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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 new 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 updated 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 new 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

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Joe, Harry Sue Wah Department of Statistics Statistics; Statistics and Probabilities; copula construction; dependence modelling; extreme value inference; non-normal time series; parsimonous high-dimensional dependence
Johnson, Catherine Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Lunar geophysics, Evolution of Mars' Magnetic Field and Atmosphere
Johnson, Mark Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Geology; Natural environment sciences; Agriculture; Biogeochemistry; Carbon cycle; Climate Changes and Impacts; data science; Ecohydrology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Fresh Water; Ground Water and Water Tables; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Land and Soil; land use; Running Water Hydrosystem; Water and Sustainability
Johnson, Pauline Department of Microbiology & Immunology Diseases of the Immune System; Immunology; Inflammation; Immune-cancer interactions; Innate immunity; Macrophages and myeloid cells
Jones, David Department of Physics & Astronomy Atomic, optical and molecular physics,Ultrafast Optics, Spectroscopy
Karczmarek, Joanna Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; Emergent spacetime and gravity; Matrix models; Noncommutative geometry; String theory
Karu, Kalle Department of Mathematics Algebraic geometry, toric varieties, log geometry, combinatorics of fans and posets
Keeling, Patrick John Department of Botany Molecular evolution and cell biology of eukaryotes
Kenne, Steve Cyrille Department of Mathematics
Kiczales, Gregor Department of Computer Science MOOCs, Blended Learning, Flexible Learning, University Strategy for Flexible and Blended Learning, Computer Science Education, Programming Languages, Programming languages, aspect-oriented programming, foundations, reflections and meta programming, software design
Kim, Young-Heon Department of Mathematics Partial Differential Equations and Geometry
King, Kayla Department of Microbiology & Immunology host-microbial parasite/pathogen systems
Kopylova, Maya Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences diamond ore deposits, Diamond exploration, petrology and volcanology
Korthauer, Keegan Department of Statistics Bioinformatics; Genomics; Statistics; Epigenomics; Single-cell analysis; Statistical genomics
Kremen, Claire Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Zoology Natural environment sciences; Zoology; agroecological farming systems; Reconciliation of agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation; sustainable landscapes
Krems, Roman Department of Chemistry Theoretical chemistry, Molecular Spectroscopy, Dynamics of few- and many-body molecular systems in electromagnetic fields
Kronstad, James Michael Smith Laboratories Bioinformatics; Immunology; Microbiology; Plant biology; Mycology; Fungal diseases of plants; Genomics and Proteomics; Medical Mycology; Molecular Genetics; Pathogenesis of infectious diseases; Plant-Microbe Interactions
Kunimoto, Michelle Department of Physics & Astronomy exoplanet detection, characterization, and demographics
Laba, Izabella Department of Mathematics Harmonic analysis, geometric measure theory and additive combinatorics
Lakshmanan, Laks Department of Computer Science data management and data cleaning; data warehousing and OLAP; data and text mining; analytics on big graphs and news; social networks and media; recommender systems
Leander, Brian Department of Botany, Department of Zoology Plant biology; Zoology; Comparative organismal biology; Evolutionary morphology; Evolutionary protistology; Marine biodiversity; Marine invertebrate zoology; Phylogenetic biology; Species discovery
Lecuyer, Mathias Department of Computer Science Machine learning systems; Guarantees of robustness, privacy, and security
Lemieux, Caroline Department of Computer Science Programming languages and software engineering; help developers improve the correctness, security, and performance of software systems; test-input generation; specification mining; program synthesis
Leslie, Sabrina Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Physics & Astronomy
Leyton-Brown, Kevin Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Artificial Intelligence; Algorithms; theoretical computer science; Resource Allocation; Computer Science and Statistics; Auction theory; game theory; Machine Learning

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Christopher Lee

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

Investigating tryptophan and lipid metabolism in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Davi de Ferreyro Monticelli

Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)

Cannabis cultivation facilities: Linking emissions and air quality to inform regulation

Katrina Bergmann

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Using conventional computations and quantum simulations to accelerate the in silico design of highly efficient optoelectronic materials

Jessica Koski

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

Implementation of Indigenous rights to lands & resources

Aditi Pradeep

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Direct dark matter search using the first SuperCDMS SNOLAB detector towers

Gabriel Currier

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

Extremal combinatorics

Rapichan Phurisamban

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

Relationalities and River Flows: Toward a Socially-Equitable and Bioculturally-Conscious Environmental Flow Management

Verónica Relaño-Ecija

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Socio-ecological management in San Antonio Marine Protected Area (MPA), Argentina
All Student Stories

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.

