Course Instructors

Nigel Deans (He/Him/His)

Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Science 
Climate Science; Climate Justice; Climate and People; Complex Systems Thinking; Climate Adaptation and Resilience; Other

For the past 2.5 years, I have worked for Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC as Research Coordinator for SSHRC and NRCAN funded research conducted by the Resilience by Design lab and the Adaptation Learning Network. In this capacity, I have facilitated interactive workshops on climate change and climate action with over 100 youth age 15 to 24 and presented our research to government, academic, and public audiences.

Annie Furman

Creative and Critical Studies, Faculty of Fine Arts

My approach to teaching is question-based and asks students to bring their own lived experiences and observations along paths of self-guided discovery. I have 4+ years of experience running workshops and programming in environmental education, outdoor eduction, performance, creative writing, and combinations of those fields. Prior to coming to UBC, I worked as an interpreter at a non-profit nature centre in northern New York, creating online climate content and developing in-person programming for audiences of all ages that ranged from site-specific community art to guided explorations of climate data using technology similar to PME’s OmniGlobe.

Neil Popko (He/Him/His)

School Of Architecture And Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Applied Science

Neil is a facilitator of learning and is passionate about connecting with the outdoors through art, play and a sense of wonder. His deep gratitude and respect for the natural world comes from his passion for gardening, surfing and spending most of his spare time in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and Salish Sea. Through his past work with Sierra Club BC teaching K-5, he is dedicated to helping others creatively engage with their environment to encourage understanding and compassion for the land we share, especially youth and children. Neil holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and visual arts from the University of Victoria and is currently pursing a Masters of Architecture from UBC SALA.

Anber Rana (She/Her/Hers)

Civil Engineering, School of Engineering
Climate Science, Climate Justice, Climate Economics, Climate Law, Planning and Policy, Climate and People, and Climate Adaptation and Resilience

My teaching experience spans over five years, where I taught students from architecture, engineering, environment, and management departments. In addition, I have served as subject matter expert for K-12 educational material development related to energy for local utility in BC. I base my teaching on active learning techniques and ensure student-centered lesson plans. I use formative and summative assessment techniques to gauge student learning and tailor my teaching accordingly.

Farrukh Chishtie (He/Him/His)

Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
Climate Science; Climate Adaptation and Resilience

My approach in teaching is interactive and engaging. I am a founding member of the Space Science Department at the Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad where as an atmospheric scientist I have developed and taught courses in environmental and atmospheric science, meteorology and remote sensing. I can also share my own experience and ongoing work in climate change related disasters such as floods and droughts in Asia.

Jennifer Cutbill 

Interdisciplinary Studies

I’m a registered architect, mother, aunt and unsettled settler of mixed European descent, living uninvited on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ lands. My applied PhD focuses on supporting decision-makers in revaluating (i.e. shifting values, valuation and evaluation metrics and methods) “critical infrastructures”, to embed climate justice, planetary health and Indigenous rights, together for mutual flourishing. I work to translate, innovate and grow collaborative capacities across disciplines and sectors, and to create generative “ethical space” (Ermine, 2007) across knowledge systems, amplifying a plurality of voices and worldviews. My approaches are transdisciplinary, experiential, inclusive and place-based; grounded in regenerative development and transformative innovation; and explore what it means and requires to engage decolonizing methodologies and praxes as a White settler. I’ve been privileged to have: taught (as Adjunct Faculty) in UBC’s Masters of Engineering Leadership program; been a guest lecturer, critic and thesis advisor in UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA); co-taught Designing for Transformation (a non-credit course for graduate students and professionals); and have supported course delivery in UBC Schools of Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Community & Regional Planning, and Public Policy & Global Affairs (including courses in: systems ecology, reconciliation and planning, Indigenous law and governance, and strategic leadership).

