Four UBC Science researchers join Royal Society of Canada

Four new elections to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) showcase UBC Science’s strength in the computational sciences, Indigenous fisheries research, and the study of evolution and spread ofdisease-causing microorganisms.

Joining more than 60 UBC Science researchers recognized by the RSC since 2000 are Drs. Margo Seltzer (Computer Science), Marie Auger-Méthé (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and Statistics), Andrea Reid (Centre for Indigenous Fisheries) and Kayla King (Zoology and Microbiology and Immunology).

“The Royal Society of Canada is very proud to welcome today an imposing group of inspiring scholars, artists and creators whose peers have recognized their exceptional contributions to the world of science and culture and to the well-being of Canada. The impact of their work will continue to be felt in the development of public policies for years to come, while contributing to the well-being of our society,” said Alain-G. Gagnon, FRSC, President of the RSC. 

UBC computer scientist named RSC fellow

Dr. Seltzer’s research focuses broadly in the area of computer systems—systems for capturing and accessing data provenance, file systems, databases, transaction processing systems, systems for storing and analyzing graph-structured data, new architectures for parallelizing execution, interpretable machine learning, and systems that apply technology to problems in healthcare. 

She is perhaps best-known for co-creating BerkeleyDB, an embedded open-source, database storage library that underpinned several first-generation internet services—including account management, mail servers, and online trading platforms—that have been integrated into numerous popular operating systems. She is the co-head of UBC’s Department of Computer Science, and is a Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems. 

Fellows of the RSC are distinguished Canadians from all branches of learning who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities, the sciences, as well as in public life. 

Three new RSC members at UBC Science

Members of the RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists are researchers who are less than 15 years from the date of their PhD and who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments.

Kayla King—Zoology, and Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. Kayla King's research focuses on host-microbial parasite-pathogen systems, which elucidate the consequences of strong selection and evolution in the lab and nature. Host-pathogen interactions can drive rapid evolutionary change which the King Lab tracks using genomics and experimental tests, and examines the consequences for animal health and pathogen virulence. Dr. King has also investigated the effects of biodiversity, the microbiome, environmental variation, and nascent interactions on host-pathogen ecology and evolution. She holds a Canada Excellence Research Chair in evolutionary dynamics of host-pathogen interactions.

Marie Auger-Méthé—Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and Statistics

Working at the intersection of ecology, statistics and marine sciences, Dr. Auger-Méthé’s research focus is on developing and applying statistical models to infer behavioural and population processes from empirical data. While she is mostly interested in marine and polar species (e.g. narwhals and polar bears), the methods she develops are usually applicable to a wide range of species and ecosystems. She is also interested in the conservation and management of marine and polar ecosystems.

Andrea Reid—Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Dr. Andrea Reid is a citizen of the Nisga’a Nation and principle investigator of UBC’s Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, where she is working to build a national and international hub for the study and protection of culturally significant fish and fisheries. Her research adopts highly interdisciplinary and applied approaches to improving our understanding of the complex interrelationships between fish, people and place. Dr. Reid is an advocate for using tools and insights from Western and Indigenous sciences in tandem. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a fellow of The Explorers Club.