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Award-winning students
Please contact us with any questions regarding the Geography program at UNBC. We look forward to hearing from you.
- Department Chair
- Faculty
- Adjunct Faculty
- Senior Lab Instructors
- Instructors
- Postdoctoral Researchers
Department Chair
Nolin, Dr. Catherine
BA Geography (University of Calgary), MA, PhD (Queen's University at Kingston, 2000)
Biography
I am a social geographer with two broad areas of research interest that connect in many ways and often overlap: Guatemala/Violence/Development/Justice and Migration/Transnationalism/Refugee Studies.
Faculty
Ali, Dr. Faran
PhD (Saskatchewan), MSc (IHE, Delft), BSc (UET, Lahore), PEng
Halseth, Dr. Greg
PhD, MA (Queen's University at Kingston, 1993), BA (University of British Columbia)
Biography
Greg Halseth is a Professor in the Geography Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he is also the Canada Research Chair in Rural and Small Town Studies, and the founder and Co-Director of the UNBC Community Development Institute.
Hanlon, Dr. Neil
BAA (Ryerson University), MA, PhD (Queen's University at Kingston, 1998)
Biography
President of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG), 2020-2022
Hawkins, Dr. Adam
PhD (UNBC), BSc (Western Washington University)
Meletis, Dr. Zoë
PhD (Duke University, 2007), MScPl (University of Toronto), BA (McGill University)
Biography
Zoë teaches ENVS 309 Gender and Environmental Studies. She is a member of the Geography Program.
Menounos, Dr. Brian
BA, MA (University of Colorado), PhD (University of British Columbia, 2002)
Biography
Brian is a professor of the Geography Program at the University of Northern British Columbia and a Canada Research Chair in Glacier Change. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 2003.
Pearce, Dr. Tristan
PhD University of Guelph; MA University of Guelph; BA University of Northern British Columbia
Biography
Tristan Pearce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he is also the Canada Research Chair in the Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change.
Petticrew, Dr. Ellen
PhD (McGill University, Biology, 1989), MSc (University of British Columbia, Physical Geography), BSc (Queen's University in Kingston, Physical Geography)
Biography
Dr. Petticrew's research interests involve fluxes to and in aquatic systems, at a variety of scales.
Shea, Dr. Joseph
PhD (University of British Columbia - 2010), MSc (University of Calgary - 2004), BSc (McMaster University - 2001)
Wheate, Dr. Roger
BSc Hons (University of St. Andrews), MA (Queen's University at Kingston), PhD (University of St. Andrews)
Biography
Dr. Wheate's interests cover the application of remote sensing and GIS across the spectrum of NRES (Natural Resource and Environmental Studies) research areas.
Professors Emeriti
Fondahl, Dr. Gail
PhD, MA (University of California - Berkeley), BA (Dartmouth College)
Research and Expertise
Adjunct Faculty
Beedle, Dr. Matthew
BSc (Earth Science) Montana State University; MSc (Geography) University of Colorado, PhD (NRES-Geography, 2014)
Biography
Matt is an adjunct professor of geography at UNBC and a professor of geography at Coast Mountain College in Terrace, BC, where he teaches in the Environmental Geoscience program. He completed his Ph.D. from UNBC in 2014.
Floyd, Dr. Bill
BSc University of Northern British Columbia; MSc. Oregon State University; PhD University of BC
Biography
Research Hydrologist, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Leader of Coastal Hydrology & Climate Change Research Lab, and adjunct professor in Geography at Vancouver Island University.
Fondahl, Dr. Gail
PhD, MA (University of California - Berkeley), BA (Dartmouth College)
Biography
Dr. Gail Fondahl is a recently retired Professor of Geography at UNBC and is now an Adjunct Professor of Geography. Her PhD is from the University of California-Berkeley.
Jjumba, Dr. Anthony
PhD, MSc - Geography (SFU), BSc, Surveying (Makerere University)
Markey, Dr. Sean
BA, Political Science (UBC); MES, Environmental Studies (York University); PhD, Economic Geography (Simon Fraser University); MCIP (Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners) and RPP (Registered Professional Planner)
Biography
Professor and Graduate Program Chair in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University.
Morris, Marleen
MSc (HEC and Oxford University), BA (University of British Columbia)
Reiners, Dr. Peter
PhD, MS (University of Washington)
Biography
Pete is a geoscientist with interests across Earth, environmental, and planetary science. His work includes geochemical, isotopic, and geochronologic approaches to understanding subsurface fluid-rock systems, thermochronology, tectonics, geomorphology, and petrology.
Rex, Dr. John
BSc (Hons.) Memorial University of Newfoundland, MSc & PhD Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, UNBC
Biography
Team Lead, Research and Stewardship, Omineca Region at BC Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operation
Russell, Grahame
BA, Development and Latin American Studies (University of Guelph, 1983); LLB (University of Ottawa - Faculty of Law, 1988)
Biography
Mr. Russell has over 25 years of experience working on development, human rights, environmental justice and disaster relief issues in Latin America - mainly Central America and southern Mexico. Mr. Russell lived for over 10 years in various countries in Central America and in southern Mexico.
