Our instructors

Maryam Raiyat Aliabadi

Maryam R. Aliabadi, BSc, MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, PhD in Computer Science, is a Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia.

Guided by a passion for innovation, Maryam’s academic focus shifted towards applied machine learning for Cyber-Physical Systems during her PhD studies. She has over 10 years of international industrial experience as an R&D engineer in international companies and four years of teaching experience in international universities such as UBC and New York Tech.

Her commitment to the digital world's security extends beyond academia as the trailblazer behind cyber security education for children through gamification.

Gabriel Reygondeau

Alexandra Richmond

Alexandra Richmond has an MSc in International Marketing Communication Strategy, an MEd, and 13 years of experience in organizational administration and education. She is very involved with public and private sector organizations and teaches extensively both in the classroom and in the boardroom.

Chantale Roy

Chantale Roy is a French instructor and translator with over 20 years of teaching experience. Her studies in health sciences and education at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Temiscamingue and in translation at the University of Saint-Boniface have fed her passion for expressing life in all forms, including words. She has developed and taught several online reading and writing courses, and has instructed in-class and online language courses for UBC Extended Learning and for the government of Canada. She enjoys working in the field of translation as she feels it combines both art and science. Different translation techniques joined with the ability to feel the meaning of a text allow a reader to access the wonderful world of a second or a third language.

Rita Santillan

Rita Santillan holds a Master's degree in Educational Technology, and a BEd with a specialization in teaching foreign languages. She has also earned a Spanish Teaching Certificate from the Instituto Cervantes in Spain, and a Certificate in Translation and Interpretation from the University of California. Originally from Peru, Rita came to UBC in 2008.

Cristina Schaurich

Kelly Shiohira

Kelly Shiohira, BA, MA, MSc, is a Director of the Global Science of Learning Education Network and a prominent strategist recognized for her work in areas of literacy, connecting education to the world of work, and the use of AI and Technology in Education.

Kelly has worked on large-scale projects and works across the value chain of planning, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation to design, deliver and evaluate educational interventions. She particularly works in the areas of literacy, connecting education to the world of work and the use of AI and Technology in Education. Her past projects include several blended learning programs for teachers and learners, including the Bridges to the Future South Africa 2 initiative, a literacy through technology program in four African languages that won the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy.

Kelly is one of the authors of the UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Students and leads an international working group focusing on its implementation. Her publications include Understanding the Implications of AI on Skills Development, K-12 AI Curricula: A mapping of government-endorsed AI curricula and Proceed with Caution: The Pitfalls and Potential of AI and Education.

Dan Small

Dan Small, PhD, is a research associate in the Department of Anthropology at UBC. He has a PhD in medical anthropology (University of British Columbia), an MPhil in circumpolar studies (University of Cambridge), and undergraduate degrees in sociology and anthropology, and psychology (Simon Fraser University).

Zorana Svedic

Dr. Zorana Svedic, PhD, is a lecturer in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources division of the UBC Sauder School of Business. Her research focuses on cross-cultural issues in the global mobile apps market. She has been teaching undergraduate and graduate business courses since 2005, and has hosted numerous workshops and coached student teams for local and international business plan and case competitions. In 2001, Zorana founded Big Z Productions Ltd., a company that develops courseware training material and supports online courses.

Arthur Thuot

Arthur Thout, HBA, MFA, is the facilitator at StoryCorp, a company that delivers storytelling workshops to businesses and government. He has helped organizations in healthcare, energy, technology, government, aerospace, education and financial services tell their stories.

A dynamic and engaging facilitator, Arthur has been recognized for teaching excellence by departmental and university awards from the University of Florida, where he taught professional communication as well as beginning, intermediate and advanced fiction-writing. He teaches storytelling at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute, and has previously served as the European, Latin American and Asia-Pacific project director for a media agency.

Arthur has written for Pharmaceutical Executive, Oil & Gas Financial Journal, Corporate Board Member, Forbes Africa, Fortune en Español and Bloomberg Businessweek México on topics ranging from Chinese traditional medicine entrepreneurs to Argentinian board games.