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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
2014 Dr. Xiang studied the physics of interacting particles at ultra-cold temperatures. He explored new mechanisms to control quantum dynamics and developed a numerical tool for calculating the properties of systems of interacting particles. His work will help people to design experiments to discover new physics at ultra-cold temperatures. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2014 Dr. Chehal's doctoral studies revealed the degree to which breast cancer can impair the development and function of the immune system. Her discoveries improve our understanding of how breast cancer manipulates anti-tumor immunity. They also suggest new treatment strategies to energize the immune system in the fight against cancer. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2014 Dr. Gaitan-Ospina's work in climatology used different techniques to statistically refine future projections of temperature, precipitation and wind speed in the Canadian Global Climate Model. The results show that nonlinear methods are preferred over linear ones. These findings benefit engineers, biologists, land and forest managers and policy-makers. Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)
2014 Dr. Khurana has developed a numerical method for solving the Boltzmann equation used in chemistry and physics. This numerical method can be used for theoretical calculations in aerodynamic studies and protein analysis. From those calculations one can obtain the properties, such as the size or the distribution of the particles that make up the system. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2014 Dr. Au studied ways in which an insect virus known as Baculo-virus can be used in health research and medical treatments. Her research is the first to demonstrate how baculo-viruses have evolved unique and efficient ways to enter the control centre of a cell. This work will help to design efficient viruses that can be used for gene therapy. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2014 Dr. Price worked on synthesizing new ligands for use in radioactive drugs. These "ligands" are small molecules with many "arms" that wrap around radioactive metals and deliver them selectively to cancer cells for therapy. These new synthetic ligands are much faster and more efficient and should aid in detection and treatment of many types of cancer. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2014 Dr. Wickenden completed his research in the field of organic chemistry. His work provides alternative strategies that may be used towards the development of new pharmaceutical compounds. With these improvements, researchers may one day be able to lower the cost of drugs to the public. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2014 Dr. Chan's research in mathematics focussed on harmonic analysis. In conjunction with his supervisors, he proved a result regarding finite configurations in sparse sets. This was an extension of previous work on the subject and parallels results in the discrete case, contributing to the theory of additive combinatorics in the continuous setting. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2014 Dr. King conducted research using particle physics data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, in Geneva. He searched for evidence of two promising hypothetical models of new physics: super-symmetry and universal extra dimensions. New constraints were placed on these models, thereby providing insight into their possible properties. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2014 Dr. Wong created a computational method to increase the accuracy and efficiency of weather forecast models. Her method ensures that amounts of key atmospheric chemicals are properly conserved when carried by complicated wind patterns. This is especially important for air pollution and global climate prediction. Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)

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