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At UBC Science, outstanding scientists and students strive to unravel the principles that underlie our universe - from the subatomic to the macroscopic, from pure mathematics to biotechnology, from ecosystems to galactic systems. Through the breadth and depth of our academic endeavours and the calibre of the people who make up our community, we take pride in discovering new scientific knowledge and preparing Canada’s and the world’s next generation of scientists.

A diverse range of highly ranked programs

With access to master’s and doctoral degrees through nine departments and 350 research groups, our graduate students work with world-class faculty to explore the basic sciences, and to pursue interdisciplinary and applied research across departments and units. UBC’s research excellence in environmental science, math, physics, plant and animal science, computer science, geology and biology is consistently rated best in Canada by international and national ranking agencies.

Committed to outstanding graduate training

UBC Science houses a wide range of prestigious NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience and related industry programs: from atmospheric aerosols to high-throughput biology, from biodiversity research and ecosystems services to plant cell wall biosynthesis, from quantum science and new materials to applied geochemistry. The options for enriched graduate training in industry related fields are almost endless.

World-class research infrastructure

Our affiliated institutes and centres include UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories, Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Life Sciences Institute, Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, Mineral Deposit Research Unit, and TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics.

Top research talent

UBC Science boasts more than 50 Canada Research Chairs, 12 fellows of the Royal Society of London, and has been home to two Nobel Laureates. Our graduate students have won 15 prestigious Vanier Scholarships.

A diverse, supportive community of scholars

UBC Science is committed to excellence, collaboration and inclusion. Women account for 41 per cent of the Faculty's graduate enrollments, and the percentage of international students has increased to 50 per cent over the past decade.

Mission
To nurture an exceptional scientific learning and research environment for the people of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.
 

Research Centres

Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology

Computational Sciences and Mathematics

Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

Genomics and Biological Sciences

Human-Computer Interaction

Life Sciences

Chemistry and Materials Science

Physics

Sustainability

Research Facilities

Designed to inspire collaboration and creativity across disciplines, the Earth Sciences Building (ESB) lies at the heart of the science precinct on UBC’s Vancouver Campus. The $75 million facility is home to Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Statistics, the Pacific Institute of the Mathematical Sciences, and the dean’s office of the Faculty of Science. ESB’s teaching facilities will help Canada meet the challenges of a transforming and growing resource sector. Just as importantly, the researchers and students working and learning in the facility will offer a valuable flow of well-trained talent, new ideas, and fresh professional perspectives to industry.

Research Highlights

Receiving more than $120 million in annual research funding, UBC Science faculty members conduct top-tier research in the life, physical, earth and computational sciences. Their discoveries help build our understanding of natural laws—driving insights into sustainability, biodiversity, human health, nanoscience and new materials, probability, artificial intelligence, exoplanets and a wide range of other areas.

UBC Science boasts 50 Canada Research Chairs and 10 fellows of the Royal Society of London, and has been home to two Nobel Laureates. 

Schools / Departments

Department

Graduate Degree Programs

Recent Publications

This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Science.

 

Recent Thesis Submissions

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2016 Dr. Izsak studied sheaves on graphs, which similar to maps, are tools that help track data. Her research resulted in several foundational theorems and answered a question about the difficulty of checking an important sheaf property. Her results are useful in the study of open problems in group theory, graph theory and computational complexity. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2016 Dr. Attarian studied the fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in patients living with HIV/AIDS and identified potential targets for therapeutic interventions. Her research contributed to our understanding of the cryptococcal disease process, and will benefit the HIV and infectious diseases research community. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2016 Dr. Foell clarified the luminescent behavior of nanoparticle single photon emitters in silicon photonic circuits. The improved understanding arising from this work may facilitate development of systems with improved coordinated control of many single photons and in turn, our understanding and utilization of quantum mechanics and light. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2016 Dr. Tang's thesis work focused on the identification of cellular signalling pathways involved in diseases like cystic fibrosis and cancer. His research has shown that key inflammatory molecules can be manipulated to improve existing treatments. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2016 Dr. Alizadeh developed and studied a drug delivery system for the treatment of head injuries. Her research involved a polymeric system to deliver progesterone to the brain and investigate the effects of the transport system on blood properties and the brain. Her results provide opportunities to treat head trauma in a safer and more effective way. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2016 Dr. Edwards developed numerical methods for the physical simulation of fluids. His work improves upon the accuracy and efficiency of previous methods. Applied to computer graphics, this work help to improve what is possible in special effects. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2016 Microfluidic technology is transforming processes in molecular biology. Dr. White developed microfluidic devices to measure RNA, and applied this technology to examine cell-to-cell variability in a variety of tissues. This work contributes to our understanding of gene expression, which has application in both research and clinical settings. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2016 Dr. Petley-Ragan studied how glial cells support the development and function of the nervous system. Using the fruit fly, Lindsay found that an outer layer of glial cells produces a key component of the extracellular matrix and that these glial cells maintain the structure of the nervous system and animal health. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2016 Dr. Plumb studied the role of the immune signaling protein, Interleukin-7, in the immune response. He discovered novel roles for IL-7 in the development of T lymphocytes and in T cell response and protection against Influenza A infection. This work will inform the development of IL-7 related therapies for immune modulation and reconstitution. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2016 Dr. Lim studied the mathematical behavior of financial options that depend on multiple underlying stocks, and how the prices for the underlying stocks can move in such a manner to optimize the price of the option. He showed that such optimal movements exhibit a certain natural extremal structure which is visible in higher dimensional spaces. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

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