Roger Beckie appointed head of EOAS

Roger Beckie -- an internationally recognized groundwater hydrologist -- has been appointed head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. The appointment is effective July 1, 2014 for a five-year term.

Beckie earned his PhD at Princeton University in 1992 and joined UBC the same year. He has taught a wide variety of lecture-, lab- and field-based geological engineering courses, and has mentored more than 100 undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.

An associate editor of four professional journals, including Water Resources Research, Beckie has served two consecutive five-year terms as director of UBC's Geological Engineering program.

"Roger is deeply committed to EOAS and I look forward to working with him to advance the department's already first-class undergraduate education, graduate training and research initiatives," said Simon Peacock, Dean of the Faculty of Science in announcing the appointment.

"I'd also like to express my profound thanks to Greg Dipple for his exceptional efforts as head of EOAS," added Peacock.

"Greg has worked diligently to recruit and retain excellent faculty, advance the department's exemplary international profile, and led EOAS into the award-winning Earth Sciences Building."

The department head search committee consisted of Eric Eberhardt, Stuart Sutherland, Kristin Orians, Craig Hart, Lacey Samuels, Renee Haggart, Laura Ramsden and James Ferguson.