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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
2019 Dr. Kuatsjah's work describes the characterization of three different enzymes that microorganisms use to degrade lignin. This work provides insights into how microorganisms contribute to the global carbon cycle and how Nature uses metals in enzymes. It also facilitates the development of tools to transform plant biomass into commodity chemicals. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2019 Dr. Carlquist developed a method to map experimental measurements onto mathematical models that describe how a system changes in time and space. Applying his method, he unravelled the mechanism underlying dynamic pattern formation in the E. coli Min system, one of the simplest biological systems known to demonstrate diverse complex dynamic behaviour. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2019 Dr. Mustoe specialised in understanding weak chemical bonds. To resolve an argument in her field, she developed a new method to study halogen bonds. She used this method to identify when these bonds can play an important role, such as helping generate electricity in solar cells. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2019 Dr. Sous studied bipolarons, a type of paired electron, and localization. His results show that bipolarons can be very light, opening the possibility to a new mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity. His work also explains the non-equilibrium behaviour of quenched molecular gases in terms of the quantum phenomenon of localization. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2019 Oleaginous bacteria have considerable potential for the sustainable production of lipid-based chemicals. Dr. Round's research characterized and exploited lipid biosynthesis enzymes to create a biocatalyst. The work provides insight into bacterial lipid biosynthesis and facilitates the development of processes to sustainably produce oleochemicals. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2019 Dr. Nitta studied the regulation of signal transduction that occurs during plant immunity. Her work contributes to help uncover mechanisms which plants use to control the magnitude of defense responses. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2019 Dr. Bernier investigated the nuclear structure of neutron-rich cadmium isotopes relevant to nuclear astrophysics using gamma-ray spectroscopy. Her work contributed to explain how the nuclear force holds atomic nuclei together and how heavy elements are created in stars. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2019 Dr. Edwards developed new methods for using air and water sensitive catalysts for the synthesis of amines with minimal generation of waste. He has also used these methods to create new molecules that could have potential uses in the development of new pharmaceuticals. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2019 Dr. Brown studied the interaction between tumours and the immune system in thousands of cancer patients. He used computational genomics methods to make predictions about how immune cells may recognize and attack these tumours, relating this to patient outcomes. This work identified patients most likely to benefit from immunotherapies. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2019 New understanding of space and time arises in the fundamental realization of the Universe. Dr. Yeh studied space as a pixel picture encoded in a set of matrices. He found how matrices reconstruct smooth spaces. His research contributes to revealing the origin of the Universe. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

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