Faculty and Research Associates

Dr. Mapili is an associate professor of Physical Geography/Biogeography and Agriculture at the School of Land Use and Environmental Change (SLUEC). In his teaching and research, Dr. Mapili employs his training in Resource Management and Environmental Studies from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

When his training and teaching in environmental issues was combined with his experience in community outreach and extension to supervise student research, the results were three consecutive years (2018, 2019, and 2020) of UFV Community Service Research Awards for his students. Under his supervision, 2020’s winners also received the two highest awards of Abbotsford CityStudio. Dr. Mapili developed three GIS undergraduate courses at UFV, is the current GIS Programs Coordinator of SLUEC, and is preparing three GIS Associate Certificates, including the Associate GIS Certificate in Community Health Mapping.

Before joining UFV, Dr. Mapili led the Natural Resources Diploma Program for Aboriginal Students in Northern Saskatchewan, through contracts with Northlands College in Buffalo Narrows and with Montreal Lake First Nations, with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science in Technology (SIAST), resulting in his receiving the 2006 SIAST President’s Excellence Award. From the ranks of an agricultural extension worker, Dr. Mapili rose to become a Deputy Director of Extension and BIDANI (Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement). The years of outstanding community outreach, community organizing, planning, and training resulted in the position of Director for Planning at the Tarlac College of Agriculture (TCA), in the Philippines.

Dr. Mapili is happy to join CHASI in research activities that draw from his training in agricultural, animal, and food sciences, as well as his community outreach experiences, to develop strategies and technologies that promote environmental health and resiliency in the communities of the Fraser Valley.