Meet UBC Sauder’s new faculty – Fraser Pogue

At UBC Sauder, faculty members are more than just ‘professors.’ They conduct impactful research that is changing how society views the world while also inspiring students to pursue their academic passions and become the thoughtful, values-driven leaders the business world needs. This year, UBC Sauder welcomes eight new lecturers and tenure-track faculty to the school. In the third of this series, we introduce you to Fraser Pogue, Lecturer in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group.

Where are you from, and what brought you to UBC Sauder?

I grew up in Kelowna and was always attracted to the mountains of the West Coast. To me, the Point Grey campus matched the lifestyle I wanted to live with one of Canada's top universities. I started my undergrad journey at UBC and am very excited to be a part of UBC Sauder moving forward.

What is your area of study, and how did you get into this field?

Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I'll wrap back to this topic of lifestyle as I've always been enthusiastic about the idea of being personally in charge of one’s own future, and making a major impact in society through innovation. I am here to support and encourage entrepreneurs on campus to become change-makers through Entrepreneurship.

What fuels your continued interest in these study areas?

The world is ever changing and new opportunities are constantly presenting themselves – I love this rate of change in society. Entrepreneurship forces you to constantly learn new paradigm shifts, whether societal or technological and when we look at who’s solving some of the world’s toughest problems or who’s introducing us to new technologies, it’s often the innovators.

What inspires you to teach?

It starts at the individual. If I can make an impact by encouraging more of our student and faculty body to think entrepreneurially and to bring new inventions to market, society will benefit as a whole. I'm looking to increase the pace of innovation within our ecosystem and increase the utility of technological advances for the benefit of society.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve discovered during your studies?

How long can I make this list?! There has been an amazing breadth of inventions here at the university that deserve naming. I will highlight discoveries in plastic-alternatives, autonomous robots, the use of artificial intelligence in illegal fisheries, and carbon storage. What I get really excited about is seeing those early entrepreneurs take the risks in starting their own businesses and the ecosystem support that exists to help propel the entrepreneurs into early funding and early revenues.

What do you believe is the future of your industry?

Entrepreneurship has been a hot topic as of late, and I would like to see continued investments and the reduction of barriers in bringing new technologies to market. I see a future where novel research and entrepreneurial minds come together to solve some of the biggest problems we face. This involves advancing our ability to share new ideas across departments, faculties, universities and into the greater community.

Can you tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

I was once a member of the Revelstoke Search and Rescue organization, which I would say helped shape my perspective of risk vs reward. As a rescue organization, we would often perform rescue missions in the middle of stormy winter nights to find lost skiers and snowmobilers. The situations we faced help build us as individuals and as a team.

What do you enjoy most about Vancouver?

Aside from the amazing research that occurs here, I’ll have to say that Vancouver provides easy access to some of the best backcountry skiing in the world!