Urban Systems
Instruction and Leadership Team
Instruction Team
The instructors for the MEL in Urban Systems are renowned experts who have built strong connections and research partnerships with leading industry players.
Konrad Siu
Konrad Siu is an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Engineering Leadership in Urban Systems program, with 40 years of strategic leadership experience in managing infrastructure. He recently retired from the City of Edmonton. Prior to his retirement, he was the Transformation Manager responsible for leading a departmental transformation and coordinating the establishment of a new Integrated Infrastructure Services department. He was Executive Director of a drainage tunnelling and open cut team for three years from 2012 to 2015 and was the Director of the Office of Infrastructure and Funding Strategy from 2000 to 2012. His expertise has led to the development of advanced asset management techniques, such as a risk-based infrastructure management system, that facilitates civic decision-making and the prioritization of infrastructure investment.
Dr. Alan Russell
Alan Russell is Professor Emeritus and former Head, Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and is the holder of a Chair in Computer Integrated Design and Construction. Dr. Russell’s current research and consulting activities include: public and private sector analysis of alternative procurement modes (DBB, DBF, P3, etc.) with a focus on risk management (identification, quantification, response); public sector comparator analysis (Value for Money); risk management by the public sector client; and design of client project management/oversight teams. The topics of strategy, data visualization, innovation assessment, project profiling for risk identification, and public sector financing mechanisms constitute the current focus of his research work.
Dr. Dana Vanier
Dr. Vanier is currently involved in both strategic and client research that assists organizations to manage sustainable urban infrastructure. His career experience has included the graphical visualization of heat loss, 3D computer graphics, computer aided design, integrated databases, automation of the National Building Code of Canada, and for the past 10 years, asset management. He was a researcher at NRC for 23 years, and has worked as a researcher with the Federal government of Canada for 25 years total.
Dana Vanier teaches the course URSY 550: Infrastructure Asset Management
The UBC Sauder Robert H. Lee Graduate School business instructors for the MEL in Urban Systems are renowned experts who lead the way in Canada and internationally in business and management research and knowledge dissemination.
Ryan Rad
Dr. Ryan Rad is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Applied Science and currently teaches Analytics and Interpretation for Applied Sciences for the Master of Engineering Leadership. Ryan has a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from the University of Guilan, a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Malaya, and a PhD in Applied Sciences from Simon Fraser University. Having roots in entrepreneurship and business, Ryan worked as a researcher, engineer, team lead, and product manager for several startups and companies, including Microsoft. Dr. Rad is currently research active in machine learning, computer vision, and AI for suitability.
Justin Bull
Justin is the academic director for the MEL and MHLP programs and a lecturer at the UBC Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School and Chair of the Sustainability and Ethics Group. He teaches extensively on sustainability, innovation and strategy, with a focus on graduate and executive learners. He has worked with big companies – like IKEA, Lyft, and Rolling Stone – to implement climate innovations. Justin serves as an advisor and board member to several technology starts-ups and First Nations in Canada. He graduated with a BA in International Relations and a PhD in Wood Science from the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Wayne Rawcliffe
Dr. Wayne Rawcliffe is an instructor in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Division at UBC Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School, where he teaches HR courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and specifically teaches Organizational Leadership course for the MEL and MHLP. He is a faculty mentor for several HR case competitions and Master’s in Management community projects supervisor. His community involvement has included being a Director on the Calgary Family Service Bureau Board and Director of the Kensington String Orchestra Board, and he is currently the Director of the Coast Social Enterprise Council, Director of the BC Organizational Development Network, and an active mentor for the BCO.
Amy Stanley
Amy Stanley received her BA in Sociology, MSc in International Human Resource Management, and Post Doctorate Diploma in Human Resource Management. With a 20-year career and 8 years of experience working in HR roles, Amy currently serves as the Adjunct Professor in the UBC Sauder School of Business Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Division. A Certified Executive Coach through Royal Roads University, Amy was also awarded the Associate Certified Coach status from the International Coach Foundation. Adding to her previous experiences, she continues to conduct helpful training workshops for large organizations to create an optimized working environment.
Dr. Erika Wong
Dr. Erika Wong received her MA in Creative Practice for Narrative Environment from Central St. Martins in London, England, and PhD in Business from the University of Brighton. She is a sessional lecturer in the UBC Sauder School of Business Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Division and teaches Program Management and Leadership course for the MEL and MHLP. Dr. Wong is also a start-up founder, practicing artist, and podcast co-host. Her research looks at the valuation and legitimization system of the Art World and its relationship to the Creative Class, focusing on creative entrepreneurship and current technologies.
Leadership Team
Get to know the Urban Systems Co-Directors who are leading the program.
Dr. Stephanie E. Chang
Dr. Stephanie E. Chang is a UBC professor with a joint appointment in the School of Community and Regional Planning and the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability. She held a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Disaster Management and Urban Sustainability from 2004 to 2013. Much of Dr. Chang’s work aims to bridge the gap between engineering, natural sciences and social sciences in addressing the complex issues of natural disasters.
Read the full profile of Dr. Stephanie E. Chang.
Dr. Amy Kim
Dr. Amy Kim is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and co-director of the MEL in Urban Systems. Her work focuses on supporting strategies for climate change adaptation and resilience in large-scale, long-distance multimodal transportation systems. She uses novel empirical analyses and interdisciplinary approaches to inform network assessments and optimization problems, towards informing decision-support and policy-making processes.
Read the full profile of Dr. Amy Kim.
Application Deadlines
The online application portal for the January 2025 intake is now open!
Applications are due June 25, 2024.
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