Q: What is your educational background – schools, degrees, theses of note (etc.)?
Doctor of Philosophy, Biomedical Engineering
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Doctoral thesis: A Neurofeedback-Based Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Brain-Computer Interface
Master of Applied Science, Biomedical Engineering
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
- Master’s thesis: Development and Usability Testing of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Physician-Parent Decision Support Tool (PPADS)
Bachelor of Science, Engineering Chemistry
Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
- Honours thesis: Development, Implementation, and Testing of Temporal QM/MM
Q: Why did you become an engineer – who or what inspired you?
My earliest inspiration to become a Biomedical Engineer was when I was 12 years old. My father, who had severe pancreatitis at the time, was in the hospital. This was a very difficult experience for me, but I remember being thankful to the biomedical engineers who created the machines and tools that helped him during his surgeries and time in the intensive care unit. I have always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and from this moment I realized that biomedical engineers have the power to make a big difference in a lot of lives.
Q: What student experiences of your own do you count as a high point(s) and challenge(s)?
The most impactful experience I have had as a student was during my doctoral research. My thesis supervisor, Dr. Tom Chau, was such an inspiration to me and I owe a lot of my passion, drive, and success to him.
Q: Why did you choose to work at UBC’s Okanagan campus – what brought you here?
Growing up in Victoria, BC, I fell in love with the Okanagan after going on a couple family vacations in the area. When my husband and I were looking for somewhere to move, we visited Kelowna and fell in love with the city, the people, and the University. I am thrilled to be able to call Kelowna my new home.
Q: What are your research interests and current projects?
My areas of research interests include improving undergraduate education to better align the curriculum with life after graduation, adding entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum, and the development of biomedical devices. Currently, I am working on a longitudinal study to track our engineering students post graduation.
Q: What is the significance of your research — what are the implications?
I believe that we need to better understand what our engineering graduates are doing post graduation in order to understand how we can improve the undergraduate curriculum and measure the impact of those improvements. One way that I believe we could significantly improve our undergraduate curriculum is by increasing the entrepreneurial components in the program.
Q: What most excites you about the future of applied sciences? About the School of Engineering?
I think that the future of the School of Engineering and applied science is very exciting and will be filled with a changing curriculum and many new and unique opportunities for our students. I look forward to working with our awesome faculty and staff to continue to improve the curriculum and foster successful and happy students.
Q: What do you like about living in the Okanagan (special hobbies or interests outside of work)?
The Okanagan is an absolutely beautiful place. My husband and I try to spend as much time outside as we can. In the summer, I enjoyed hiking, going to vineyards, and swimming. As it starts to get colder, I look forward to getting involved in winter sports.