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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
2015 Songbirds exhibit an extraordinary amount of diversity. Dr. Delmore showed how differences in seasonal migration could contribute to the generation of this diversity. Using state of the art genetic sequencing techniques she also provided novel insight into the genetic basis of songbird diversity and seasonal migration. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2015 Dr. Meyers completed her doctoral research in the field of Physics. She developed a tool to measure water and myelin in the brain with magnetic resonance imaging. She used this technique to study changes in brain water due to dehydration and multiple sclerosis drugs. This tool will be useful for evaluating the effects of treatments for brain disease. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2015 Dr. Tomberg's research in probability and statistical mechanics focused on applying a rigorous renormalisation group method to compute critical correlation functions. This research contributes to our understanding of statistical properties of interacting systems in the vicinity of a critical point. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2015 Dr. Brimacombe studied genetic exchange elements in bacteria called gene transfer agents. He discovered that those gene transfer agents are functionally a blend of two different bacterial genetic exchange processes: natural genetic transformation and virus-mediated transduction. These findings have important implications in bacterial evolution. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2015 Ice streams are narrow, fast-flowing regions within an ice sheet, and they account for the majority of the Antarctic ice loss. Dr. Haseloff studied the migration of ice streams. Her work allows us to include this process in models of the Antarctic ice sheet, and improves our ability to predict Antarctic ice loss and contribution to sea level rise. Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2015 Dr. Kasaian studied the molecular cause of several head and neck endocrine malignancies. While the commonly diagnosed papillary thyroid carcinomas harbored very few mutations, the rare but deadly anaplastic thyroid cancers were found to have accrued numerous genomic alterations. Molecular analysis hinted to potential drug targets in some patients. Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)
2015 Dr. Wheeler completed his doctoral studies in the field of Chemistry. He investigated the formation conditions of ice in the atmosphere. Through controlled laboratory studies he improved the ability to predict ice formation in atmospheric models. This research will enable more accurate prediction of atmospheric processes and climate. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2015 Air quality models help scientists to study how air pollution depends on weather and harmful emissions. Dr. Shi explored novel statistical approaches to evaluating air quality models. The application of these methods revealed fresh insights, linking the predictions from the model performance to specific weather and emission conditions. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2015 Dr. Alipour studied events that happened billions of years ago when the Universe was very young. She investigated the effects of these events on the evolution of the Universe, and proposed satellite missions to deepen our understanding of the young Universe. Her results improve the current theories, to better test cosmology with the upcoming data. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2015 Can combinatorial models be used to study linear polymers? Dr. Wong used mathematical models to predict the physical behaviour of linear polymers confined in a slit, concluding that the results realistically mimic experimental findings. The methods in this project can be used to study a variety of other problems both within and outside mathematics. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

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