 

Simultaneous energy and mass calibration of large-radius jets with the ATLAS detector using a deep neural network
Publication: Machine Learning: Science and Technology
UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 5
Publication Date: 1 September 2024

View Publication
Observations of Low and Intermediate Spectral Peak Blazars with the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 972
Publication Date: 1 September 2024

View Publication
Concyclic Intervals in the Plane
Publication: Discrete and Computational Geometry
UBC Author(s): Jozsef Solymosi (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01795376
Volume: 72
Page Range: 1010-1027
Publication Date: September 2024

View Publication
On the Structure of Pointsets with Many Collinear Triples
Publication: Discrete and Computational Geometry
UBC Author(s): Jozsef Solymosi (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01795376
Volume: 72
Page Range: 986-1009
Publication Date: September 2024

View Publication
ACM Profits Considered Harmful
Publication: Communications of the ACM
UBC Author(s): William Bowman (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00010782
Volume: 67
Page Range: 40-42
Publication Date: 1 September 2024

View Publication
Environmental impacts of genetically modified crops
Publication: Science (New York, N.Y.)
UBC Author(s): Joséphine Gantois (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 385
Page Range: eado9340
Publication Date: 30 August 2024

View Publication
Exploiting natural complexity for substrate controlled regioselectivity and stereoselectivity in tantalum catalysed hydroaminoalkylation
Publication: Green Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Laurel Schafer (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14639262
Volume: 26
Page Range: 9729-9736
Publication Date: 30 August 2024

View Publication
The Mechanism of Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation by Fatty Alcohol Monolayers
Publication: Journal of Physical Chemistry A
UBC Author(s): Allan Bertram (Chemistry / Faculty of Science), Grenfell Patey (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10895639
Volume: 128
Page Range: 7214-7225
Publication Date: 29 August 2024

View Publication
Prokaryotic-virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes throughout the global oceans
Publication: Microbiome
UBC Author(s): Steven Hallam (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 12
Page Range: 159
Publication Date: 29 August 2024

View Publication
Siderophore Biosynthesis and Transport Systems in Model and Pathogenic Fungi
Publication: Journal of microbiology and biotechnology
UBC Author(s): James Kronstad (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 34
Page Range: 1551-1562
Publication Date: 28 August 2024

View Publication
Taste cells expressing Ionotropic Receptor 94e reciprocally impact feeding and egg laying in Drosophila
Publication: Cell Reports
UBC Author(s): Michael Gordon (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 26391856
Volume: 43
Publication Date: 27 August 2024

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An analysis of the interaction between surface and basal crevasses in ice shelves
Publication: Cryosphere
UBC Author(s): Anthony Peirce (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 19940416
Volume: 18
Page Range: 3841-3856
Publication Date: 27 August 2024

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Whole rock lithogeochemical analysis of the Mount Read Volcanics: a new tool for geochemical exploration
Publication: Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
UBC Author(s): Shaun Barker (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14677873
Volume: 24
Publication Date: 26 August 2024

View Publication
Predicting Cascading Failures with a Hyperparametric Diffusion Model
Publication: Proceedings of the ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
UBC Author(s): Laks Lakshmanan (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 2154817X
Page Range: 3495-3506
Publication Date: 25 August 2024

View Publication
Introduction to Computational Organic Chemistry
Publication: Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Jolene Reid (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14770520
Volume: 22
Page Range: 7072-7073
Publication Date: 23 August 2024

View Publication
Taking stock of global fisheries
Publication: Science (New York, N.Y.)
UBC Author(s): Daniel Pauly (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 385
Page Range: 824-825
Publication Date: 23 August 2024

View Publication
On the relationship between δO<inf>2</inf>/N<inf>2</inf> variability and ice sheet surface conditions in Antarctica
Publication: Cryosphere
UBC Author(s): Anais Orsi (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 19940416
Volume: 18
Page Range: 3741-3763
Publication Date: 22 August 2024

