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. Jabbari studied algorithms that predict the structure of RNA, which, like DNA, stores our genetic information. Complex RNA structures, known as pseudoknots, are present in diseases such as HIV, SARS and Huntington's. This study provides more efficient and more accurate tools for predicting RNA pseudoknots and gaining insight into those diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Burian studied resistance to antibiotics in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world's deadliest human bacterial pathogen. He showed how M. tuberculosis coordinates multiple antibiotic resistance systems through a common pathway. Inhibiting this pathway to resistance may make previously ineffective antibiotics useful for tuberculosis treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Yim studied the synthesis and applications of titanium and zirconium amidate complexes. These complexes were used toward hydroelement addition reactions to form carbon-nitrogen and carbon-zirconium bonds. The end products from these reactions have applications ranging from medicinal to materials chemistry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhang has made important contributions to the analysis of longitudinal studies, such as multi-year studies of HIV/AIDS. He addressed common problems, such as censored data, measurement errors, and missing data. His work and his proposed new methods are expected to make an important impact on HIV/AIDS research and other longitudinal studies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Xie studied how packages or sets of items can be automatically recommended to Internet users for such activities as trip-planning and course planning. The resulting recommendations are based on a user's preferences and constraints, such as budget. The packages built for each user provide immediate improvement to the level of customization. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Hanson studies genes and genomes that have been obtained from the environment. He developed MetaPathways, an analytical software that can be applied to this biological 'Big Data'. This work provides researchers and clinicians with a powerful framework that can be used to compare gene and genomes from oceans, soils and the human intestinal tract. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Wyllie's research involved two aspect of rock fall hazards. First, actual rock fall events were carefully documented to provide data for calibration of rock fall computer models. Second, an improved rock fall protection net has been developed which minimizes the absorption of impact energy and reduces construction costs for these structures. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Is the motion of raindrops on a window predictable? Vancouver's drizzle might suggest it is. Nonetheless, Dr. Garcia Ramos characterized a class of predictable mathematical models, concluding that predictable behaviour is not common. In a chaotic world, he believes human progress should focus on adaptability more than control of the environment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Grothe studied materials in the Laboratory for Atomic Imaging Research at UBC. This allowed her to investigate the interactions between electrons and their environment within a crystal, including the glue that pairs electrons in a high temperature superconductor. Her work serves as a foundation for others to understand, probe and develop new materials in the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Isenor studied aerosol particles at low temperatures and determined some of the properties of those particles, such as size and shape. She also conducted experiments to examine the freezing of single, liquid particles. This work is important to help predict the types of cloud particles that may be present in the atmospheres of planets and moons. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |