Dr. Janis Sarra served as UBC Presidential Distinguished Professor from 2014 to 2019, an appointment by the president to recognize a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions as a scholar and academic leader. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Sarra served as director of the Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC. Dr. Sarra is professor of law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law and founding director of the National Centre for Business Law. She served as associate dean of the Allard School of Law until 2007, with oversight of development, strategic planning, alumni relations and communications. Dr. Sarra is the principal co-investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative, a research collaboration between UBC and York University, and is Canadian investigator of the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative at Oxford University.