International Day of Women and Girls in Science – Sunday March 8, 2026, 1 - 4:30pm
The UBC Department of Chemistry is excited to invite girls and female identifying undergraduate individuals to join our international day of girls and women in science celebrations!
Schedule
Experimental Demonstrations
Panel Discussion - Featuring Distinguished Women in Chemistry
Dr. Andrea Terpstra, Lecturer at UBC Chemistry
Dr. Macarena Cataldo, CEO & Co-Founder of Viridis Research
Dr. Vishakha Monga, Associate Professor of Teaching at UBC Chemistry
Dr. Sharon Sun, Scientist II at Cytiva
Cindy Toh, Operations Manager at Agilent Technologies
Please note this is a ticketed event. See event details and purchase tickets here.
2025 Chemistry Alumni Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2025 UBC Chemistry Alumni Award winners, Dr. Renata Oballa (Alumni Award of Distinction) and Dr. Janet Ochola (Young Alumnus Award)!
Alumni Award of Distinction | Dr. Renata Oballa, BSc ’89, PhD '95
This award recognizes an alumnus whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide inspiration and leadership to students and other alumni. The recipient has shown significant leadership either in their professional career and/or community service.
Renata recently retired after 27 years as a Medicinal Chemist in the Pharmaceutical industry. Her last position was VP at Chinook Therapeutics, a company she co-founded and where she headed up the chemistry group, research operations and was the Vancouver site head. Chinook was acquired in 2023 by Novartis for their kidney assets. The research group at Chinook has recently spun out to form Borealis BioSciences and Renata is an advisor/consultant to this team.
Prior to Chinook, Renata was VP of Chemistry at Inception Sciences Canada where she and her team played a key role in the development of small molecule candidates for the treatment of AMD and oncology, including the acquisition of an HtrA1 development candidate by Iveric and the development of the EP2/EP4 dual antagonist TPST-1495 by Tempest. Previously, Renata was Director of Chemistry at Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Merck with expertise across multiple disease areas including pain, anti-infectives, diabetes and osteoporosis. She was a key contributor to the development of Odanacatib and the team lead responsible for MK-8245. Renata received her Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Edward Piers (UBC) and conducted post-doctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Ian Paterson (University of Cambridge, UK).
Young Alumnus Award | Dr. Janet Ochola, PhD '18
This award recognizes a young alumnus (aged 35 or under) whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide inspiration and leadership to students and other young alumni. The recipient has shown significant leadership either in their professional career and/or community service.
Dr. Rispah Janet Ochola is a chemistry educator and researcher dedicated to inclusive and innovative approaches. Since 2018, she has been a Faculty Member in the Chemistry Department at Douglas College, teaching The Chemistry of Cooking, Introductory Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. Her research-based teaching strategies foster scientific literacy and critical thinking, while inspiring learners to view science as rigorous yet accessible and culturally relevant. Dr. Ochola earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia supervised by Dr. Michael Wolf, where her research advanced the understanding of photocatalytic reactions for organic synthesis and carbon dioxide conversion to fuels. Her current research continues to explore photocatalysis as a sustainable, light-driven approach to chemical processes. Beyond the classroom, she leads outreach programs that expand access to science education for underrepresented communities. She coordinates co-op placements for visiting secondary school students and organizes hands-on events, such as experiments with the Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS). As a BC Regional Node Ambassador for the Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN), she amplifies diversity in science through provincial engagement and national conferences. Through teaching, research, and community service, Dr. Ochola inspires and prepares the next generation of scientists.
Learn about our previous alumni award winners here.
