Farewell Rehan

Named a UBC Distinguished University Scholar in 2021, Dr. Rehan Sadiq has served UBC Okanagan for over 16 years.

Dr. Sadiq is a world-leading researcher in the areas of asset management of water supply systems, environmental risk analysis and lifecycle assessment of built environment.

He is the author of more than 600 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles, book chapters and technical reports. With nearly 16,000 citations, he is among the top cited environmental engineering researchers globally; consistently ranked in the top 2% of scientists in the category of environmental science.

UBCO 2022 Teaching Awards Ceremony

UBC Okanagan Global Vision and Impact

2014 Researcher of the Year Rehan Sadiq

Dear Rehan, All my thanks for your long and impactful service to UBCO – especially your tenure as Provost. I have been impressed by your energy and willingness to try new ways of doing things. I wish you all the best as you tackled new challenges!

Benoit-Antoine Bacon

Wishing you all the best in your new adventures. It was a pleasure working with you. I always knew you had my back.

Sarah McCorquodale

Dear Rehan, I’m truly sorry I can’t be there in person to wish you farewell. I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the many ways you’ve supported sustainability over the years – from your support for recent campus climate initiatives, to your earlier contributions to the Whole Systems Infrastructure Plan as a Steering Committee Member, and your role in fostering meaningful academic/operational collaborations with the School of Engineering. Your leadership and vision were instrumental in shaping UBCO’s approach to the campus as a living lab, and in reinforcing the value of collaboration between academic and operational groups to achieve our shared sustainability goals. You leave a lasting legacy and you will be deeply missed!

Sincerely,

Leanne Bilodeau

Thank you very much Rehan for your support throughout the years, especially for our training and partnership initiatives! We hope to stay in touch in your next endeavour on the other side of the pond.

T. Don Nguyen

Dear Rehan, It has been such a pleasure working with you on the UBC Executive team. You always have wise comments to contribute to the discussion and a great perspective to add and you always manage to do it with kindness and a smile. We will miss you greatly but wish you all the best in your new chapter!

Heather McCaw

Rehan, we are all going to miss you and your calm, sincere, and thoughtful leadership. Nazarbayev is lucky to have landed you! We wish you the very best as you take on this exciting new venture.

Hubert Lai, K.C.

Rehan, It has been such a pleasure to work with you! Your contributions to UBCO have been enormous and you will be missed!

Gail Murphy

I want to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Rehan Sadiq as he leaves UBC Okanagan. His leadership has been pivotal in shaping our campus into a place recognized for the quality of its research and teaching and for fostering a culture of growth and collaboration. I especially value the support he has shown for computing and its development at UBCO. His encouragement has helped strengthen our programs and opened new opportunities for faculty and students alike. It has been a privilege to work with him, and I greatly respect all that he has done to advance UBC Okanagan. I wish him every success in the next chapter of his career.

Ramon Lawrence

Rehan is an exceptional leader, highly knowledgeable and deeply empathetic. He joined the School of Engineering six months before I did, and in those early days, I relied on his advice often. As many of you know, he enjoys walking. Before we had our engineering building, we had our offices in trailers. He would invite anyone from the SoE to join him for a walk starting from our trailers. Those walks became my crash course in the many parts of academia no one formally trains us for. Rehan encouraged me to broaden my horizons and work across disciplines. Our first collaborative grant, a strategic project, was a masterclass in teamwork. Four faculty members brainstormed for months, producing draft after draft (I believe we reached version 29). Even when NSERC’s feedback was that we lacked large-project experience, Rehan turned it into an opportunity. He suggested we refine the components, find the right partners, and submit the combined scholarship as a journal paper. That paper won a best-paper award and has now been cited more than 800 times, giving us the confidence to pursue and secure many large projects since. He also played a key role in founding the Green Construction Research & Training Center. Now, a brief confession for comic relief: from the start, I considered Rehan such a strong role model that I decided to live near him twice. We became neighbours in Glenmore (where he graciously served as my culinary guinea pig). When Rehan moved to Quail Ridge, I, purely by coincidence, of course (😊), moved six months later and ended up next door again. He insists it was a chance; I call it strategic mentoring by proximity. Above all, Rehan has been a trusted colleague, a generous collaborator, and a true friend. His leadership, integrity, and kindness have left a lasting mark on our community. He will be deeply missed, and his impact will continue to guide us.

Shahria Alam

Rehan—it has been such a pleasure to work with you. We have done great things together—and you will go great things going forward. I wish the wind under your wings and all the success you so richly deserve. Keep in touch!

Lesley Cormack

It has been a privilege working with you Rehan. I am grateful for the mentorship, teachings and support. You are such a huge part of UBC Okanagan’s story. Wishing you all the best on your next chapter.

Jackie Denison

You are off on an amazing adventure! I hope it meets all of your expectations. I look forward to hearing all about it. Congratulations Rehan.

Alex Bayne

When I first came to UBC Okanagan, Dr. Sadiq was in the leadership of the School of Engineering, and he was the one who hired me. Because of his trust and support, I was able to step into my dream job… something that changed not only my career but also my life. It gave me purpose, joy, and a sense of belonging that I will cherish forever. For this, I will always carry immense gratitude in my heart. Dr. Sadiq’s impact on my journey is immeasurable, and I feel truly blessed to have had him as a leader and mentor.

