AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support
Psychiatrists and computer scientists at UBC and BC Cancer have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately...
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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
- Biodiversity Research Centre
- Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
- Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution
Computational Sciences and Mathematics
- Data Science Institute
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Institute of Applied Mathematics
- Statistical Consulting and Research Laboratory
- Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Geophysical Inversion Facility
- Lithoprobe: Canada's National Geoscience Project
- Mineral Deposit Research Unit
- Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research
- Seismic Laboratory for Imaging and Modeling
Genomics and Biological Sciences
- Centre for High-Throughput Biology
- Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics
- Michael Smith Laboratories
Human-Computer Interaction
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Vancouver Institute for Visual Analytics
Life Sciences
- Centre for Blood Research
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries
- Life Sciences Institute
- Michael Smith Laboratories
- Neglected Global Diseased Initiative
Chemistry and Materials Science
- Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
- Max Planck-UBC Centre for Quantum Materials
- Quantum Devices Group
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute
Physics
- Antihydrogen Trapping and Spectroscopy at CERN
- Pacific Institute for Theoretical Physics
- TRIUMF: Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics
- UBC ATLAS Project at Large Hadron Collider
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
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
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Diet and the microbiome in Parkinson's disease (MIIM - PHD)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. He studied the unfolding and folding of proteins at the single-molecule level. He combined single-molecule force spectroscopy and steered molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the topological changes of a protein slipknot during its unfolding and folding. This research will help understand the folding mechanism of slipknot proteins. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Cottle developed a novel algorithm for using single-wavelength, dual polarization, LIDAR to identify aerosol and cloud types. He then employed this algorithm to study multiple instances of medium and long range aerosol transport events. | Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Gou formulated and investigated a class of mathematical models that describe the coupling of spatially segregated, dynamically active units through a signaling molecule that diffuses in the bulk medium between active units. These studies assist us in understanding the pattern formation phenomena observed in many biological systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. MacKenzie advanced the methods used to study star forming galaxies in the early universe using far-infrared telescopes. His new methods helped overcome the limited resolving power associated with observing at these wavelengths. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Vickers designed, synthesized and studied new materials that could be used in the catalytic converters of vehicles. These catalysts were tested for use with natural gas engines to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and make the vehicles more environmentally friendly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Mjos conducted her research in the field of chemistry, and she studied the chemistry of anti-microbial and anti-cancer agents. She demonstrated the beneficial and detrimental interactions of metal ions with such drug molecules. Working with industry, she was able to shed light on the potential, unwanted side-effects of a new cancer drug. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Alexandersen used the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to discover and track outer Solar System asteroids. Through a careful observing strategy and detailed understanding of observational biases, he studied the size and number distributions of the various underlying sub-populations, properties that carry evidence of how the Solar System formed. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Prat completed his doctoral research at UBC in the field of Physics. During his program, the focus of his study was black holes in a cosmological context. He was able to demonstrate that black holes can merge with cosmological horizons, and that this merger has many intriguing mathematical properties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | In her research, Dr. Gies illuminated a unique and previously unrecognized microbial community that thrives in the dark, methane-saturated waters of Sakinaw Lake. Using cutting edge technologies she gained insight into their ability to produce methane, and unveiled an economic potential that could eventually lead to a more sustainable future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Meyer performed a detailed analysis of the behavior of two large computer storage systems. He found that in many cases simple opportunities to increase performance and compress data have been passed over in favor of more complex and costly alternatives. The data in this work stands as the largest file system metadata study performed to date. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |