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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dr. Li studied ways to reduce the costs of the technology for seismology imaging. He proposed a new method that can reduce the prohibitively expensive computational cost of imaging and inversion techniques. With his method, the oil and gas industry can obtain images of subsurface oil and gas reservoirs at feasible costs, without sacrificing quality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Blackmore studied the flow of water through waste rock that mining companies pile up following excavation. She developed methods to analyze and understand flow rates, and the chemical make-up of the water that seeps from stockpiled waste. These methods can help industry develop ways to manage the potential effects of contaminated water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2015 | String field theory is a mathematical model for the collective motion of microscopic strands of energy and how they affect their environment. Dr. Longton used this model to study how these strings can describe new theories where objects have moved or decayed. This work is another step towards using the physics of one universe to construct others. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Fluid motion is incredibly complex and detailed, making it difficult to analyze and simulate. Dr. Gregson developed methods to capture and reconstruct fluids and fluid motion from videos obtained with conventional video cameras. The methods can be applied to graphics, simulation and the sciences to better understand fluids and their motions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Cui studied the collision dynamics of complex molecules in magnetic fields. She combined statistics and scattering calculations for improved predictions of collision outcomes. Her work provides insight into the feasibility of ultracold molecule experiments, the controllability of which is useful for precision measurements. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Nobarany investigated the scholarly peer-review process used to select papers for journals and conferences. Specifically, he examined fairness, anonymity, motivations for reviewing, politeness of reviewers, and opinion measurement mechanisms. Based on the findings, he devised and proposed solutions for improving computer-support for peer review. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Van der Heijden studied interactions between Salmonella and the oxidative burst. His findings illuminate a paradoxical relationship between the pathogen and oxidative stress revealing additional layers of complexity in host-pathogen interactions. His research may one day contribute to better antimicrobial therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhu studied biological and environmental models of abrupt changes or catastrophic events. Those events, called tipping, can arrive early due to various factors. She developed methods to identify the key factors leading to early tipping. She demonstrated how the models can be used in the study of Arctic sea ice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Chong developed inexpensive metal catalysts to synthesize nitrogen-containing compounds. These catalysts cause efficient bond-forming reactions to build chemical structures that are important in pharmaceuticals. His work contributes towards the development of sustainable and environmentally-friendly chemical syntheses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhao studied novel instrumentation and methodologies for analyzing biological samples. She developed a new automatic strategy for drug characterization to replace the manual method. The study furthers the understanding of chemical separation, reduces the cost of pharmaceutical development, and makes drugs available to patients faster. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |