Dr. Jassal is a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, England, UK (Oxford) with an M.Sc. from
the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India (PAU), both in Soil Science; was a Visiting
Scientist for two years at the International Rice Research Institute in Philippines (IRRI). From
2002-2024, he was a Research Associate in Applied Biology at the University of British
Columbia (UBC), prior to which he was a Senior Soil Physicist at PAU. With a total research
experience of nearly 50 years in applied and basic soil science research, his main focus has been
soil-water plant relationships and management of problem soils at PAU (1975-2002),
mechanistic modelling of the fate of applied fertilizer urea-N in upland and submerged soils and
emissions of CO 2 and NH 3 (Oxford and IRRI), and carbon sequestration in forest and agricultural
ecosystems and emissions of CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O (UBC).
At UBC, he started with modeling the coupled transport of soil heat and water and the surface
energy balance components, and followed it by developing and testing a process-based model of
production and transport of CO 2 in soil for predicting soil CO 2 concentrations and CO 2 efflux. He
has made significant contributions towards writing research grant proposals, in particular on
studying the effects of N fertilization on carbon sequestration and water use of different-aged
coastal Douglas-fir stands (NSERC), water use and sustainability of hybrid poplar plantations in
Canada’s aspen parkland (NRCan), mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient leaching
in managed forests with biochar (NRAS, BC), use of modern plastic films as mulches and in low
tunnels for increasing crop production through modification of microclimate (FAIP, BC), and
quantification and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from high-value agricultural crops in
BC (AGGP, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), and writing progress reports. He has worked on
several graduate (MSc and PhD) student supervisory committees, and has authored or co-
authored about 150 research papers in reputed peer-reviewed journals and published five book
chapters and two white papers.
During the last five years, he has provided third party CO 2 emissions Assessment and Verification to (1)
3GreenTree Ecosystem Services Ltd. for the City of Richmond Northeast bog forest project, and (2)
Metro Vancouver and City of Delta for Ecosystem restoration activities in the Burns bog ecological
conservancy area. He has also provided consulting to CoTec Holdings Corporation on the Assessment
and feasibility of zeolite-based nitrogen fertilizer.