ZOOTAILS - August 2026

ZOOTAILS

August, 2026

The newsletter from the
Department of Zoology at UBC

https://zoology.ubc.ca/

Find all previous Zootails here

Deadlines & important upcoming dates

FOR EVERYONE

Vote to choose the 2026 Zoology Golden Donut Winner! - cast your vote by August 17

Our voting page for this year's Zoology Golden Donut Award is up! Come take a look at this year's nominees and how they've all contributed to our Zoology community.

VOTE HERE

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS & PI's

2026/27 Student Funding Summaries application close on October 22

Mimi is in the process of sending out September 2026 – August 2027 funding summaries to students based on information supervisors provided. Students and supervisors are encouraged to discuss the plans as needed. Here are some resources both parties can refer to:

2026/27 Funding Policy

How students are paid via Workday

Enrolment Services

Or reach out to Mimi: zool.gradprgm@ubc.ca

2026W Term 1 Tuition Deadline Deferrals

A friendly reminder to graduate students who are waiting for their GRA or GTA salaries to pay Winter Term 1 tuition and need a tuition deadline deferral to November 30, applications are open until August 31 for 2026 Winter Term 1:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cw0JHfpA16wf2RM

Please note: Mimi will begin putting in GRA and Biology GTA appointments in August; students won’t be able to apply for the deferral until they have a Term 1 appointment in Workday so please let Mimi know if you’re planning to apply for this deferral and she will prioritize your appointment for processing so it’s in Workday earlier.

***Students with tuition awards typically don’t need this deadline deferral unless they require more time to pay their student fees, which share the same deadline as tuition but is not covered by tuition awards.

FOR FACULTY & GRADUATE STUDENTS

Recruiting Faculty and Grad Student volunteers for Biology Imagine Day mixer! - Imagine Day Sept 8th Tuesday

We're looking for faculty and grad student volunteers who want to join us for our lunch mixer (over pizza!) to share your research experience with Biology students.

Please reach out to Jessica Ni (jessica.ni@ubc.ca) if you're interested!

Imagine UBC

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS & POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

CBW Workshop — High-Throughput Genomics, November 4-6, 2026, application close on October 22

A three-day, hands-on Canadian Bioinformatics Workshop (CBW) covering the tools for managing and interpreting high-throughput sequencing data, short- and long-read. Workshop is capped at 28 participants.

- Early-bird pricing (CAD $864) ends September 4. After that, the fee is CAD $1,064,

More information

FOR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Applications for a 2027 Liber Ero fellowship are now open! - deadline of November 1, 2026

The Liber Ero Fellowship Program supports exceptional post-doctoral fellows who address pressing conservation challenges of relevance to Canada.

For more details

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS & POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

RNA Innovation @ UBC Catalyst Grant - applicationapplications will close September 22, 2026

This funding opportunity is designed to stimulate new interdisciplinary collaborations, accelerate innovative RNA-focused research, and catalyze the development of projects that position investigators for future external funding, partnerships, and translational impact.

More information

FOR EVERYONE

2026 BRC news and upcoming events!

Judith Mank will serve as interim director from July 1st 2026 to June 30 2027
Bevraginos is continuing throughout the summer. All BRC members across campus are welcome Fridays at 4:00 pm
SAVE THE DATE: Eco-Evo Retreat - November 11 - 13, 2026

BRC events calendar

ZEDI - Zoology Equity Diversity Inclusion

The Zoology Equity Diversity Inclusion (ZEDI) committee is here to address concerns and promote EDI in the department. These concerns could apply to any group of individuals who work or study in our department, including undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, administrative and research staff, and teaching and research faculty. For example, last October ZEDI hosted an event for undergraduates on tips and approaches to get started in research at UBC.

If you have a concern, comment, or suggestion please reach out to us using this anonymous Qualtrics survey, or directly via email at zoology.edi@zoology.ubc.ca.

Gift to Zoology

Dal and Vera’s Plaque delivery

🟣 AWARDS AND FUNDING 🟣

Faculty Research Awards — call for nominations, expression of intent by the end of September 15; final submission by the end of November 16:

The Killam Emerging Faculty Research Fellowship: recognizing faculty members at the earliest stages of their careers who are poised for substantial international impact
The Engaged Research Award: recognizing faculty members who are committed to engaged research and knowledge exchange with non-academic communities
The Innovation Award: recognizing individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to creating societal and economic value through sponsored research, technology transfer, and entrepreneurial activities

Check submission process

Zoology Internal pages / Awards list

Google drive spreadsheet

Committees and other units - updates

BIOLOGY Program:

Bio News - connecting you to what's happening in the UBC Biology Program

CTLT:

Teaching Development Program: September 17, 2026–May 15, 2027 | Hybrid
Apply by September 10: https://ctlt.ubc.ca/tdp
Faculty Instructional Skills Workshop: August 4, 5, 6 & 7 | In-person
Register: https://ctlt.ubc.ca/fisw
New Faculty Teaching Orientation: August 17 | 9:30 am–1:30 pm | In-person
Register: https://ctlt.ubc.ca/nfto
CTLT Summer Institute: August 17–20 | In-person & Online
Browse events: https://ctlt.ubc.ca/summerinstitute
Course Design Intensive: August 10, 12, 14 & 24.
Apply by August 6: https://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events/course-design-intensive/

Reminders

BIOLOGY COMMUNITY PANTRY - please contribute to replenish the pantry!

Who is it for? Biology undergraduate students

Where is it? Biosciences, 2nd floor, East wing

REFUNDABLE CONTAINER RECYCLING in Biological Science Building: 100% of the money collected will go to purchase food for the Biology Community Pantry ⬆️

⬅️ Look out for the refundable recycling bins