Message from the Chair

Dear Potential Students and Visitors:

Welcome to our Department of Renewable Resources. We, a team of inspirational teachers, fervent students, and endowed researchers, teach and work on issues that matter for Albertans and Canadians.

The Department is among the best both nationally and internationally in terms of quality of research and training much needed for the next generation of scientists and workforce to address the grand challenges for the environmental sciences, sustainable agriculture, soil sciences, and forestry in the province and beyond. Also, close ties to the government and industry greatly is unique in Canada and enhances the department’s positioning. The department has outstanding resources in terms of space, infrastructure, core facilities as well as excellent support staff.

The Department offers incredible choice and opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to choose from rich courses and a large breadth of our faculty research interest. We resolutely believe that excellence in research leads to effective teaching and the inherent effort of explaining complex environmental issues leads to new research and teaching opportunities. Our students are integral to the learning that transpires in Renewable Resources and we maintain high standards for both our instructors and students.

As a Chair, one of my priorities is to build further on the department’s academic strengths, while also addressing a lack of critical mass in some of the emerging fields such as indigenous resource management and many others. My strategy is to tap into unique resources and help to build synergies within and between departments to bring in new hires and expand resources. Furthermore, engagement with external stakeholders in agriculture, forestry and environment sectors are critical for fostering innovation. 

We invite you to explore our website, enroll in our courses, join our undergraduate and graduate programs, carry out cutting-edge research, engage our faculty and staff and enter the diverse and interesting world of Environment. It will give you the power to improve the quality of our daily life. I hope you will join our community of scholars, make the most of the opportunities we offer, and build a rewarding career.

Nadir Erbilgin
Professor of Forest Entomology and Chemical Ecology
Chair, Department of Renewable Resources
erbilgin@ualberta.ca