From 1 July to 14 August 2016, Farrar briefly served as the interim president of University of British Columbia.
[2] In 2007, Farrar joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) as its Provost and Vice President of Academics until 2015.
[4] Farrar later succeeded Martha Piper as the Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC, serving the position from 1 July to 14 August 2016.
[5] After stepping down, Farrar took a period of academic leave, before returning to his previous position in the university's Department of Chemistry.
[6] During this time, a selection committee conducted a nine-month search for a permanent president which included candidates from around the world.