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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. Lewis studied the growth and properties of a new type of semiconductor alloy containing the element bismuth. Thin single-crystal layers with record bismuth concentrations were realized and the underlying physics of the growth process was revealed. These materials have a wide range of applications in devices which emit and detect infrared light. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2014 Dr. Loh studied experimental particle physics. He focussed on the production of particles with a potentially long lifetime, using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This study has helped to increase our understanding of new physics, beyond the recently discovered Higgs particle responsible for giving masses to all other particles. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2014 Dr. DeGiuli studied the flow of granular materials like sand and soil, and derived fundamental equations governing stress transmission in those materials. These equations will improve the mathematical models used every day by civil, chemical, and mechanical engineers in a range of industries, from food processing to pharmaceuticals. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2014 Dr. Brown examined the factors controlling carbon in the Arctic Ocean. Her research employed field-based measurements to infer the relative importance of several processes affecting carbon distributions in the water column and sea ice. This work advances our understanding of carbon cycling in the polar ocean and the impact of sea ice on this cycle Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)
2013 Dr. Gutierrez performed numerical studies in the field of mathematical physics. His work focuses on the Skyrme model, which describes the atomic nucleus as a wave in a fluid. He developed techniques to solve the complicated equations of this model using computers. His contributions are relevant to stellar astrophysics and parallel computing. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2013 Dr. Lauzon's research focused on the development and understanding of catalysts based on non-toxic, inexpensive transition metals, such as tantalum and zirconium. These catalysts are able to facilitate difficult chemical reactions that were previously inaccessible and have implications in both the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2013 Dr. Kamal extended a widely-used system for high performance computing. She executed, for the first time ever, computer programs with over 100 Million processes. She designed and implemented Fine-Grain MPI, a flexible, scalable system that improves program performance, and has been recognized as a significant step towards exascale computing. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2013 Dr. Haga studied how ice forms on particles in the atmosphere. She found that human-caused pollutant coatings on dust particles affect their ice forming properties, and also that ice formation on biological particles might change how they travel in air. These results have implications for climate processes and on the spread of biological diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2013 Dr. Razique studied the geology of economic mineral deposits and built a genetic model of copper-gold systems. He found most precious metal deposits are linked to a fertile magmatic system that has been active for as long as 1 million years. His space-time evolution model is used in the exploration and discovery of giant copper-gold deposits worldwide. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2013 Dr. Pena studied sepsis, which is the major infection-related cause of death worldwide. She demonstrated that most sepsis patients have a strong immuno-suppression profile known as endo-toxin tolerance. She also discovered valuable biomarkers that identify this profile, predict severity, and may enhance treatments to improve sepsis survival rates. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

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