UBC Library is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research.
Launched in 2023, the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research is a way to showcase students’ effective and innovative use of library services, information experts and resources provided by UBC Library. The Prize was established by UBC Library to encourage more and deeper use of its resources and collections, to advance information literacy at UBC, and to promote academic excellence at UBC.
This year’s winners:
- Joshua Bransford, 5th year Faculty of Arts student, won a $3,000 prize for his reflective statement on his project, “The Neoliberal Production of Urban Space and Urban Subjects in India and Bolivia.”
- Sophie Pavey, 4th year Faculty of Arts student, won a $2,000 prize for her reflective statement on her project, “Cosmographia.”
- Ciara Albrecht, 4th year Faculty of Arts student, won a $2,000 prize for her reflective statement on her project, “A Memory of Skin and Bone: Lace as a Lifeline in Nineteenth Century Ireland.”
- Ethan Lui, 4th year Faculty of Arts student, won a $1,500 prize for his reflective statement on his project, “Conflict, Cruelty, and Concern: Exploring the Negative Reactions to Vesalius’ ‘On the Fabric of the Human Body.’”
- Ridhwanlai Badmos, 2nd year Faculty of Science student, won a $1,500 prize for his reflective statement on his project, “Investigating Suicide Rates Across Demographic Subgroups in the Muslim American Community Using Technical Frameworks.”
“UBC Library is delighted to present this third annual Prize to our student winners. The submissions for this year’s Prize included a diverse and fascinating array of research projects that demonstrated outstanding use of the scholarly information and resources available at the Library,” says University Librarian Dr. Susan E. Parker.
Adjudication for the prize was carried out by a committee that included librarian, faculty and student representation from both UBCO and UBCV and was led by the Associate University Librarian Research and Scholarship, Aleteia Greenwood. Notably, the committee’s student representatives are previous winners of the Prize.
“The adjudication committee was thrilled with the quality of this year’s submissions. In fact, the number of excellent submissions exceeded the number of awards available to distribute,” says Greenwood. “The winners’ reflective statements were thoughtfully written, and represent an exciting breadth of research practices across a variety of disciplines.”
Prizes will be awarded at a reception to be held in May. Congratulations to Joshua, Sophie, Ciara, Ethan and Ridhwanlai!
Learn more about the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research and how you can apply for the 2026 prize, or support the prize going forward.