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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

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
Pramanik, Malabika Department of Mathematics Harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, several complex variables
Radic, Valentina Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric sciences; Geophysics; Climate Changes and Impacts; Climate Science; Glaciology; Meteorology
Ramdorai, Sujatha Department of Mathematics Algebraic theory of quadratic forms, non-cummutative Iwasawa theory, motives
Ramer, Matthew Department of Zoology Pain, Plasticity, Regeneration, Sensory neurons, Sympathetic neurons
Rechnitzer, Andrew Department of Mathematics Enumerative combinatorics, Simulation of combinatorial objects, Lattice statistical mechanics
Reichstein, Zinovy Department of Mathematics Group theory and generalisations; Algebra; Algebraic groups; algebraic geometry
Reid, Jolene Department of Chemistry
Reid, Andrea Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Fisheries sciences; Culturally significant fish and fisheries
Reinsberg, Stefan Department of Physics & Astronomy Medical physics, MRIs
Richards, Jeffrey Department of Zoology Adaptive significance of the mechanisms coordinating cellular responses to stress
Rieseberg, Loren Department of Botany Bioinformatics; Genomics; Plant biology; adaptation; crops; invasive plants; plant evolutionary biology; speciation; weeds
Robeva, Elina Department of Mathematics Statistical theory and modeling; Machine learning; Algebra; Algebraic statistics; Graphical Models; Tensor decomposition; Causality; Applied algebraic geometry; Shape-constrained density estimation; Tensor networks
Rosado Rey, Abel Department of Botany Plasma membrane repair mechanisms in plants
Rosen, David Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Animal physiology; Physiology, behaviour, and ecology of marine mammals;; Bioenergetics; Nutrition; Conservation physiology
Rottler, Joerg Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; Condensed Matter and Materials Physics; Nanomaterials; Polymers; Soft Matter; Solids
Rozali, Moshe Department of Physics & Astronomy String theory, high energy physics, quantum field theory, cosmology and classical gravitational physics
Russell, Kelly Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Physical sciences; volcanology; petrology; magma rheology; geochemical thermodynamics
Ryan, Katherine Department of Chemistry drug molecules in use today are organic compounds isolated from organisms such as bacteria, plants, and fungi; understand how natural products are made.
Sagan, Selena Department of Microbiology & Immunology role of RNA at the host-virus interface
Salibian-Barrera, Matias Department of Statistics S-regression estimationg, robust statistics, functional principal component analysis, bootstrap estimators, rgam, clustering algorithm
Sammis, Glenn Department of Chemistry Methods development, natural product synthesis, organic free radicals, radical fluorination
Samuels, Anne Lacey Department of Botany Plant biology; plant cell biology; plant cell walls
Satterfield, Theresa Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability Sustainable development, environmental health, First Nation & land management, social and cultural consequences of contamination
Saylor, Joel Edward Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Paleoaltimetry; Paleoclimatology; Tectonic Basin analysis; Quantitative sediment provenance analysis; Rivers; Tectonics; Sedimentary Basins; Structural Geology; Field Geology; Sedimentology; Stratigraphy; Sequence Stratigraphy; Sediments; Geology
Schafer, Laurel Department of Chemistry catalysis, chemical synthesis, heterocycles, titanium, zirconium, yttrium, tantalum, hydroamination, hydroaminoalkyltion, biodegraable polymers, sustainable synthesis, Green Chemistry, Organometallic and organic chemistry

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Deanna Pepin

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

Impact of osmotic perturbations on the gut microbiota

Ben Nadeau

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

First-row transition metal catalysis

Angela McLaughlin

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)

Models of infectious disease transmission for HIV and other rapidly evolving RNA viruses

Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova

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

Narratives of Water: Exploring Hydrosocial Relations and Water (In)security in Canada and New Zealand

Eric Press

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Modular optic flow processing during natural locomotion
UBC graduate student Joseph Zsombor-Pindera

Joseph Zsombor-Pindera

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Exploring the electronic structure and reactivity of transition metal complexes of redox non-innocent ligands through spectroscopy and computational chemistry

Cassandra Elphinstone

Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)

Arctic Plant Genomics: Climate Adaptation

Santiago David

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Paramo bird communities: Understanding a poorly known Andean ecosystem under increasing risk of extinction
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.

