Jillianne Code

I am an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Learner Agency in the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. I direct the ALIVE Research Lab — Agency in Learning, Immersive & Virtual Environments — and serve on the board of the HeartLife Foundation.

My work sits at the intersection of education and health. As a heart transplant recipient, my lived experience shapes my research into how patients can participate as knowledge producers and advocates in their own care. As a scholar of learning, I investigate how learners exercise agency in postdigital environments — where the digital and physical are inseparable.

Before joining UBC in 2017, I held a tenured position at the University of Victoria and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have published over 60 peer-reviewed works and secured more than $3.5 million in research funding from SSHRC, CIHR, and other agencies.

In 2022, I was honoured with the Killam Teaching Prize at UBC. I have supervised 16 PhD students, 11 MA students, and 24 MEd students — many of whom have gone on to receive major scholarships including SSHRC CGS-M, Killam awards, and faculty positions.