Senior Lab Instructors
Bai, Ping
Jackson, Chris
BSc (University of British Columbia), BEd (University of Western Ontario, 1995)
Biography
Chris is responsible for instruction in second year Earth Science labs in the Geography, Forestry and Environmental Science programs at UNBC: GEOG 210 (Introduction to Earth Science), FSTY 205 (Forest Soils), and ENVS 201 (Atmospheric Science).
Instructors
Ahadi, Dr. Nassiba
PhD (UBC), MA (University of Tehran), BEngg (Sharif University of Technology)
Biography
I am a social geographer. I studied the suburbanization of immigration. I am interested in studying urban and social geography with an emphasis on migration processes and their impacts on the urban and ethnic communities and neighbourhood structures of Canadian cities. I worked with Dr.
Murphy, Laura
MNRES University of Northern British Columbia
Biography
Laura is the Research Manager for Rural and Small Town Studies at UNBC.
Pedersen, Dr. Alexandra
PhD (Queen's University), MA (UNBC), BA Honours (University of Guelph)
Biography
Hello! It's nice to meet you! My name is Alex, and I am a human geographer by training and passion with a background in international development studies. I am a proud alumni of UNBC (MA, International Studies, 2011) and completed my doctorate at Queen's University (Geography, 2018).
Postdoctoral Researchers
Bisset, Dr. Rosie
PhD, BSc (University of Edinburgh)
Biography
Rosie Bisset is a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Hakai Cryosphere Node working on quantifying the importance of coastal snow in freshwater flux in British Columbia, with Dr. Bill Floyd and Dr. Brian Menounos.
Holterman, Dr. Devin
PhD, MES (York University)
Biography
Dr. Devin Holterman leads a collaborative research project with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) and the University of Northern British Columbia that looks to develop an evidence-based social science research program for Y2Y.
Former Postdoctoral Fellows
- Dr. Christopher Donahue (PhD, Engineering (Montana State University) – 2018), 2022-2023 – Supervisor: Dr. Brian Menounos
- Dr. Jacob Bendle (PhD, Royal Holloway, University of London – 2018), 2020-2022 – Supervisor: Dr. Brian Menounos
- Dr. Anna Chesnokova (PhD in Civil Engineering, ETS), 2020-2022 – Supervisor: Dr. Joseph Shea
- Dr. Nadia Mamontova (PhD in Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford – 2020), 2021-2022 – Supervisor: Dr. Gail Fondahl
- Dr. Scott Williamson (PhD in Ecology (University of Alberta, 2015), 2020-2022
- Dr. Marieka Sax (PhD, 2014 – Carleton University), September 2019 – September 2021 – supervisor: Dr. Catherine Nolin
- Dr. Vanessa Sloan Morgan (PhD, 2017 – Queen’s University), September 2017 – July 2021 – co-supervisors: Drs. Sarah de Leeuw and Margot Parkes
- Dr. Dawn Hoogeveen (PhD, 2016 – University of British Columbia), September 2018 - April 2021 – supervisor: Dr. Margot Parkes
- Dr. May Farrales (PhD, 2017 – University of British Columbia), January 2018 - July 2020 - supervisor: Dr. Sarah de Leeuw
- Dr. Michael Lait (PhD, 2017 - Carleton University), September 2017 - December 2018 - supervisor: Dr. Greg Halseth
- Dr. Levan Tielidze (PhD), October 2015-February 2016; March - September 2017 - supervisor: Dr. Roger Wheate
- Dr. Chris Buse (PhD, 2015 - University of Toronto), 2016-2017 - co-supervisors: Drs. Greg Halseth and Margot Parkes
- Dr. Chris Darvill (PhD, 2014 - Durham University), 2016-2017 - supervisor: Dr. Brian Menounos
- Dr. Alex Martin (PhD, 2012 - University of Northern British Columbia, Canada), 2012-2013 - supervisor: Dr. Greg Halseth
- Dr. Joe Shea (PhD, 2010 - University of British Columbia, Canada), 2010-2012 - supervisor: Dr. Brian Menounos
- Dr. Neil Williams (PhD, 2005 - University of Exeter, UK), 2007-2008 - supervisor: Dr. Ellen Petticrew
- Dr. Tobias Bolch (PhD, 2006 - University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), 2007-2008 - co-supervisors: Drs. Brian Menounos and Roger Wheate
- Dr. Deborah Thien (PhD, 2005 - University of Edinburgh, Scotland), 2006 - supervisor: Dr. Greg Halseth
- Dr. Catherine Nolin (PhD, 2000 - Queen's University, Canada), 2001-2002 - supervisor: Dr. Gail Fondahl