Jing Jiang

Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry

I specialize in using climate niche modeling to evaluate the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. In a time of swift climate shifts, my work is crucial in predicting and understanding the contraction of suitable habitats for various forest ecosystems. I contribute to climate justice that bridges the gap between current and future generation, identifying assisted migration potentials. I have a teaching background in machine learning, environmental economics, and issues in genomics and environment.

Sadia Ishaq

Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Climate Science; Climate Justice; Climate Economics; Climate Law, Planning, and Policy; Climate and People; Complex Systems Thinking; Climate Adaptation and Resilience; Other

I have worked as a Teaching Assistant for four courses and facilitated discussion groups, graded students’ assignments, recorded progress and attended course meetings. My approach to conducting tutorials is based on being interactive, connecting assignment questions to lecture material and past knowledge, sharing relevant examples, listening carefully, and encouraging group discussion.

Don Shafer (He/Him/His)

Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice; Faculty of Arts 
Climate and People

My experience in media, teaching, public speaking, and working with various community organizations has allowed me to develop a hybrid or blended teaching style that follows an integrated approach. I adjust it based on the task, curriculum, interests with staff or students and the desired outcomes as required. Teaching journalism and the art of communication, the science of climate change and the psychology of denial, or making meaningful connections within a community to initiate significant social change have become lifetime themes. As an adjunct instructor with Kwantlen University, BCIT and City University, I taught Media and Ethics in Communication. This is my second year with the Climate Teaching Connector.

Imranul Laskar (He/Him/His)

Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Science Climate Science; Climate Justice; Climate Law, Planning, and Policy; Complex Systems Thinking; Climate Adaptation and Resilience

I have had the privilege to lead tutorials, mark assignments, develop rubric and prepare and mark final case studies for several disciplinary and interdisciplinary sustainability-focused courses. We initially set the learning goals for the tutorials, and designed our tutorials in a way that is geared towards the profiles and career interests of the class. This helped the students grasp sustainability and system thinking concepts better, and in a personalized manner.

Manvi Bhalla (She/Her)

Institute for Resources, Environment, Sustainability (IRES), Faculty of Science

Manvi is an activist-scholar with extensive intersectional community organizing experience. She is recognized as one of Canada’s ‘Top 25 Under 25’ environmentalists, ‘Top 30 Under 30’ sustainability leaders and was honoured with the ‘Youth Eco-Hero of the Year’ award in 2022. She co-founded Shake Up The Establishment, a national nonprofit dedicated to climate justice & political advocacy, alongside missINFORMED, a nonprofit focused on health promotion for women and gender-diverse peoples. She serves on numerous advisory committees including UBC’s Robson Square, FES’ The Harbour and Youth Climate Corps. Alongside her advocacy work, Manvi is a published health researcher, frequent public speaker and guest lecturer who works to centre anti-colonial approaches. During her MSc, she investigated barriers towards climate action within the public health sector. Presently, she is a PhD student at University of British Columbia with SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship funding. Her research interests include intersectional health policy making & environmental justice.

Felix Giroux

Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts

I'm a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at UBC where I am critically studying questions of power and technology around the energy transition. More specifically, I research green capitalism through the lens of green hydrogen projects in Canada. I love working in inter/transdisciplinary contexts and I find it particularly valuable to bring people of different fields and perspectives in dialogue. I infuse my teaching with ethnographic vignettes from fieldwork, stories from my activism or my time in industry and government, and I include many workshops and discussion groups to get students to project themselves into particular scenarios.

Dayna Rachkowski

Institute for Resources, Environment, Sustainability (IRES), Faculty of Arts

Using debates, thoughtful group activities, and mini on-the-spot presentations, I want students to feel confident in what they have been reading or learning about and breaking it down into language they can retain while engaging interest and sparking confident conversations. With a background in environmental governance and my current Master’s in chemical regulation, I will lead conversations weaving together colonialism, capitalism, legislation and science-based evidence of the climate crisis. I want to inspire students by taking a positive approach to these topics. Where do we fit into these current issues and what can be done about them?