Mehran Shirazi

Rehan, We met within a few weeks of when I started in my new role as the Watershed Management Research Extension Facilitator 9 years ago. I have carried two messages of inspiration with me from the very first conversation we ever had – to be greater than the sum of our parts, and to start with one small success. Thank you for being a continual fountain of positivity, hope, encouragement and inspiration for me in my role, and throughout the development of the Watershed Ecosystems Project (our first small success)! I admire your kind and thoughtful approach and have learned so much from working with you over the years. Thank you for all your contributions. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours and look forward to keeping in touch.

Marni Turek

Rehan, as you start the next chapter in your journey, I want to thank you for your leadership, kindness, and steady presence. You’ve been a truly calming influence during times of change and challenge on our campus. Working with you has been a genuine pleasure. Your support, clarity, and quiet strength will be deeply missed. Wishing you all the very best in your next chapter. May it be as rewarding and inspiring as your time here has been for us.

Erin Podmorow

Dear Rehan, Congratulations on this exciting appointment! You’ve been a great colleague and a champion for UBCO, and you will be missed. Wishing you all the best on this next chapter of your career, and hope we get to see each other in Kazakhstan one of these days.

All the best,

Adam Charania

Oh Rehan … I will miss you and your wonderful projects and ideas. Thanks for including me on some of your academic adventures! I wish you nothing but the best … people are always better with you around to guide them!

Susan Crichton

Thanks for all your contributions to the UBCO community and all the best moving forward. I always enjoyed our interactions – whether at the airport, on the rail trail, or at a meeting on campus. Thanks for your advocacy and insights over the years to help make UBCO a better place!

Jonathan Little

Rehan, I will really miss working with you. I admire your dedication to the success of the Okanagan campus. You lead with kindness, you treat staff and faculty with equal respect, and you believe in the right thing to do. You are a talented, compassionate leader and I am grateful to have had the time working with you. Thank you for making human resources feel valued in the work we do on campus.

Kristin Cacchioni

Dear Rehan, It has been a pleasure getting to collaborate with you through international student recruitment initiatives. Thank you for all your years of leadership on the Okanagan campus. Though you will be greatly missed I want to wish you all the very best on this exciting new opportunity for you.

Warm regards,

Heidi Maddess

Rehan – I first remember working with you as a key member of the Faculty Advisory group for the Aspire Visioning process. You were creative, optimistic, strategic, energetic and solution-focused – and I’ve watched you build these strengths through successive leadership roles. I’m always inspired by you as a leader and as someone who is endlessly curious and always seeking. I wish you well on your new adventure – I know you will do great things.

We will miss you.

Nicole Udzenija

Rehan will be remembered fondly for being a patient, kind and thoughtful leader. He has built a great legacy at UBC Okanagan that we will continue to benefit from. Thank you Rehan.

Cara Kirkey

Dear Rehan, It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I truly appreciate the kindness and support you have shown all members of your team. It’s been an honour to have been part of your UBCO journey, and I wish you all the very best for your next chapter. Don’t be a stranger!

Janine Wood

Once again you do us proud my friend. May God richly bless you in your latest amazing episode!

Gord Lovegrove

Dear Rehan It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I have learned a great deal from your leadership, vision, and ability to approach challenges with both wisdom and integrity. You’ve had a profound impact on UBC Okanagan, and your work has strengthened the university as a whole. I will always admire the way you’ve built connections, inspired collaboration, and stayed true to your values. Your contributions have left a lasting legacy, and the foundation you’ve built will continue to guide and support the university for years to come. As you move into this next chapter, I want to thank you sincerely for everything you’ve done. I wish you continued success, happiness, and fulfillment in what lies ahead.

Warm regards,

Frank Laezza

Dear Rehan, It is with profound mixed feelings to say goodbye to you. It has been a precious time working together for the last 17 years. I wouldn’t be the same with your support, the School of Engineering wouldn’t be the same without your leadership. All the best

Yang Cao

It makes me sad to see Rehan leaving UBCO soon. He is an exceptional professional, a leader, and an amazing (and humble) human being. I wish him all possible success in the new chapter of his life. Godspeed, Rehan!

Dimitry Sediako

Dear Rehan, It has been a great pleasure working with you over the years. As Provost of UBCO, you did an outstanding job balancing the needs of the Okanagan campus with the broader interests of the University. I always appreciated your calm demeanor, especially during some of the difficult times. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter. Warm regards, Karamjeet

Karamjeet Heer

Dear Rehan, In my short-time of joining your office (the provost office), it was so clear to see your quality leadership! People choose to follow you not because they have to, but because they are inspired by you and want to follow you. You activate and ignite how we can each be better together, and reach far beyond what we think we are capable of. Thank you for your inspiration and you will be very missed by many. Wishing you well for your next adventure ahead!

Marie-Elssa Morency

Although we haven’t had the opportunity to work directly together, I’ve long admired the impact you’ve had within our community. Your consistent presence and meaningful engagement with students and colleagues — which I observed in my many years of passing by you during lunchtime walks on campus — reflected a genuine dedication that did not go unnoticed. Wishing you all the very best in your future endeavors. May your next chapter be as impactful and fulfilling as your time here.

Warm regards,

Jacky Ivans

Dear Rehan – Wishing you all the very best as you begin this next chapter! Thank you for all of your contributions to the UBC community, particularly during our academic ceremonies and special events. We have been so lucky to count you among our colleagues.

Take good care,

Liz King Osadczuk