 

Molecular Mechanisms of Temperature Tolerance Plasticity in an Arthropod
Publication: Genome Biology and Evolution
UBC Author(s): Judith Mank (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 16
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Garnet Pyroxenite Cumulates from Cretaceous Alkaline Intraplate Magmas Underplate the Zealandia Mantle Lithosphere
Publication: Journal of Petrology
UBC Author(s): Matthijs Smit (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00223530
Volume: 65
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Climate change alters social-ecological trade-offs in achieving ocean futures' targets
Publication: Global Change Biology
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13541013
Volume: 30
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Search for Gravitational-lensing Signatures in the Full Third Observing Run of the LIGO-Virgo Network
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Jessica McIver (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 970
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

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Model-independent extraction of form factors and |Vcb | in B ¯ →d?- ν ¯ ? with hadronic tagging at BABAR
Publication: Physical Review D
UBC Author(s): Christopher Hearty (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science), Thomas Mattison (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science), Janis McKenna (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700010
Volume: 110
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Complex rotational dynamics of the neutron star in Hercules X-1 revealed by X-ray polarization
Publication: Nature Astronomy
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 8
Page Range: 1047-1053
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
CHIME/FRB Outriggers: KKO Station System and Commissioning Results
Publication: Astronomical Journal
UBC Author(s): Mark Halpern (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046256
Volume: 168
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

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Audience segmentation approach to conservation messaging for transforming the exotic pet trade
Publication: Conservation Biology
UBC Author(s): Kai Chan (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science), Jiaying Zhao (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 08888892
Volume: 38
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Developing rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) lose branchial plasma accessible carbonic anhydrase expression with hatch and the transition to pH-sensitive, adult hemoglobin polymorphs
Publication: Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology
UBC Author(s): Colin Brauner (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01741578
Volume: 194
Page Range: 537-543
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Circa 1.9 Ga Rae-Hearne collision from Lu–Hf garnet chronology in eclogites
Publication: Terra Nova
UBC Author(s): Matthijs Smit (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09544879
Volume: 36
Page Range: 284-291
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
First Detection of CO Isotopologues in a High-redshift Main-sequence Galaxy: Evidence of a Top-heavy Stellar Initial Mass Function
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Wing Shan Man (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 970
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

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Testing mechanistic theories must be based on correct interpretations
Publication: Journal of Experimental Biology
UBC Author(s): Daniel Pauly (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00220949
Volume: 227
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

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Measurement of ZZ production cross-sections in the four-lepton final state in pp collisions at s=13.6TeV with the ATLAS experiment
Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 855
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Searches for exclusive Higgs boson decays into D<sup>⁎</sup>γ and Z boson decays into D<sup>0</sup>γ and K<inf>s</inf><sup>0</sup>γ in pp collisions at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector
Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 855
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Fungal composition associated with host tree identity mediates nutrient addition effects on wood microbial respiration
Publication: Ecology
UBC Author(s): Sean Michaletz (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00129658
Volume: 105
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
The influence of aging and the microbiome in multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases
Publication: Immunological Reviews
UBC Author(s): Lisa Osborne (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01052896
Volume: 325
Page Range: 166-189
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Fair and Safe Eligibility Criteria for Women's Sport
Publication: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports
UBC Author(s): Mary O'Connor (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09057188
Volume: 34
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Editorial overview: Sensors and biosensors (2023): Addressing the challenges in building and characterizing electrochemical sensors
Publication: Current Opinion in Electrochemistry
UBC Author(s): Dan Bizzotto (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24519103
Volume: 46
Publication Date: August 2024

