Environmental Science Professor Dr. Stephen Déry is named Rio Tinto Research Chair in Climate Change and Water Security. Ecosystem Science and Management Associate Professor Dr. Eduardo Martins is appointed Rio Tinto Research Chair in Climate Change and Freshwater Fish Ecology.

UNBC researchers get a boost through the Lab to Market grants program, which provides targeted support to move research discoveries toward commercialization. The program empowers faculty to transform laboratory breakthroughs into practical technologies and services that serve industry and community needs. UNBC will lead the North Strategy in collaboration with Lakehead and Yukon Universities to develop commercialization and entrepreneurship training across Canada’s North and engagement with Indigenous communities. 

Dr. Anurag Singh, an assistant professor with the UBC Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, is the inaugural director of the Northern Centre for Clinical Research.  

The First Nations Centre received gifted drums from the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre to support ceremony, healing and connection for incarcerated participants, reflecting the University’s commitment to culture-based education and reconciliation in diverse learning settings.

Longtime UNBC faculty members Drs. Ellen Petticrew and Philip Owens were honoured with the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia, recognizing decades of leadership, research excellence and student mentorship that have shaped academic programs and strengthened UNBC’s impact across northern B.C.

The agreement further strengthens a longstanding collaborative relationship between the LTFN and UNBC and is a meaningful response to the University’s commitment to act on Truth and Reconciliation.

Hayden Leo combines hands-on learning, Indigenous knowledge and sustainability in UNBC’s Forest Ecology and Management Program. As he works toward becoming a Registered Professional Forester, he is applying his education to real-world forestry challenges and shaping a more inclusive industry. Leo's commitment to forestry and sustainability earned him recognition in the Canadian Forest Industries' Wood Business magazine’s 2024 “Top 20 Under 40” issue. 

Supported by a national scholarship award, UNBC PhD student Ahmad Jalil is expanding his research into the impacts of black carbon on air quality during an internship at the University of California, Davis and NASA to help advance public health solutions.

The University community gathers to celebrate UNBC's 32nd Convocation at the Prince George campus, with regional celebrations in Terrace, Gitwinksihlkw, Fort St. John and Quesnel. More than 780 credentials are awarded. Dr. Christine Añonuevo earns the Governor General's Gold Medal after completing her PhD in Health Sciences. Bachelor of Nursing graduate Megan Wilson earned the Governor General's Silver Medal. 

Over the last twenty years, starting with matriarch Elaine Hauck, five members of the Hauck family have received degrees through UNBC, all of whom have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of others. 

UNBC unveils the new name for the Seawise Biopolymer Processing Lab. It is the first laboratory at UNBC dedicated to producing plant-based biopolymer samples for research purposes. The name recognizes a generous equipment donation from Brown’s Bay Packing Company Ltd. and its subsidiary Seawise Innovating Packaging.

The David Douglas Botanical Garden Society announces the name for its newest garden at the Prince George campus. The Khasdzoon Yusk’ut Botanical Garden celebrates its role as a place of teaching, healing, and connection to the land.

UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne announces he will be leaving his role to take a new job with Michael Smith Health Research BC. Dr. Payne joined UNBC as a faculty member in 2004 and served as President from 2020-2025.

UNBC and Wilp Wilx̱o’oskwhl Nisg̱a’a Institute mark the next chapter in their partnership with a renewed 30-year federated agreement supporting Indigenous education and community collaboration. The agreement also lays out commitments related to advancing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as meaningful responses to Truth and Reconciliation and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, specifically those calling for changes in education, research, health and well-being, and Indigenous language and culture.

Dr. Bill Owen begins his role as Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Owen, a longtime UNBC professor, researcher and administrator is appointed for a term of up to 18 months.

Dr. Shannon Freeman is UNBC’s newest Canada Research Chair. Freeman was appointed a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, awarded to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead their field. As the Canada Research Chair in Technology Adoption for Aging in the North, Freeman will collaborate nationally and internationally to continue her work in finding ways for people to use technology to be able to live independently as they age. 

A research studio is renamed in honour of the late Lheidli T’enneh Elder Edith “Edie” Frederick, recognizing her guidance and contributions to community-based research and reconciliation efforts at UNBC. Among her many contributions, Edie was played a central role in providing Dakelh translations and names for the University and important campus spaces. She was part of the group that offered the Dakelh name for the University of Northern British Columbia — Nizdeh Nekeyoh Hohudel’eh Baiyoh (House of Learning) — and she personally chose the name Tseba (by the fire) for The Firepit in the Agora Courtyard.