Postdoctoral Researchers

Solveig Hanson

 

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm
    Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia

Previously:

  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Horticulture – Plant Breeding Plant Genetics –
    • Minor: Life Sciences Communication
  • B.A. Economics, Grinnell College

Research interests:

Farmer- and consumer-engaged participatory plant breeding; vegetable breeding for organic systems; social dynamics and seed sovereignty potentials of seed systems.

Solveig Hanson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.

Her research explores the practice, science, social dynamics, and seed sovereignty potentials of participatory plant breeding. In her current position, she supports the Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement Project (CANOVI) by leading a participatory carrot breeding project and co-facilitating decentralized Canada-wide vegetable variety trials in partnership with the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.

Solveig holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture-Plant Breeding Plant Genetics with a Ph.D. minor in Life Science Communication (2020) from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell College (2001). Solveig discovered plant breeding after co-owning a direct market vegetable farm and working in organic seed marketing.

More about my research:

Project Website:http://www.seedsecurity.ca/en/programs/creating-seed-diversity/302-canovi

UBC Farm research profile:https://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/csfs-research/canovi/

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Hanson, S.J., Dawson, J.D., and I.L. Goldman. In press. B. vulgaris ssp. vulgaris Chromosome 8 shows significant association with geosmin concentration in table beet. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics.

Hanson, S.J. and I.L. Goldman. 2019. Genotype is Primarily Responsible for Variance in Table Beet Geosmin Concentration, but Complex Genotype x Environment Interactions Influence Variance in Total Dissolved Solids. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 144:429-438.

Dana James

 

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia
  • MPhil (2015): Geography, Newcastle University
  • BSc (2013): Environmental Resource Management, Penn State University
  • BSc (2013): Community, Environment and Development, Penn State University

Research interests:

Dana is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Vanier Scholar at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and a settler of German, Dutch, and British descent. Broadly, her research interests centre on social and environmental justice, with a focus on agroecology, food sovereignty, and land justice. Her doctoral research investigates the spatial distribution of agroecological indicators across Brazil, participation in agroecology movements, and the contributions of agroecology to rural peoples’ well-being. She’s also a community organizer with social movements focused on climate justice and Indigenous self-determination.

Dana graduated from Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College in 2013 with dual degrees in Environmental Resource Management and Community, Environment, and Development, and dual minors in International Agriculture and Watersheds and Water Resources. She was granted a 2013 US-UK Fulbright award to attend Newcastle University, where she completed her MPhil in Geography. At UBC, Dana’s academic and public scholarship are supported by a Vanier CGS Award; UBC’s Public Scholar Initiative, Four Year Doctoral Fellowship, and International Tuition Award; the Liu Institute for Global Issues; Mitacs; P.E.O. International; and SSHRC.

Email at: dana.james@ubc.ca

Publications

Google Scholar

Past Postdoctoral Researchers

Alexandra Lyon

 

Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia

Previously:

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Environment and Resources

M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Agroecology

B.A. Anthropology, Smith College

Co-founder, Student Organic Seed Symposium http://www.soseeds.org/

Research interests:

Seed systems; organic agriculture; diversified cropping systems; participatory evaluation of agricultural technologies; knowledge mobilization for agroecology

Alex Lyon is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. She holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources (2015) and a M.S. in Agroecology (2009) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Anthropology from Smith College (2004). Her research uses participatory and interdisciplinary methods to advance seed systems for resilient agriculture. In her current project, Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement (CANOVI) she leads a network of on-farm research sites across Canada to facilitate participatory plant breeding and variety selection in organic vegetable crops including carrot, pepper, and squash. While serving farming communities on a practical level, this work also explores the current and potential role of public institutions in seed and crop development for diversified agroecosystems.

More about my research:

Project Website: www.bcseedtrials.ca
UBC Farm research profile: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/research-teaching/research/value-chain-innovation/
Vancouver Sun article: http://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/farm-trials-underway-to-establish-commercial-seed-industry-in-b-c

Curriculum Vitae

Recent Publications: 

Lyon, A. H., W. Tracy, M. Colley, P. Culbert, M. Mazourek, J. Myers, J. Zystro, and E. M. Silva.
2019. “Adaptability Analysis in a Participatory Variety Trial of Organic Vegetable Crops.”
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems,
1–17.

Lyon, A. H., E. M. Silva, J. Zystro, and M. M. Bell. 2015.  “Seed and Plant Breeding for Wisconsin’s Organic Vegetable Sector: Understanding Farmers’ Needs.” Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

Luby, C. H., A. H. Lyon, and A. C. Shelton. 2013. “A New Generation of Plant Breeders Discovers Fertile Ground in Organic Agriculture.” Sustainability 5, 6: 2722-2726.

Lyon, A. H., M. M. Bell, C. Gratton, and R. Jackson. 2011. “Farming without a recipe: Wisconsin graziers and new directions for agricultural science.” Journal of Rural Studies 27, 4: 348-393.

Lyon, A.H., M. M. Bell, C. Gratton, and R. Jackson. 2010 “Maculate Conceptions: Power, Process, and Creativity in Participatory Research.” Rural Sociology 75, 4: 538-559.

Lisa Jordan Powell

 

Postdoctoral Fellow, Agriburban Research Centre &

Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia

Department of Geography, University of the Fraser Valley

Previously:

Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin, American Studies & Sustainability

M.A. University of Texas at Austin, American Studies

M.S. Vanderbilt University, Mathematics

B.A. Harvard University, Mathematics
and Foodways Texas Program Coordinator, 2011-2013.

Research interests:

Agriburbia; food systems; food sovereignty; food literacy; agriculture and food policy; land use conflict and negotiations; cultural geography of natural resources extraction; farm to institution

Recent publications:

Powell, L.J. and Wittman, H. 2017. Farm to school in British Columbia: mobilizing food literacy for food sovereignty. Agriculture and Human Values, 1-14.  doi.org/10.1007/s10460-017-9815-7

Newman, L., Powell, L.J., Nickel, J., Anderson, D., Jovanovic, L., Mendez, E., Mitchell, B., Kelly-Freiberg, K. 2017.  Farm stores in agriburbia: The roles of agricultural retail on the rural-urban fringe.  Canadian Food Studies, 4-23.  doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v4i1.211

Powell, LJ, Newman, L., and Kurrein, M. 2016. Agriculture’s Connection to Health: A summary of the evidence relevant to British Columbia. Report for the Provincial Health Services Authority of BC.  Available here.

Newman, L., Powell, LJ. and Wittman, H.  2015. Landscapes of food production in agriburbia: farmland protection and local food movements in British Columbia, Canada.  Journal of Rural Studies. doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.03.006

Powell, LJ., and Engelhardt, E. 2015.  The Perilous Whiteness of Pumpkins.  GeoHumanities. doi: 10.1080/2373566X.2015.1099421

Wittman, H., Powell, LJ., and Corbera, E. 2015. Financing the Agrarian Transition? The Clean Development Mechanism and Agricultural Change in Latin America. Environmental and Planning A.  doi: 10.1068/a130218a.