Faculty

We are active researchers in diverse International Studies related academic fields, including International Studies, Economics, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Forest Ecology and Management, History, and Women’s and Gender Studies. This enables us to offer graduate students a wealth of supervisory expertise and international experiences. In recent years, we have conducted and published research on economic development, political and environmental issues covering the following areas/regions:

  • International and global level (Kyoto Protocol, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, etc.);
  • Asia-Pacific region (China, Japan, Philippines, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan);
  • The Americas (Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina);
  • Africa (Zambia, Botswana);
  • Russia;
  • The Arctic, and;
  • Northern British Columbia.

We are involved in major international research projects supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)  and International Development Research Centre (IDRC).  In addition, we have considerable practical, real-world experience in economic development policy and human rights advocacy through our work/consultations with for human rights NGOs, the Reserve Bank of India, the World Bank, World Trade Organization, Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations system. Students will find that we are committed to mentoring inside and outside the classroom.


Co-Chairs

  • Karima Fredj
    PhD, MSc, BSc
    • Associate Professor
    • Interim Chair, Economics
    • Co-Chair, International Studies Graduate Program
    Phone:
    250-960-6686

    Supervises in: MA Development Economics ; MA International Studies ; MA NRES

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  • Fiona MacDonald
    PhD (University of British Columbia), MA (Simon Fraser University), BSW (University of Calgary), BA (Brandon University)
    • Associate Professor
    • Chair, Global and International Studies
    • Co-Chair, International Studies Graduate Program
    Phone:
    250-960-6482
    Cell:
    778-789-1168
    Office Number:
    CJMH-3058
    Dr. Fiona MacDonald (PhD UBC) is an Assistant Professor specializing in Gender Politics. Dr. MacDonald co-edited the Finding Feminisms special issue of the Canadian Journal of Political Science (June 2017) which includes her article, “Knocking Down Walls in Political Science: In Defense of an...

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Faculty

  • PhD (University of Sussex, UK), MSW (University of Calgary)
    • Assistant Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-6015

    Supervises in: International Studies

    My research focuses on the political economy of conflict, peace-building, and development (with a focus on education development); the relationships between environmental and climate change, water, and insecurity (including implications for conflict and migration); and experiences of violence in...

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  • Leandro Freylejer
    PhD Economics (University of Toronto); MA Economics (Queen's University); BA Economics (University of Manitoba)
    • Assistant Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-5302
    Office Number:
    10-4536
    Before joining UNBC, Dr. Freylejer taught at the University of Toronto and was a researcher on an SSHRC/CURA-funded research project focused on living standards. Dr. Freylejer teaches ECON 498/698 Special Topics: International Macroeconomics and ECON 101 Macroeconomics and Econ 311 Intermediate...

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  • PhD (Emory), MA, BA (Simon Fraser University)
    • Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-6343
    Office Number:
    CJMH-3003

    Supervises in: MA History ; MA Gender Studies ; MA Interdisciplinary Studies ; MA International Studies

    Dr. Jacqueline Holler is an historian of early colonial Mexico who also teaches contemporary Latin American history and teaches and conducts research in the area of Gender Studies. She is author and co-author of books, chapters, and articles on colonial Latin American history and contemporary...

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  • PhD, MA (Wageningen University)
    • Assistant Professor
    Office Number:
    CJMH-3005

    Supervises in: International Studies ; Gender Studies

    Hello, my name is Luna K C; I’m an Assistant Professor in Global International Studies at the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities. Prior to my current role, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security, the Centre for International...

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  • Liam Kelly
    PhD, MSc - Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (University of Guelph); BSc - Economics (University of Victoria)
    • Assistant Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-6489
    Office Number:
    10-4564

    Supervises in: MA Development Economics ; MBA ; MSc Business Administration

    Dr. Kelly joined the Department of Economics at UNBC in September 2020. Prior to starting at UNBC, he completed a PhD and MSc in Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, as well as a BSc in Economics from the University of Victoria and a Diploma in Business...

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  • Dr. Shauna LaTosky
    Phone:
    250-960-5641
    Office Number:
    ADM 3070

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  • Dr. Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville
    BA, MA, PhD
    • Associate Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-5434

    Supervises in: MA International Studies

    Agnieszka (Agnes) Pawlowska-Mainville is an Associate Professor in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. She examines intangible cultural heritage within land-based practices such as customary governance, sustainable livelihoods, food systems, folklore, language...

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  • Tristan Pearce
    PhD University of Guelph; MA University of Guelph; BA University of Northern British Columbia
    • Associate Professor, Geography
    • Canada Research Chair in Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change
    • Program Coordinator, Northern Studies
    Phone:
    250-960-5766
    Office Number:
    8-138

    Supervises in: PhD NRES ; MA NRES Geography ; MSc NRES Geography ; MNRES

    Tristan Pearce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he is also the Canada Research Chair in the Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change. His research examines the cumulative impacts of...

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  • Jalil Safaei
    PhD (University of Manitoba); MA, BA (University of Shiraz)
    • Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-6698
    Office Number:
    10-4514

    Supervises in: PhD Health Sciences ; MA Development Economics ; MA International Studies

    Dr. Safaei's main research is on social determinants of health, political economy of health and healthcare, social policy and welfare systems, health inequity and human rights. His research interests spread to macroeconomics and the chronic issues of poverty and inequality.

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  • Angele Smith
    • Associate Professor
    • Chair, Anthropology
    Phone:
    250-960-6492

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  • Smith, Heather
    PhD & MA (Queen's University) BA (University of Alberta)
    • Professor
    Office Number:
    ADM 3080

    Supervises in: MA International Studies ; MA Gender Studies

    Heather A. Smith is Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. I am the recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship (2006), the Canadian Political Science Excellence in Teaching Award (2012), a two time recipient of the UNBC Excellence in...

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  • Gary Wilson
    PhD Political Science, MA Russian and East European Studies (University of Toronto), BA Hons. Political Science (Carleton)
    • Professor
    Phone:
    250-960-5514

    Supervises in: MA Political Science ; MA International Studies ; MA Interdisciplinary Studies ; MA NRES ; PhD NRES

    Gary N. Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Political Science. He is also the Coordinator of the Northern Studies Program. His research focuses on governance and politics in the Canadian and Circumpolar North, and on the impacts of globalization and political change on communities in...

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Professors Emeriti

  • Paul Bowles
    PhD, MA, BSc
    • Professor Emeritus
    Phone: 250-960-6648

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  • Dr. Fiona MacPhail
    PhD (Dalhousie University); MA (University of Guelph); MA (University of Sussex); BA Hons (University of Guelph)
    • Professor Emeritus
    Phone: 250-960-6660
    Office Number: CJMH-3055

    Areas of expertise: Paid and unpaid work, gender, and public policy; poverty and inequalities; resource extraction and just transition alternatives; precarious work and the gig economy.

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