UBC Archives has acquired the institutional records of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS), which was founded at UBC in 1991 to focus on interdisciplinary research. The Peter Wall Institute began with the goal of fostering innovation by bringing together scholars from diverse fields to collaborate on groundbreaking research. It was the brainchild of Peter Wall, a prominent Vancouver businessman and philanthropist.
“The Peter Wall Institute was established here at UBC to support scholars in their ongoing research and also to encourage collaboration across different fields and really get some new ideas on all sides,” says Erwin Wodarczak, Interim Head of UBC Archives.

Photograph from the Peter Wall Institute Fonds.
The PWIAS archives include a wealth of material, such as photographs, reports, event programs, and newspaper clippings, which document the Institute’s activities. These items provide a comprehensive look at the Institute’s impact on both the academic community and beyond.
One particularly intriguing aspect of the archives is its documentation of the Institute’s public events and symposiums. These events were central to the Institute’s mission, providing a platform for scholars to present their work to both peers and the public. The archives also include media coverage and other materials that reflect the Institute’s role in facilitating important conversations across different fields of study.

Erwin Wodarczak, Interim Head of UBC Archives, with boxes from the Peter Wall Institute Fonds.
The closure of the Peter Wall Institute in recent years marked the end of an era at UBC, but its legacy lives on through these archives. Wodarczak explains that the Institute was shuttered as part of a broader reorganization at the university, with its programs being absorbed into the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Despite this, the Wall family’s involvement with UBC continues, ensuring that the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration that defined the Institute will persist in some form.
For researchers, historians, and anyone interested in the recent history of UBC, the Peter Wall Institute archives represent an invaluable resource. As Wodarczak suggests, “These archives offer a good overview of the kinds of things that the university was supporting during that period,” making them an essential starting point for exploring the intersection of different academic disciplines at UBC.