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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Howarth designed and studied new, highly luminescent materials for use in organic light emitting diodes. Her work, performed in collaboration with chemists in both England and Italy, has contributed to the overall understanding of these materials, which are commonly used in digital displays and solid-state lighting technologies around the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Ghoshal studied how plants recover from viral infection. He found that during recovery of the virus infected plants, production of the viral proteins is prevented. He also discovered a plant enzyme involved in this mechanism. The study identifies a novel antiviral defence response and provides new insights into plant-virus interaction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Michan developed a Lyman-alpha light source suitable for performing spectroscopy and laser cooling of magnetically trapped antihydrogen. He subsequently developed a hydrogen beam to test this light source and performed spectroscopy of hydrogen. This research contributed towards experimental testing of matter/antimatter symmetry in the universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Semeniuk investigated how naturally occurring chemical forms of copper in seawater affect the growth of microscopic plants in the northeast Pacific Ocean. His work demonstrates that copper plays a significant role in determining the success of different microscopic plants in marine ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Yang proposes a new framework for numerical modeling of electromagnetic data in geophysics. This approach is able to dramatically speed up the processing of data, making the interpretation much more efficient than before. His research provides geoscientists with a more powerful tool for imaging the earth's structure in a variety of problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Bhathal studied the history and status of marine fisheries in India. She reconstructed fishing catch and effort and revealed, using bio-economic models, that the operation of Indian fisheries is not sustainable. Her work sheds light on an overlooked problem and suggests policy options to safeguard the resources and increase efficiency of fisheries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Okbinoglu studied the electronic structure of molecules known as sulfona-mides. She examined the ways in which changes to their structure affect the way the molecules react and function. This research helps to further our understanding of molecular structure, and aids in designing more effective sulfona-mide based drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Vazifeh developed simple theoretical models to explain interesting electronic phenomena in solids. He was also part of an effort among theoretical physicists to find a simple platform for experimentalists to discover Majorana fermions, an electronic state which can be used in future quantum computing devices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Hou studied the characteristics of cyclotron-produced radio-isotopes for medical imaging. In the wake of the world shortage of the most commonly used radio-isotope, technetium-99m, she validated the use of an alternative production strategy. Her research provides a significant contribution to the field of medical imaging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Crane designed and developed new porous solids for the purpose of storing hydrogen gas. Her innovative approach led to numerous crystalline materials with unique structures and properties. The design principles she unraveled may be applied to improve hydrogen storage in fuel cell automobiles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |