a prize in the David Martell Student Paper competition at the annual Canadian Operations Research Society conference. Also, I was involved in writing and preparing research proposals to appropriately utilize forest-based biomass. Currently, I am working on developing decision-support tools for transportation planning in the forest sector.
In addition to research, I have had a great experience in mentoring students. I am advising master students in the FRESH lab regarding their research, providing them guidance and helping them with data analysis and optimization models. Moreover, I am honoured to be a session instructor to teach a 3rd-year course in the WOOD science department. In this role, I am sharing my knowledge with undergraduate students in an interactive manner and familiarizing them with research fundamentals. These mentorship and teaching experiences have strengthened my knowledge and confidence.
Overall, I am positive about my postdoc journey and appreciate the opportunity to grow and learn new skills.
Dr. Sarah Dickson-Hoyle
My postdoc is a partnership with the Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS), which was initially established by Secwépemc Nation communities to coordinate land-based recovery efforts across the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire. I’m incredibly grateful to the SRSS for their support, which has enabled me to build on my work and relationships developed during my PhD. My current research focusses on supporting Secwépemc communities in monitoring the impacts of wildfires and other disturbances in their territories and identifying opportunities for reintroducing fire and restoring ecological and cultural values.
As both a social scientist and ecologist, what I love most about this work is getting to spend time out on the land with our community partners and diverse collaborators, from government agencies to the private sector, learning about shared concerns and priorities for managing these fire-affected and fire-adapted territories while also passing on my love of plants and the wonders of fire ecology to our eager summer field assistants.
This past summer, our UBC field crew had the opportunity to contribute to a wide variety of projects with our community partners: from co-designing a monitoring program to evaluate the success of proposed ecosystem restoration burns, and assessing ecosystem recovery 7 years after the Elephant Hill wildfire, to analyzing the impacts of cattle grazing on native grasslands, and documenting the work of community ‘territorial patrol’ (guardians). Now, I’m celebrating #NPDAW in the Kootenays, participating in a prescribed fire burning exchange to learn how to apply good fire to the land for the benefit of both people and more-than-human nature – something we need more of in BC if we truly are going to learn to coexist with wildfire!
Dr. Kudzanai Nyamayaro
I am passionate about sustainability and tackling climate-related challenges. Nature offers many intriguing raw materials that hold great potential for everyday use. However, a significant challenge is that the inherent properties of these materials are not always well-suited for advanced applications. To work towards addressing this, I joined Professor Emily Cranston’s lab, where I am applying my background in chemistry to modify and enhance the properties of natural materials such as cellulose and pulp. My work aims to make biomaterials more suitable for innovative and impactful applications, and in the process bridge the gap between natural resources and their practical uses.
I have had the opportunity to work on two exciting research themes. First, I focused on developing water-based chemistry to modify the properties of innovative polysaccharide particles created by our industry partner. These particles are being explored as sustainable fillers for rubber composites, with the potential to replace traditional oil-based materials. By enhancing the properties of these polysaccharide particles, we aim to create a more environmentally friendly alternative that can degrade after use, thereby significantly reducing the environmental impact of rubber products.
I have also been involved in the Energy Reduction in Mechanical Pulping (ERMP) research program. This program brings together diverse teams to advance the use of lower-grade mechanical pulp in specialized products. My role has involved chemically modifying mechanical pulp to enhance its properties, making it suitable for applications such as tissue paper. This work supports the broader goal of improving the efficiency and sustainability of pulp processing while expanding the potential uses of mechanical pulp.
In addition to my research work, I have been fortunate to engage in mentorship and teaching, which I find very rewarding. One highlight was serving as a lecturer for the Bio-based Renewable Materials and Energy – Forestry Summer Institute 2024. During those two weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed mentoring and teaching the students. This role provided me with the chance to interact closely with them, guiding their learning experiences and witnessing their enthusiasm for the subject. The opportunity to contribute to their education and see their growth firsthand was both fulfilling and inspiring.
Dr. Tonya Smith
My research is about the relationships between human health and forests.
I am currently supporting Li̓l̓wat First Nation community-led research to create the Li̓l̓wat Cultural Re-Connection Classroom. This community-based initiative is a moveable classroom that is a land-based queer-friendly and gender inclusive space. This space is envisioned to be a place where Li̓l̓wat people can come together to engage in topics related to cultural revitalization and land stewardship and take part in traditional medicine harvest and processing and other culturally based activities that promote health and wellness. I am also working with Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures to start long-term monitoring on the impacts of cultural burning on traditional foods and medicines.
With our collaborative research, I seek to untangle and inspect the many ways that settler-colonial land management continues to constrain Li̓lwatúl livelihoods and relationships with the land. This work was done with the intention of supporting the restoration of land-based health practices led by Indigenous peoples.
Dr. Elaheh Ghasemi
Dr. Elaheh Ghasemi is a postdoctoral researcher at UBC Forestry, specializing in forest management and environmental sustainability. Her research explores the intersection of forestry, climate change, and ecosystem conservation, particularly the impacts of forest management practices on biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Dr. Ghasemi has received several awards recognizing her contributions to sustainable forestry and environmental science, including the prestigious André Hoffman Fellowship for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She has collaborated on interdisciplinary projects that emphasize sustainable forest practices in the face of global environmental challenges. Her work integrates advanced technologies, such as remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS), to improve forest monitoring and conservation efforts.
At UBC Forestry, her project aims to explore nature-based decarbonization opportunities for the mining and forest sectors in Canada. This interdisciplinary research will develop an open modeling framework to assess carbon capture in forests near mining sector industrial assets, potentially reducing emissions and fostering sustainable land use. The project also seeks to engage First Nations communities, offering economic and cultural benefits while supporting global carbon reduction commitments. By bridging gaps between forest management and mining operations, this initiative will contribute to innovative, sustainable solutions for the bioeconomy.
