The Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) Student Society works to create a stronger sense of community between the various research units in the IOF.
Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of every month in the Hakai Node from 12-1 pm and are open to all students. We are always looking for more students to participate, so feel free to come and share your ideas!
The Student Society plans regular social events throughout the year, including:
- Alumni Night: Fisheries Centre/IOF alumni of various career paths are invited to speak about their experiences since leaving, followed by round-table discussions.
- Whistler Ski trip: Students escape to the slopes for a weekend of outdoor fun
- Fish n’ Chips: An informal seminar where IOF students are invited to give presentations on their current and past work
- Deep Sea Data Squad (DSDS): This group meets every Wednesday from 10-12pm in the Hakai Node for a co-working session in R with the idea of helping each other better understand R programming and create a supportive coding community
- Semi-regular events: BBQs, beach clean-ups, movie nights, potlucks, and more!
The society also awards several travel grants for students each year and organizes fundraisers for charity. Check out upcoming events on the News & Upcoming Events tab below.
If you have any ideas, questions or concerns, please contact the IOF Student Society at IOFStudentSociety@oceans.ubc.ca.
- Graduate Program Information
- Graduate Student Awards from IOF
- Graduate Student Awards from UBC
- IOFSS Travel Grants (See Tab)
- Job Opportunities (External & IOF Jobs)
- Course Listings
- UBC Graduate Student Society Resources (GSS)
- IOF’s 2020/21 Graduate Student Handbook
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The IOF Student Society’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee has been working to create resources that provide information about EDI policies, initiatives, and support within IOF and across UBC. Here are two documents that the Committee created (with assistance from the Equity and Inclusion Office):
- The Expectations and Resources for Creating a Respectful Climate: This describes university policies surrounding EDI, guidelines and resources for what students can do if they have a problem and/or need support, and what we, the IOF Student Society JEDI Committee, can do to help, along with our contact info. Importantly, the university has Codes of Conduct (for students, staff, and faculty) that we are all expected to adhere to, whether on or off campus and even when interacting with people who are not associated with the University. We encourage everyone to become familiar with these Codes of Conduct (links are in the document).
- The second document is an Introduction to Indigenous Relations at UBC, and we hope it will be a valuable resource for everyone, but especially those who are new to BC and/or Canada, and those who are unfamiliar with the University’s efforts for reconciliation (including territorial acknowledgments) and why they are so important and necessary. It includes a list of resources for Indigenous students at UBC, as well as resources for non-Indigenous students who would like to learn more and provide support.

Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society.
Co-President | Ron Togonuv |
Co-President | TBA |
Faculty/Student Representative | Ron Togonuv |
Treasurer | Jessica Schaub |
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Representatives |
Juliano Palacios Abrantes Natalie Benoit Sara Cannon Santiago de la Puente Vanessa Fladmark Stephanie Foucault Lian Kwong Roshni Mangar Annie Mejaes Rebecca Schijns Simon Donner (Faculty Rep) |
Social Committee Members | Adam Hicks Ravi Maharaj Rebecca Schijns Thomas Smith Kristen Sora |
Communications Officer | Caroline Graham |
LAB REPRESENTATIVES | |
Auger-Methe Lab | Katie Florko Ron Togonuv |
CORU Lab | Juliano Abrantes Palacios Ravi Maharaj |
Christensen Lab | Santiago de la Puente |
Donner Lab | Sara Cannon |
Harley Lab | TBA |
Hunt Lab | Jessica Schaub |
McAllister Lab | TBA |
Pakhomov Lab | Lian Kwong |
Sea Around Us Lab | Rebecca Schijns |
Rosenfeld Lab | Thomas Smith |
FERU/OceanCanada Lab | Tim Cashion |
MMRU Lab | Rhea Storlund |
Project Seahorse Lab | Adam Hicks |
Post-doc Representative | Sarah Fortune |
Upcoming Events
Seminar for Gender Minorities in ScienceWednesday, September 18, 2019
1:00-2:30pm
Location: Hakai Node
RSVP: Email l.kwong_at_oceans.ubc.ca
Deep Sea Data Squad (DSDS) | every Wednesday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Location: Hakai Node |
IOF Camping Trip | October 5th – 6th, 2019 Alouette Group Campsite in Golden Ears Provincial Park (about a 1.5 hour drive from UBC) Sign up by September 20! |
Awards & Published Papers
IOFSS Summer Travel Grant Recipients (2019)
Congratulations to Juliano Palacios-Abrantes and Patricia Woodruff as the recipients of the IOF Student Society Travel Grant 2019 – Summer! We would like to thank all applicants for taking the time to apply for the travel grant and we encourage those applicants to apply again in the future.
Several times each year, the IOFSS offers the opportunity for students to apply for travel grants. Valued at $500 each, these grants support student research by providing funding for research-related travel.
There are no grant opportunities available at this time. Check back soon!
Previous Grant Recipients
IOFSS Summer Travel Grant Recipients (2019)
Congratulations to Juliano Palacios-Abrantes and Patricia Woodruff as the recipients of the IOF Student Society Travel Grant 2019 – Summer!
We would like to thank all applicants for taking the time to apply for the travel grant and we encourage those applicants to apply again in the future.
IOFSS Ski Trip & Snowshoeing
![]() Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
![]() Photo: Rebecca Schjins. |
IOFSS Chinese New Year Lunch
![]() Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
![]() Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
IOFSS Fish Farm Trip
![]() Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |
![]() Photo courtesy of the IOF Student Society. |