Past Events

Brian L. Job, Professor Emeriti of Political Science, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (2021)

Job's teaching and research interests concern international security—more specifically, the evolving security order of the Asia Pacific, intrastate conflict, human security, and Canadian foreign and security policies.  He joined the UBC faculty in 1989, having previously been on the faculty of the University of Minnesota.  He has served as Director of the Centre of International Relations, Interim Director of the Liu Institute, and Associate Director of the Institute of Asian Research. His current research concerns UN peacekeeping, the protection of civilians in conflict, Canadian security policy, and security relations among Asian states and peoples.  Job has been actively involved in Asia Pacific expert networks, particularly with the Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP).  He has been co-editor of International Studies Quarterly, and of Global Governance, and serves on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal and of International Relations of the Asia Pacific. Job is currently a Senior Fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and has been a visiting professor at Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo; Nanyang Technical University, Singapore; and the Australian National University.

Pitman Potter, Professor Emeritus of Law (2020)

Potter’s teaching and research have focused on PRC and Taiwan law and policy in the areas of international trade and investment, dispute resolution, property and contract law, business regulation, and human rights. He has published many books and essays on China law and policy, including Exporting Virtue? China’s International Human Rights Activism in the Age of Xi Jinping (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2021).

Prior to his retirement in 2020, Dr. Potter also served as an attorney licensed in British Columbia, Washington State and California handling China business and arbitration matters. Dr. Potter has served on the Boards of Directors of several public institutions, including the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada where he is currently a Distinguished Fellow Emeritus and the Canada-China Business Council. Dr. Potter is a Deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada (Diocese of New Westminster) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Peter Suedfeld, Professor Emeritus of Psychology (2004)

Dr. Suedfeld is one of the pioneering researchers in the field of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) and in his field research he has studied the reactions and adaptation of crews in the Antarctic, the Canadian High Arctic, and in space vehicles, as well as survivors of the Holocaust and other traumatic events. His research findings were among the first to emphasize the positive aspects and consequences of these experiences.

His research interests include the effects of challenging and stressful environments and experiences on psychological processes and behaviour, including coping, positive and negative outcomes, and both short- and long-term aftereffects. Examples of the environments and experiences studied are: living and working in extreme and unusual situations such as space vehicles and polar stations; isolation and confinement; high-level political and military decision-making; surviving genocide and persecution.

Craig Riddell, Professor Emeritus of Economics (2017)

Riddell's interests are in labour economics, labour relations, applied econometrics and public policy. Current research is focused on income inequality, skill formation, education and training, unemployment and labour market dynamics, evaluation of social programs, unionization and collective bargaining, and unemployment insurance and social assistance (welfare).

He is co-author of Labour Market Economics: Theory, Evidence and Policy in Canada, Canada's leading labour economics textbook. Professor Riddell is A Canadian Economics Association Fellow, former Head of the Department of Economics at UBC, Past-President of the Canadian Economics Association and former Director of the Canadian Labour Market and Skills Research Network. 

Alfred Hermida, Ph.D., is an award-winning online news pioneer, media scholar and journalism educator. With more than two decades of experience in digital journalism, his research addresses the transformation of news, media innovation, social media and data journalism. He is a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, where he served as director for five years. He is co-lead of the SSHRC-funded Global Journalism Innovation Lab. It examines how new revenue models, new policy frameworks, and new modes of audience engagement can support informed, knowledge-based journalism. He also co-founded The Conversation Canada in 2017. He was a BBC journalist for 16 years, including four in North Africa and the Middle East, before going on to be a founding news editor of the BBC News website in 1997.