Meet the Team
Dr. Gary Bull-Project Supervisor
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Research areas: Aboriginal Forestry, Business Management, Climate Change, Economics, Genomics, International Trade, Modelling
Dr. Bull’s early career work included consulting with forest products companies, resource-based communities, various government agencies, and environmental NGOs. Internationally, Dr. Bull has worked with organizations such as the Climate and Land Use Alliance, the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna, the International Institute for Environment and Development in London, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, the Sustainable Biomass Partnership, and the US Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. Dr. Bull has also supervised research projects with CIFOR, World Bank, Shell Canada, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF, Iisaak Forest Resources Ltd., Forest Trends, and FAO. Dr. Bull’s background is in commerce and he holds three Forestry degrees, specializing in economics and policy. He has interests in global forestry policy issues and studies forest and timber markets in Asia and ecosystem services markets in Afghanistan, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and Uganda. In Canada, he has focused his efforts on working on sustainable business development with First Nations communities. Dr. Bull is a strong advocate for interdisciplinary research which has been an important guiding principle in the progress and development of the Genomics in Society project.
Priya Puri-Project Manager
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Hometown: Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada – currently resides on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nations
Priya recently graduated from UBC’s Faculty of Forestry with her Bachelor of Science Honours in Forest Sciences. Priya’s area of concentration was a combination of genetics, genomics, physiology, and pathology, and her honour’s thesis focused on the spatial ecology and driving factors of disease on Arbutus menziesii. She is interested in holistic research approaches that consider various levels of ecosystem interactions from a microbe to a landscape scale. As a Project Co-coordinator, Priya assisted in outreach to Indigenous community members, forestry genomics researchers, educators, industry professionals, and other relevant individuals to participate in various project activities. Priya also aided in assembling and collaborating with the Advisory Committee whose feedback was invaluable, incredibly educational, and integral to the progress of this project, particularly in the guidance they provided on how to meaningfully engage with and incorporate Indigenous knowledge into the project. Priya later moved into the management position on this project where she curated, edited, and assembled all of the content into the five initial StoryMaps. As manager, Priya was also responsible for project communications, including the dissemination of materials and addressing feedback from reviewers. In her free time, Priya plays field hockey and enjoys hiking, running, and any activity that gets her outside! She also enjoys daily walks and playtime with her dog, taking care of and collecting houseplants, reading novels, and spending time with family and friends.
Tonya Smith-Project Co-coordinator
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Hometown: 3rd generation Canadian settler born on the Territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations (Sidney, British Columbia, Canada)
Tonya is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Forestry at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry with an extensive educational background including a Master of Forestry from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Science in Forest Sciences from the University of Eastern Finland (ABD), and a Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia. Tonya was so grateful to be involved in project planning, recruitment and interviewing of genomics professors and students as part of the Genomics in Society project. They consider it to be an honour to interview genomics researchers and to learn about how these people understand the interactions between the work they do, and the rights and knowledge held by Indigenous communities. An important part of the project planning and recruitment involved planning ethical pathways to engage with Indigenous knowledge holders and teachers. Outside of school, Tonya enjoys gardening and herbalism, reading, knitting and crocheting, swimming in nature, and being with friends, family and animals.
Tomiyosi Bola-Project Co-coordinator
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Hometown: Ilaje, Ondo State, Nigeria – currently resides on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Musqueam First Nations
Tomiyosi is a current Master’s of Science student at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry and is studying forest biometrics and statistical modelling. His past studies were done in forestry and wood technology at the Federal University of Technology in Akure, Nigeria. As a Project Co-Coordinator, Tomiyosi was involved in reaching out to and conducting interviews with researchers, academic institutions, and organizations for collaborations with the Genomics in Society project. He also participated in developing content for the Genomics in Society website, creating a facilitator’s guide, and establishing the context and importance of the focal issue in genomics and forestry. When he’s not in class or the lab, Tomiyosi likes to play ping pong (table tennis), watch football games, play soccer, watch movies, hang out with friends, go to the beach, cycle in the woods, and listen to music.
Allison Gacad-Project Co-coordinator
She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada – currently resides on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Musqueam First Nations
Allison is currently an undergraduate in the Global Resource Systems program with a specialization in Plant Biology and Sustainable Agriculture at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Allison is further interested in research about plant-microbe-insect interactions. As a project co-coordinator, she conducted interviews with forestry genomics researchers across the country, learning about their work to protect forests in a changing climate. At the same time, she developed an Advisory Committee to incorporate other ways of knowing, with particular focus on Indigenous forms of knowledge. Overall, her work contributed to the development of the pilot StoryMap that aimed to communicate holistic perspectives around forests, genomics, and climate change to high school students. When she’s not in school, Allison enjoys rock climbing, cycling, snowboarding, baking, and hosting dinner for friends (and she looks forward to hosting those gatherings again when COVID-19 allows!).