UBC Okanagan Teaching Award Recipients

Killam Teaching Prize

Dr. Julien Picault is a Professor of Teaching and Associate Dean, Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. After completing his PhD in economics at HEC Montréal, Julien has spent over a decade making economics approachable in the classroom and beyond.

At UBC Okanagan, he teaches courses on Cost-Benefit Analysis, Industrial Organization, and Women in the Economy, and has played an active role in curriculum development and program innovation. His scholarly work focuses on economic education and pedagogy, as well as research in household finance, labour economics, and discrimination.

A frequent media commentator on economic issues, he has appeared more than 200 times across television, radio, and print outlets, where he helps explain complex economic ideas to broader audiences. He is also the creator of The Economics Instructor’s Toolbox, a widely used resource that supports instructors around the world in adopting innovative teaching practices.

Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation

Dr. Abdallah Mohamed is an Associate Professor of Teaching in Computer Science in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science at UBC Okanagan, where he has taught thousands of students since 2014. His teaching is grounded in a simple belief: every student can succeed.

He designs courses around active learning and inclusive pedagogy, developing his own materials to ensure equitable access. He applies a consistent cycle of identifying learning barriers, designing supports, evaluating outcomes, and sharing what works. His research focuses on enhancing higher education through AI, decision support systems, and innovative technologies. Working with students as partners, Dr. Mohamed has led the development of several innovations, including Parallel Courseware, a novel approach to programming education released as open educational resources, and the EduAI Lab and Platform, providing responsible, course-aware AI support across campus.

His work extends beyond campus through community partnerships that expand equitable STEM access. He has supervised numerous undergraduate research projects and coached competitive programming teams to national rankings. Dr. Mohamed holds a Ph.D. in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary.

Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation

Mayu Takasaki is a lecturer in Japanese language and culture in the Department of Languages and World Literatures in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. Her teaching is grounded in a student-centered approach and cultivates a supportive and psychologically safe classroom where all students can thrive both academically and personally.

Her students recognize her ability to foster inclusive learning environments that support positive learning experiences and value diverse perspectives.

She has redesigned courses to integrate experiential and inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to connect course content with real-world contexts.

Through experiential and interdisciplinary approaches, including leading a Go Global summer seminar in Japan, she creates opportunities for students to apply their learning beyond the classroom. She also develops collaborative learning opportunities through partnerships with educational institutions in Japan, facilitating cross-cultural learning that deepens students’ understanding of language and culture. She is committed to inspiring curiosity, critical thinking, and the development of lifelong learners.

Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation

Dr. Ying Zhu is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Faculty of Management and Academic Advisor on Artificial Intelligence at UBC Okanagan. With a PhD in Marketing from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School and graduate degrees in management and computer science, she brings rare interdisciplinary expertise to her teaching, bridging technology, consumer behavior, and business strategy to prepare the next generation of business leaders.

Her research explores digital marketing, consumer behavior, smartphone addiction, AI, and the metaverse, with work published in leading academic journals. At UBC, she pioneered the Faculty of Management’s first AI for Business course, launched its AI micro-credential, and extended her teaching into the community through workshops for immigrants and nonprofits.

For Dr. Zhu, every classroom is an invitation to question, to grow, and to discover what is possible when curiosity meets care. She now receives UBC’s Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation, becoming a five-time teaching award recipient across two universities. The honor reflects her passion and dedication to preparing students not just for today’s economy, but for the world they will shape.