At UBC Political Science, we’re shaping the policymakers of tomorrow, one transformative experience at a time.
The Political Science Student Learning Fund empowers students to engage deeply with the world’s most pressing issues through experiential learning. Donating today can help fund impactful opportunities such as global research trips, participation in international conferences and community-based internships.
Already, thanks to donors to this fund, our students have travelled abroad to meet with political leaders, conducted interviews in the field, and enhanced their skills at the world’s leading social science methods institutes. These unique experiences provide our students with the skills and perspectives needed to engage deeply with the world’s most pressing issues and address today’s political challenges.
Join us to help build a world where informed, equity-driven leaders tackle the complexities of tomorrow—because investing in our Political Science students means investing in a brighter future for all.
To learn more about the fund, donate, or share, visit the fund page on the UBC Giving Day website
Field research with Daniel Rojas (PhD)
PhD candidate Daniel Rojas
Daniel Rojas is a PhD candidate who uses observational and experimental empirical strategies to study inequality, redistribution, and immigration, primarily in Latin America.
The Political Science Student Learning Fund supported Daniel’s fieldwork in Colombia for his dissertation examining how business elites respond to social unrest.
“Fieldwork allowed me to collect original data, conduct interviews, and attend workshops and conferences with scholars from the region,” he said. “Without fieldwork, my understanding of the consequences of inequality in Latin America would be limited, as would my contribution to the field.”
Summer studies with Nicholas Phin (PhD)
PhD candidate Nicholas Phin
Nicholas Phin is a PhD candidate in the Department studying the relationship between party messaging and political attitudes to migration, attempting to better understand how parties shape public opinion.
In 2022, the fund allowed Nicholas to participate in the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research summer methods courses, taking classes on multilevel modeling, time series analysis, and working with panel data.
“Getting hands on experience working with data and learning how to use the data from experts in the field has been vital to my development as a graduate student,” said Nicholas.
International advocacy with Kiana Nouri and Noah Marsden (BA)
Group photo with UBC students who attended SAR Student Advocacy Days
In March 2024, Kiana Nouri and Noah Marsden attended the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Student Advocacy Days in Washington, DC.
They were part of a group of UBC students from the SAR Scholars in Prison Engagementship, led by Political Science faculty member Dr. Jen Peterson.
Support from the fund for the trip allowed Kiana and Noah to focus their full attention on their advocacy work without financial stress. In D.C., they were able to attend congressional hearings on human rights, lobby Congress members, and connect with leading human rights organizations.
“This experience helped me become more confident in my advocacy skills and showed me how impactful team collaboration can be,” said Kiana. “The support from the fund allowed me and my peers to focus on effectively advocating for the scholars’ cases.”
For Noah, the most exciting part of the trip was the chance to connect directly with lawmakers at the highest levels of government.
“Advocating for human rights directly with people who had the ability and agency to defend it—and to connect face-to-face with representatives from organizations like Amnesty International and the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights as well—was an incredible opportunity,” he said.
