CURRENT STUDENTS

CURRENT STUDENTS AND FELLOWS

Nicole Bamber has a BSc in nutritional science from the University of Toronto. She has a passion for sustainability and nutrition and aims to combine the two in her research. Nicole joined the Food Systems PRISM Lab in 2017 as an MSc student, studying the environmental impacts of bark mulch on Okanagan orchards and vineyards, using life cycle assessment. Since January 2020, she is a PhD student in the PRISM lab studying the coupled environmental and nutritional efficiency of alternative agricultural land and product usage scenarios. When she’s not in the lab, you can find Nicole curled up with a book, or out on a hike in the woods.

Alyssa Smart has lived in the Okanagan for the better part of four years while obtaining a BSc in Zoology at UBCO. Her time at UBC Okanagan has fostered academic interests in conservation biology and industrial ecology, while also exposing her to new interests in life cycle thinking. Beyond the academic setting, the Okanagan has offered the opportunity to discover passions in rock climbing, cycling and, hopefully, skiing (once she stops wiping out). These outdoor passions continually foster her dedication to conserving biodiversity and helping build a sustainable future. She believes that working in the PRISM lab on an MSc in biology is an appropriate avenue for the change she hopes to create. Her project focuses on the GHG emissions and energy costs associated with irrigation in the Okanagan Valley using life cycle assessment, and will contribute novel data to the Canadian Agri-food Life Cycle Data Centre. In this way, she hopes to highlight areas for improvement within the agri-food industry at a local level and supply feasible ways of improving the sustainability of food systems. Unfortunately, all of her interests leave only the occasional evening free to dress her cat up for holiday themed photoshoots (though I’m sure he prefers it that way).

Vivek Arulnathan is a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies at UBC Okanagan. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from SASTRA University, India in 2014. He then pursued a Master’s in Environmental and Resource Management at the Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany. In fulfilling the requirements for his master’s, he submitted a thesis on the sustainability assessment of tea production in South India using three methods - Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social-LCA), which he combined into a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment. His current research in the Food Systems PRISM Lab focuses on developing and implementing a life cycle-based Sustainability Assessment Platform (SAP) for the Canadian egg industry. This tool will serve as a decision support mechanism for Canadian egg farmers by enable them to assess their sustainability performance across various relevant indicators and in relation to different industry benchmarks. The platform will also help farmers analyse the mitigation potential associated with different sustainability best practices and green technologies and help the EFC in developing national-level sustainability initiatives for the Canadian egg industry

Ian Turner is a PhD student in the PRISM Lab. Ian graduated from the University of Toronto in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree, majoring in Animal Physiology and Genome Biology. He has pursued research opportunities covering many disciplines, ranging from large mammal ecology and physiology, to food systems sustainability. In 2018, Ian joined the PRISM Lab to aid in the development of the Canadian Agrifood Life Cycle Data Centre (CALDC), a comprehensive, Canada-specific life cycle inventory database for use by LCA practitioners country-wide. Ian is also especially interested in the integration of animal welfare measures into sustainability management practices. He is currently researching the use of predictive analytics (machine learning) to optimize environmental sustainability and hen welfare outcomes in the Canadian egg industry. When not working, he enjoys sports, cooking, and classical music.

Luis Cadavid is a father, entrepreneur, farmer and writer. He completed his BA in Classical Civilizations at Syracuse University, his MSc in Management at Imperial College, and has had the opportunity to further his education at the London Business School. He is also on the Board of a non-profit that is dedicated to agricultural education in Ecuador, LA CASA (Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Agriculture), which is currently implementing a 12-hectare permaculture project in the highlands of Ecuador. During the past ten years, his focus in the agricultural industry has been sustainable production, product development and efficient supply chains. As a business owner he is a fervent believer in sustainable, environmentally conscious business. His MSc thesis research in the PRISM lab focuses on the resource/environmental efficiency and food security implications of the supply management system in the Canadian egg industry.

Daniela Dominguez is an MSc student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies - Sustainability program. She is currently working on the use of Life Cycle Assessment to model insect production process from food waste, based on the concept of circular economy.
Daniela is from Mexico. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Communication Sciences, with a Specialty in Management, a Diploma in Business Social and Environmental Responsibility, and has also worked as a marketing executive and as a teacher. She is very passionate about protecting the environment and animal welfare. She enjoys travelling, spending quality time with her family and her three dogs, trying new plant-based recipes, and dancing.

Jannatul Ferdous is from Bangladesh and has started her PhD in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (Sustainability Theme) at UBC Okanagan from September 2021. She has a bachelors degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and a MSc degree in Disaster Management from the University of Dhaka. She has worked as a researcher in the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) for five years and was involved in multiple research projects focusing on climate change impacts on environmental components and environmental monitoring. She has a strong research background in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. Though she has invested a significant portion of her research career in environmental monitoring, she is very passionate about working in the environmental management and sustainability sectors. She is currently involved in a National Research Council (NRC) funded project focused on life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment of pulse processing in Canada. Outside of academia, Jannatul enjoys travelling and exploring new places, spending quality time with family and friends, and watching TV series and movies.

Leandra Vanbaelinghem is from France and started her MSc in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies - Sustainability program in September 2022. She graduated from Mount Allison University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2021, focusing on intertidal ecology research. Before coming to the PRISM lab, she worked as a mudflat research technician. Leandra has a passion for nature and sustainability. She is currently researching the efficacy of geothermal heating and cooling systems for poultry houses as an alternative to conventional energy systems. When she is not working, she can be found playing sports, traveling, or tasting new cuisines.

Sofia Bahmutsky is a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (Sustainability Theme) at UBC Okanagan since September 2022. Sofia holds a masters degree in Data Science from the University of British Columbia which she obtained in 2020, and a bachelor of science in Environmental Sciences and Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary earned in 2018. Sofia is interested and passionate about data science, machine learning and analytics in the realm of sustainable agriculture, climate change, and environmental health. Sofia joined the PRISM lab to learn and research LCA in order to apply it in research of precision agriculture technology and broad acre crop production in western Canada. She is also a data scientist in an agriculture research centre at Olds College, Alberta. When she isn't working, she enjoys discovering new places in nature by hiking and taking roadtrips, and spending time painting or drawing.

Florian Grassauer joined the PRISM Lab as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in September 2022. The Austrian native completed his doctoral dissertation at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna. In his thesis, he assessed the eco-efficiency of agricultural production systems, mainly dairy farms, through a combination of life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis. As a Postdoc at UBC, he is keen to gain experience in mentoring fellow students, honing his skills in academic craftsmanship through independent research projects and securing research grants for prospective students at the PRISM Lab. Besides academia, Florian enjoys hiking and exploring the Canadian outdoors, and as a hockey enthusiast, he is always looking for opportunities to lace up his skates and take some strides on the ice.