View Publication
The grasshopper genome reveals long-term gene content conservation of the X Chromosome and temporal variation in X Chromosome evolution
Publication: Genome research
UBC Author(s): Judith Mank (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 34
Page Range: 997-1007
Publication Date: 20 August 2024

View Publication
Low Mo mobility during the laterization of ultramafic bedrock: Evidence from the East Sulawesi Ophiolite, Indonesia
Publication: Chemical Geology
UBC Author(s): Sean Crowe (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00092541
Volume: 660
Publication Date: 20 August 2024

View Publication
The Diversity and Evolution of Chiral Brønsted Acid Structures
Publication: Chemistry - A European Journal
UBC Author(s): Jolene Reid (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09476539
Volume: 30
Publication Date: 19 August 2024

View Publication
Support US OCTOPUS Act to keep octopuses wild
Publication: Science (New York, N.Y.)
UBC Author(s): Daniel Pauly (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 385
Page Range: 721-722
Publication Date: 16 August 2024

View Publication
MoEDAL Search in the CMS Beam Pipe for Magnetic Monopoles Produced via the Schwinger Effect
Publication: Physical Review Letters
UBC Author(s): Gordon Walter Semenoff (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00319007
Volume: 133
Publication Date: 16 August 2024

View Publication
Halide Salts Alleviate TMSOK Inhibition in Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Couplings
Publication: ACS Catalysis
UBC Author(s): Jason Hein (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 14
Page Range: 12671-12680
Publication Date: 16 August 2024

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Investigating the Origin of Epimerization Attenuation during Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions
Publication: ACS Catalysis
UBC Author(s): Jason Hein (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 14
Page Range: 12331-12341
Publication Date: 16 August 2024

View Publication
Glycogen synthase kinase 3 inhibition controls Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
Publication: iScience
UBC Author(s): Khanh Dao Duc (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 27
Publication Date: 16 August 2024

View Publication

Pages

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
2024 Dr. Hendi revealed a novel function of a gap junction protein that negatively regulates the formation of synapses in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This research advances our understanding of the mechanisms required for the precise formation and development of the nervous system. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Blanchard investigated how early life-stages of fishes cope with temperature variation during development, spanning from the molecular to physiological levels. The findings from her thesis offer fundamental insights that help in our understanding of how developing embryos will cope with climate change. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Freres studied processes causing instrumental mass bias in multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers. Her research helped improve precision and accuracy in isotopic ratio measurements and provided the geochemical community with greater resolution to interpret geological records and better understand the history of our planet. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2024 Dr. Newman designed tools for running and analyzing complex, electronic auctions, with applications to markets for agricultural trade in developing countries and the sale of wireless spectrum rights. His work provides a blueprint for how economists can use computer simulations to compare auction designs. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Braich studied the impact of climate change on agriculture in the Prairies, both past and into the future. She found warming trends have already negatively impacted yields, and by 2050 yields could be reduced by more than 20%. Her findings emphasize the need for adaptation planning to address climate impacts in this key agricultural region. Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)
2024 Dr. Liu delves into the creation of innovative platforms and methodologies to study one-pot multistep reaction. His work enabled an automated control and analysis system for one-pot telescoped reactions and proposed an efficient optimization strategy for complicated multistep syntheses. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2024 Dr. Hsueh developed ways of understanding protein behavior through physics simulations. In his thesis, he developed novel simulation methods, explored the physical origin of ALS disease, and computationally designed therapeutics for both neurodegenerative disease and COVID19. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Toorians' work deals with biodiversity loss and the rise of epidemics. She has explained disease-emergence through host phylogenetic community structure. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2024 Replacing plastics with green alternatives is a tough nut to crack. Dr. Goonesinghe introduces new methods to convert simple molecules into complex biodegradable materials using quirky new indium catalysts. His work unveils the huge potential of these tragically underappreciated elements, paving the way for better catalysts and greener plastics. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2024 Dr. Dong studied the epigenetic role in evolution. He discovered the important role of DNA methylation in population specificity and evolutionary conservation, especially in terms of their genetic basis and functional relevance. His findings can provide new evolutionary insights into the roles of epigenetics in cellular functions and human health. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)

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