Graduate Program: PhD
Supervisors: Dr. Valerie M LeMay and Dr. Gary Bull
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Tags: BiometricsConifersGeneticsTree Breeding
Why did you choose UBC?
I studied Applied Statistics at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, and have always had a great interest in applied fields where I could utilize my statistical background and work in nature. UBC is one of the best schools in Canada having well equipped biometrics labs and reputed faculty members in this field. Besides, the tuition fee for international students is reasonable at UBC and also scholarship and funding opportunity are lucrative compared to any other university in Canada. Therefore, UBC had to be my first choice.
My PhD research is on quantifying the impacts of using tree breading in Canada where species of interests are white spruce, black spruce and Norway spruce. Analyzing the genetic improvement using all possible research works that has already been done through meta-analysis. The research area includes spruce tree breeding in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and New Brunswick.
What has been the highlight of your experience?
UBC gave me the opportunity to make a huge number of multicultural friends. I have gained a lot of professional experiences through working as a teaching assistant in different graduate and undergraduate courses, guest lecturing in a Graduate level course. The overall environment in UBC is very welcoming for an international student. It made me feel like part of the community where I can contribute. I gained a number of volunteering experiences while working in the Graduate Student Society (GSS), acting as a bridge between GSS and Forestry Graduate Student Association (FGSA) and through organizing various social events.
Future Plans
In future I hope to continue to progress my research carrier further and also work for the development of forest resource management of Bangladesh.