Each year, UBC’s Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships (KARFs) support six exceptional early career researchers to pursue research projects with the potential for significant impact in their field of study. The KARFs are made possible through the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies established through a bequest from the late Dorothy J. Killam, and provide two years of funding for focused research.
Hear what four of our 2024-2026 recipients discovered and sample the incredible breadth of research and scholarly activity across our two campuses.
The questions they tackled may be ones you have pondered already—or things you never thought to ask. Their insights are equally fascinating and revealing.
Learn how tiny particles of dirt can change what lions eat; how new technologies are shaping the response to virus outbreaks; the unexpected connections that shaped the history of sexuality; and how the hidden structures of shapes and knots can help us solve the most vexing problems.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Dodson Room (room 302)
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
1961 East Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1
2:30pm – doors open and reception
3:00pm – presentations begin
3:45pm – coffee break
3:55pm – presentations resume
4:40pm – event concludes
Register to attend. Space is limited.
Presenters:
- Prof. Adam Ford (Biology, UBC Okanagan)
Coexistence, Connectivity, and Conservation in a Human-Dominated World
- Prof. Kyle Frackman (Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies, UBC Vancouver)
Silkworms and Sparks: Wiring Early Queer Networks
- Prof. Liam Watson (Mathematics, UBC Vancouver)
Hidden Structures: from topology to algebra, and back again
- Prof. Vikramaditya Yadav (Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC Vancouver)
Biomanufacturing 4.0: Reimagining the Future of Vaccine Production
Dr. Adam Ford
Adam Ford is a wildlife ecologist at UBC Okanagan whose research explores how human activities shape the relationships between predators, prey, and ecosystems. Using tools such as GPS tracking, trail cameras, satellite imagery, and field experiments, he investigates how roads, industry, and other forms of development influence wildlife movement and survival. His work spans landscapes from British Columbia to the savannas of Kenya and includes collaborations with Indigenous communities to study how cultural and prescribed fire can support healthy wildlife habitats. Through his research, Ford is helping identify pathways for people and wildlife to coexist in a rapidly changing world.
Dr. Liam Watson
Liam Watson is a mathematician whose research explores the deep connections between algebra and geometry. His research is situated in low-dimensional topology, a discipline in which algebraic structures are used to study simple but highly flexible objects, such as knots. His work develops tools for understanding how these algebraic structures decompose when knots are broken up into simpler atomic pieces, called tangles, invoking an approach that goes back to the 1970s. Despite the apparent complexity of this subject matter, it leads to a highly visual and hands-on way of thinking about subtle algebraic objects, which has led to outward-facing experiments such at Mathematical Research Postcards as a means of showing the process of doing mathematics.
Dr. Kyle Frackman
Kyle Frackman is a scholar of German media, literature, and queer history whose research examines how cultural objects and forms of communication shape and are shaped by queer experience. His work explores the historical development of gender and sexual identities through media, science, and cultural networks. Through his Killam Accelerator project, Frackman investigates surprising sites of queer connection, from print culture and silkworm cultivation to scientific ideas about electricity and the body. His research offers fresh perspectives on how identities are formed, expressed, and shared across time.
Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav
Vikram Yadav is a leading Canadian synthetic biologist, entrepreneur, and educator whose work bridges scientific discovery and real-world innovation. His research focuses on developing technologies that make vaccine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing faster, more efficient, and more affordable. Through collaborations with industry and the creation of new ventures, Yadav is helping strengthen Canada's capacity to respond to future health challenges while training the next generation of leaders in biotechnology. His work demonstrates how cutting-edge science can be translated into solutions with global impact.
The Killam Research Accelerator Fellowships are offered as part of UBC’s program of scholarships, fellowships and prizes generously funded through the Killam Trusts.