Leadership & Community

Our place in the world

UBC’s Department of Psychology ranks 13th in the world and first in Canada in the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) subject rankings. The 2021 psychology rankings includes 533 universities, up from 494 last year.

The Department of Psychology also ranks 16th in the world and first in Canada in the 2021 QS World University subject rankings.

For the sixth year in a row, UBC’s psychology program places first in Canada in the 2021 Maclean’s subject rankings.


Leadership

Dr. Liisa Galea was appointed as Health Advisor to UBC’s Office of the VP, Research & Innovation in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Galea also received funding from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research’s 2020 Reach Competition to advance science communication for women’s health.

Dr. Connor Kerns was named a member of the Evidence Based Working Group by the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In this role she provides recommendations to build and strengthen Canada’s National Autism Strategy.

Dr. Ara Norenzayan was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and Dr. Catharine Winstanley was named a Member of the RSC’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Dr. Daniela Palombo was elected as a member of the Memory Disorders Research Society. She joins an international community of scientists who study memory and memory disorders.

UBC’s Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic appointed Dr. Catherine Rawn as the Provost Office Fellow, Faculty in Online Learning in response to UBC’s sudden move to online teaching and learning in the wake of COVID-19.

Dr. Kiran Soma received a Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring, marking a first for the department—and formally recognizing his exceptional mentorship.

Dr. Janet Werker received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant to launch the multidisciplinary and collaborative project, ‘Ensuring Full Literacy in a Multicultural and Digital World’.


Public and Community Engagement

Dr. Ted Beauchaine, Dr. Michele Gelfand, Dr. Tom Griffiths, and Dr. Eric Landrum shared their research and ideas as part of the department’s 2020-21 Colloquia Series.

With funding from the UBC Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program, a team of psychology staff planted the Peas of Mind Community Garden to bring our community together to experience the rewards of gardening, fresh produce, personal connections, and beautification to our campus neighbourhood.