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Shortening and asthenospheric flow drove Miocene vertical-axis rotations in the northern Tibetan Plateau: A palaeomagnetic study of the northeast Qaidam Basin of China
Publication: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
UBC Author(s): Joel Edward Saylor (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00310182
Volume: 647
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Cygnus X-3 revealed as a Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source by IXPE
Publication: Nature Astronomy
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 8
Page Range: 1031-1046
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
Resilience counter-currents: Water infrastructures, informality, and inequities in Cape Town, South Africa
Publication: World Development
UBC Author(s): Leila Harris (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0305750X
Volume: 180
Publication Date: August 2024

View Publication
The diversity of clinical Mycobacterium abscessus isolates in morphology, glycopeptidolipids and infection rates in a macrophage model
Publication: Journal of medical microbiology
UBC Author(s): Elitza Tocheva (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 73
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

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Discovery of a strong rotation of the X-ray polarization angle in the galactic burster GX 13+1
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 688
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Constraining the Selection-corrected Luminosity Function and Total Pulse Count for Radio Transients
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 971
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication
Search for the nonresonant production of Higgs boson pairs via gluon fusion and vector-boson fusion in the Formula Presented final state in proton-proton collisions at Formula Presented with the ATLAS detector
Publication: Physical Review D
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700010
Volume: 110
Publication Date: 1 August 2024

View Publication

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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
2023 Dr. Mehrabifard's research has addressed the problem of human-induced earthquakes resulting from the shift towards cleaner, lower carbon energy resources. By developing a deep understanding of the physics underlying these earthquakes, he has created effective predictive models and identified appropriate mitigation strategies to minimize their occurrence. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD)
2023 Dr. Nelson's work focussed on the role of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme within the unique respiratory system responsible for the success of the teleost fishes. Her work advances our understanding of the function, development, and evolution of a respiratory system present in half of all vertebrate species. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2023 Dr. Pan investigated new conditional inference and prediction methods after fitting a joint distribution based on vine copulas, including prediction of an arbitrary variable given others, prediction of a right-censored response, and prediction of an ordinal or continuous response when some explanatory variables are nominal categorical. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Jana rigorously investigated algebraic invariants of two spaces: Classifying space for commutativity and Unordered flag manifolds. Their research explored algebraic topology, employing algebraic methods to analyze shapes. The core of the research lies in the pursuit of simplification through decomposition, marking its fundamental significance. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2023 Where do the chemical elements come from? Using the nuclear physics technique of mass spectrometry, Dr. Jacobs investigated potential astrophysical sites where some of these elements are produced. The findings point to binary neutron star mergers as a prime candidate for explaining a range of elemental abundances observed in stars. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Park's research focused on microbiome associated with seaweeds. He found that the ecological distribution of these host-associated microbes is linked to their positive impact on kelp growth and their ability to colonize kelp, as demonstrated through experimental tests. His work advances the application of ecological theory in probiotic discovery. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2023 Dr. Pinsonneault-Marotte participated in the realisation of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment telescope and analysis, which resulted in a preliminary detection of hydrogen located nearly 11 billion light-years away. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Fomichev developed computational methods for predicting the properties of materials with strong electron-lattice interactions. Applying these methods to organic solar cell materials, he showed that lattice vibrations can break apart excitons to generate electricity, potentially explaining how this novel technology operates on an atomic scale. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Verma developed synthetic methods to access various pharmaceutically relevant building blocks. These developed one-pot methodologies can expedite the synthesis of a library of compounds thereby accelerating the early drug discovery programs and resulting in the rapid identification of new therapeutics for various diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 Dr. Ghahramani developed new empirical and numerical methods for predicting the characteristics of tailings flows resulting from breaches of tailings dams. The findings of this study are useful for improving the accuracy of risk assessments and emergency response plans for tailings dam breaches. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD)

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