Duffy Roberts

Duffy Roberts is a Lecturer jointly appointed with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences under the Faculty of Forestry. He is based at MacMillan 241, 2537 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada, and can be contacted at 604-822-3688 or via email at Duffy.Roberts@ubc.ca.

• Research Areas: Education and Pedagogy in Forestry, Human Dimensions of the Environment, Writing Instruction

Roberts’ teaching philosophy emphasizes creating a classroom environment that fosters kindness, belonging, and effective scholarly writing. Drawing on Thomas King’s assertion that “the truth about stories is that that’s all we are” and Northrop Frye’s exploration of Canadian identity through place, he integrates storytelling and spatial awareness into his pedagogy. He aligns his work with UBC’s strategic plan, focusing on “place and promise,” and operationalizes John Agnew’s triad of place (location, locale, sense of place) to build inclusive learning spaces for international, Canadian, and Indigenous students.

His current role in Forestry and Land and Food Systems builds on a career spanning nearly two decades, including a Sessional Lecturer with Continuing Status in UBC’s English Department (2005–2021), where he specialized in Vancouver literature and place-based belonging. He now teaches academic writing and argumentation, prioritizing discipline-specific communication skills while cultivating a sense of home in the classroom.