Prince George, B.C. – The University of Northern British Columbia is celebrating the appointment of a new Canada Research Chair (CRC). Dr. Tristan Pearce has been appointed as an Associate Professor and CRC of Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change in the Department of Global & International Studies. He begins his position at UNBC on July 1.

“This new chair’s appointment will help to advance our research into the effects of cumulative impacts on the north and around the world, and also potentially foster further related collaborations between faculty and northern stakeholders,” said UNBC Vice President Research and Graduate Programs Dr. Geoff Payne. “Improving quality of life for those living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities is key to our research mandate, and Dr. Pearce’s work will further enhance our efforts in this area.” 

Dr. Pearce is a geographer with an international research profile in the human dimensions of climate change. His research has made an impact to the understanding of how communities in the Arctic, Australia and the Pacific Islands Region are experiencing and responding to climate change.

"I am delighted to bring my research program to UNBC,” said Dr. Pearce. “I will continue to work with communities in the north and globally to better understand how people are experiencing and responding to changes in the environment brought on by climate change and other forces. A key focus of my research is the engagement of multiple knowledge systems, scientific and traditional knowledge, to better understand our relationship with the environment and how it is changing. UNBC faculty are at the vanguard of these issues and I look forward to building new collaborations."

The overarching goal of Dr. Pearce's research is to contribute to the development of more sustainable environmental and social policies that better reflect and support the needs, concerns and aspirations of communities.

Dr. Pearce grew up in Prince George. He holds a BA (2003) in International Studies from UNBC, a Master of Arts (2006) in Geography/International Development from the University of Guelph and a PhD (2011) in Geography from the University of Guelph. He comes to UNBC from his current position with the Sustainability Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Dr. Pearce was appointed as a Tier 2 CRC, awarded to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead their field. The award is funded for $500,000 over five years.

The Canada Research Chairs Program is a federal initiative to attract and retain exceptional scholars in fields spanning engineering and the natural science, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Including Dr. Pearce, UNBC is now currently home to eight Canada Research Chairs.