The University of British Columbia (UBC) is consistently ranked among the top 40 best in the world. UBC attracts over 58,000 students from over 140 countries to its two major campuses – the Vancouver Campus and the Okanagan Campus.
Mr. Killam had several pulp and paper business interests in the province of British Columbia which made Mrs. Killam select this university as one of her beneficiaries.
UBC boasts several Killam laureates, including Nobel Prize (in chemistry) Dr. Michael Smith who had received a Killam Teaching Prize and a Killam Faculty Research Fellowship during his years at the UBC. In addition, the Canada Council for the Arts awarded 15 Killam Prizes – Engineering (3), Natural Sciences (4), Health Sciences (5), Social Sciences (2), and Humanities (1); and 56 Killam Research Fellowships to UBC researchers.
Since the transition of the national program to the National Research Council, in 2023 the UBC now counts two additional Killam Prize recipients, one in each of Natural Sciences and Health Sciences.
Killam Awards at UBC
Killam Doctoral Scholarships
Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC. Approximately 15-20 awards are made each year to the top doctoral candidates in the Affiliated Fellowships competition.
Donald N. Byers Memorial Killam Prize
This award was created by UBC in 2002 in memory of Donald N. Byers who was the Managing Trustee of the Killam Trusts for 27 years. Donald Byers worked closely with Dorothy Killam to establish the Killam scholarships and awards.
The prize is awarded to the highest-ranking Killam Doctoral Fellow in the annual Affiliated Fellowships competition.
Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
These research fellowships are offered to candidates who have shown outstanding ability in any field of academic research and who wish to pursue postdoctoral research at UBC.
Killam Postdoctoral Fellow Research Prizes
These prizes are awarded to full-time Postdoctoral Fellows at UBC in recognition of outstanding research and scholarly contributions while at UBC.
Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships
The Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships are intended to support exceptional early career researchers across all disciplines who have the potential for significant impact in their field of scholarship and are ready to launch the next stage of their career.
Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring
These awards recognize one senior and one mid-career faculty member’s outstanding ability to create effective working relationships and constructive interactions that offer appropriate guidance, feedback and support; and involve encouragement, openness, trust and mutual respect.
Killam Faculty Research Fellowships
These research fellowships are are open to all full-time tenure-stream faculty members, who wish to devote full time to research and study in their field during a recognized study leave.
Killam Faculty Research Prizes
Each year, up to ten Killam Faculty Research Prizes are awarded to full-time tenure-stream faculty members in recognition of outstanding research and scholarly contributions in all fields of research.
Killam Teaching Prizes and Awards
The Killam Teaching Prizes are awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence in teaching.
The Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (GTA) recognizes those who will have demonstrated skills, abilities and contributions that result in a high level of respect from undergraduate students and academic or course supervisors.
The Teaching Prizes and Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards are adjudicated within each Faculty.
