Meet our Faculty

DR. Lisa Tobber

Assistant Professor
School of Engineering

Tell us your story.

I’m most comfortable in the lab crushing concrete or outside in the mountains near the water. I was born and raised in communities across northern British Columbia, which, along with the Yukon, is a part of the province dear to me. After high school, I began working for a construction company. My questions about how things were built and why led me to UBC Vancouver where I earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering. From there, I completed my PhD and am now based in Kelowna at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

Please briefly summarize your research area or educational leadership activities.

Through UBC and UBC Okanagan, I’ve been fortunate enough to earn the Peter Wall Fellowship alongside my role as Principal’s Research Chair in Disaster-Resilient Buildings (Tier 2). I’m committed to championing the success of female engineering students, practitioners and faculty. As an assistant professor, my research focuses on issues surrounding structural engineering, including tall buildings, seismic design of precast concrete, disaster-resilient buildings and reinforced concrete buildings. Our group develops innovative structural systems for mid-rise and high-rise buildings that facilitate a low-damage response following large natural disasters, such as earthquakes. We want to develop resilient, sustainable and smart cities.

What excites you the most about teaching?

I gravitate toward people who show leadership and perseverance. I like people who see the world differently. All of those things resonate with my students.

How do you involve or partner with students in your teaching and research?

As the lead researcher of the Advanced Structural Simulation and Experimental Testing (ASSET) Group and the Build Better Research Cluster, we approach research with a holistic perspective that considers the social, environmental and economic factors behind the vast engineering problems faced today. Combating natural disasters and the climate crisis takes the ingenuity and creativity of an inclusive group of diverse individuals with a range of expertise and lived experiences.

“Combating natural disasters and the climate crisis takes the ingenuity and creativity of an inclusive group of diverse individuals with a range of expertise and lived experiences.”

What do you love about UBC Okanagan?

UBC Okanagan is the ideal combination of UBC’s global reach and UBC Okanagan’s connection to place. Those are the two sides of me, as well: the researcher who is invested in working with other countries to solve major global issues, but at the same is grounded in a community that is connected to the natural world. I’m quite passionate about making a change to our society and I also get really excited about solving these kinds of complex problems.