Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kaylee Byers to the School of Population and Public Health this fall. She is the Deputy Director of the British Columbia node of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar. She holds an MSc in Evolutionary Biology (University of Alberta) and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (University of British Columbia) where she studied the physical and mental health impacts of urban rats on underserved communities. She is a settler of Scottish, French, and German ancestry, with roots in Canada’s maritime (Nova Scotia) and prairie (Alberta) provinces.
Prior to joining the School of Population and Public Health, Dr. Byers was a Term Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and a Senior Scientist with the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society. Today, Dr. Byers leads the One Health, Human dimensions and Implementation (OH-HI) Science CoLab, which aims to enhance local, national, and global capacity to better detect, manage, and mitigate health threats at the nexus of human, animal, and environmental health. She is particularly interested in community-engaged research as well as co-creating innovative knowledge mobilization activities and events.
In addition to her own research, Dr. Byers enjoys sharing science with the public. She co-founded, organizes and hosts Nerd Nite Vancouver, a science seminar series and hosts Genome British Columbia’s award-winning podcast “Nice Genes!” which explores the role of genomics in society. When not thinking or talking about science she enjoys creating pottery, paddleboarding, and puns.
Welcome Dr. Kaylee Byers! Dr. Byers will be starting as an Assistant Professor, tenure-track on September 1, 2025. She can be reached at kaylee.byers@ubc.ca.