People

Keunhyun Park, Ph.D. (He/Him)

Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management

Dr. Keunhyun (Keun) Park holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in landscape architecture from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in urban planning and design from the University of Utah. Before joining UBC, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Utah State University. 

With an interdisciplinary background in urban planning and design and landscape architecture, Keun conducts behavioural research in urban nature through spatial data analytics and digital technologies. His work focuses on understanding how to design healthy, just, and resilient cities through urban nature. He spends much of his leisure time with his family, enjoying running, hiking, camping, and playing board games and video games.

Website | CV (updated June 2024) | Google Scholar | keun.park@ubc.ca |

Everly Jazi (She/Her)

Ph.D. Candidate in Forestry

Everly holds an M.S. in Environmental Social Science and a B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in the intersection between disparities in use and access to natural spaces and disparities in health, particularly mental health. She has developed a framework and novel method for use in experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, and continues to learn alongside experts in the nature and health realm as part of various professional organizations. She is the founder and convener of the International Association of People-Environment Studies (IAPS) Early Career Researchers Network. 

ejazi@student.ubc.ca

Asim Khanal (He/Him)

Ph.D. Candidate in Forestry

Asim Khanal is an urban planner and a researcher interested to understand how urban blue-green spaces are experienced by diverse user groups. He intends to push the theoretical interpretation and practical implementation of ‘access’ by integrating the dimensions of vision and touch. In addition to the aforementioned themes, in his doctoral dissertation, he is also using third-party big data to estimate spatiotemporal use dynamics of urban blue-green spaces or public spaces along shorelines.

Asim completed his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India and a M.Sc. in Sustainable Critical Infrastructure from the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi which was opened in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has worked as an Urban Planner, a freelance consultant, and a volunteer for federal, provincial, and local governments in multiple countries including Nepal, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

In his leisure time, he likes to go camping, swim in freshwater lakes, and compose music. He has also written a handful of newspaper articles, blogs on Medium, and used to run a political satire page.

Google Scholar | akhanal7@ubc.ca | |

Mingze Chen (He/Him)

Ph.D. Candidate in Forestry

Mingze is a Ph.D. student at UBC. He completed master’s degree in urban design at University College London, UK. He used to work as a researcher at UCL and as a landscape architect in Shanghai for the past three years. His research focuses on data-driven landscape and urban analytics, computational design and data visualization, and Environment-human interaction in natural areas. Mingze enjoys working with academics and urban enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. 

Outside work, Mingze is an avid fan of poems, exhibitions, symphony concerts, traveling, and photography. 

Personal Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate | mingzec@student.ubc.ca | |

Yiyang Wang (She/Her)

Ph.D. Student in Forestry | Master of Science in Forestry (2022-2024)

Yiyang has completed her Master of Science (MSc) at UBC with a thesis titled “Promoting sustainable and equitable access to parks: a study of transit-to-parks initiatives and user perceptions.” She holds a Bachelor of Urban Forestry and is deeply passionate about urban planning, spatial analysis, and environmental justice. In 2023, Yiyang worked as a UBC Sustainability Scholar for Metro Vancouver, the regional government authority.

In addition to her academic achievements, Yiyang is an accomplished landscape and portrait photographer. She enjoys travelling, going to concerts and movies, and maintaining an active lifestyle through gymming and yoga.

Google Scholar | yiyang.wang@ubc.ca |

Kai Hei Mau (He/Him)

Master of Community and Regional Planning graduate; Work Learn Research Assistant (2023-2024)

Ken is currently a second-year student in the Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) Program at UBC. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). His planning interests are in urban transportation networks, equity and GIS. Equipped with the knowledge of transport planning theories and the practical skills gained from internships, Ken is experienced in geospatial research and communications.

In his leisure time, he enjoys hiking, orienteering, and playing mahjong. 

Tianshu Yin (He/Him)

Master of Community and Regional Planning student; Work Learn Research Assistant (2025)

Tianshu is a current Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) student at UBC. He holds a B.Sc. Honours in Environmental Geography and a Certificate in GIS from Queen’s University in Kingston, and he also completed an exchange at the National University of Singapore. Tianshu has experience working as an Urban Forestry Intern for the City of Calgary and as a GIS Assistant for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. His planning interests include community development, social planning, housing, parks and green spaces, and Chinatown revitalization.

As a Project Assistant for this Translink-funded research, Tianshu will utilize GIS network and spatial analysis to support the development of innovative park access models (M2P) and transit-to-park models (T2P). These models aim to identify communities that require improved multi-modal access to natural areas, fostering new scenarios for park access and enhancing the mobility and accessibility of Metro Vancouver residents to regional parks and open spaces.

Kailey Chelswick (She/Her)

Master of Business Management student; Work Learn Project Assistant (2024-2025)

Kailey is a Master of Business Management student, having previously completed a BSc in Environmental Science + GIS at UBC. Kailey has a background in project management and environmental application development within the natural resource industry. She is interested in GIS and technical project management and the importance of technical communication in these fields. In her free time, you can find her playing soccer, reading, or touring Vancouver’s farmers market for fresh tomatoes.

Avery Chan (He/Him)

Work Learn Project Assistant (2024-2025)

Avery is a first-year Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) student, having previously completed a BSc in Environmental Sciences at UBC. Coming from a background in local government and ecological research, he is broadly interested in planning for more sustainable cities through effective land use planning and green space management. In his free time, Avery enjoys hiking, playing board games, and trying out hole-in-the-wall restaurants across the city.