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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
2018 Did rivers ever flow on Mars? The remnants of channels on its surface suggest they did. Dr. Grau Galofre showed that although rivers existed, the majority flowed beneath hundreds of meters of glacial ice. This discovery may help to understand the climate and hydrology of ancient Mars and to focus the search for life outside of our planet. Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2018 Dr. Chan studied differential equations, refining an existing method and developing new techniques for finding solutions, which, as an application, provides a counter-example in an open problem known as fractional De Giorgi conjecture. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2018 Dr. Marshall developed a technique to study how human mitochondria trigger cell death. Using this technique, she found new events implicated in cell death as well as unique events triggered during bacterial infection. This work addresses a technical gap in studying the 'powerhouse of the cell' and its control over human cell death. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2018 Dr. Shrestha developed computational algorithms to identify and prioritize cancer driver genes. He identified a novel molecular subtype of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, potentially vulnerable to immunotherapy. His work helps clinicians contextualize genomic information in clinical decision making, thus enabling precision oncology. Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)
2018 Dr. Skierszkan studied the mobility of two metallic contaminants, molybdenum and zinc, in mine waste rock and tailings by using stable isotope analyses. His research provides practitioners with a new tool to trace the release and attenuation of metals in mine waste and thus improve environmental management at mine sites. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2018 Dr. Bontrager investigated how climate affects adaptation across the range of a native wildflower. This work illustrates the possibility for gene flow to help populations adapt to climate change. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2018 Dr. Hawley studied microbial metabolisms and metabolic interactions in oxygen depleted ocean waters. Her research clarified details of microbial community nitrogen, sulfur based interactions along gradients of oxygen. Her findings have important implications for nitrogen availability and greenhouse gas production and consumption. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2018 Cameras cannot capture the full range of light intensities without losing image accuracy. Dr. Rouf proposed a computational optimization framework and developed methods for reconstructing high-fidelity photographs. This framework challenges expensive, conventional solutions and provides a practical use for everyday photography. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2018 Dr. Ghadermarzy studied the problem of completing multi-dimensional arrays, i.e., tensors from noisy or 1-bit measurements of a subset of their entries. Tensor completion is applicable whenever the data has missing or corrupted entries which can be the result of a faulty sensor or when taking measurements is too expensive. He proved optimal bound on the minimum required number of measurements for certain classes of tensors. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2018 Dr. Wang showed the functional characterization of proteins involved in secondary cell wall development in plants. She also discovered new functions of ovate family proteins involved in maintaining plant hormone homeostasis and regulating the cotyledon development. Her work helps us understand how plant fibers and wood are formed in nature. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)

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