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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Lawler studied the small body populations in our Solar System and in exoplanet systems. She used the results of a large observational survey to determine the distribution of Kuiper belt objects in different orbital resonances with Neptune, and attempted to find asteroid belts in exoplanet systems discovered by the Kepler Mission. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kohler proved a generalization of the Alon conjecture in algebraic graph theory. This establishes an important algebraic property of random large networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Zangeneh examined the influence of geology on the design of hydraulic fracturing, to improve extraction from natural gas reservoirs. She developed procedures to design effective hydraulic fractures, and to mitigate against induced seismicity. Her study will help operators to maximize oil and natural gas extraction in a safe and sustainable manner. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Liu worked on the development of chemical separation instruments. He designed a novel device that could obtain pure targeted compound from complex mixtures. This technique could serve the needs in sample preparation for both academic and industrial activities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kong developed an indirect method to search for exotic particle emissions in nuclear decays. This unique method is independent of a particle's lifetime and allows us to detect any particle emission. His work successfully demonstrated a 3% momentum resolution, which is essential for detecting exotic particles emitted with very small probabilities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kravchenko has performed theoretical work in the area of physical chemistry. She created computer models describing the behaviour of fluids, a fundamental problem that requires large computational power. The outcomes of this research are relevant to a wide range of research areas, from atmospheric chemistry to industrial aerosols. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Luo studied ocean processes such as circulation and carbon flux with chemical tracers. His research improved the methods we use, to better understand the role that oceans play in climate change. This work provides several promising future research perspectives for oceanography, which are especially beneficial to scientists who study climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Goyal developed accurate models and scalable algorithms for social influence analysis. This research assists us in understanding the flow of information in online social networks like Facebook and Twitter, in addition to improving applications like viral marketing and recommender systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Dragomir studied super-Earth extrasolar planets by monitoring the decrease in brightness they cause as they transit in front of their host stars. The observations were acquired with MOST, the first Canadian space telescope. Her research contributes to the still sparse understanding of the structure and composition of these exotic planets. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Yeo developed a computational model showing how movement is generated from muscle, how it interacts with the skeleton, and then how it is controlled by the brain. His work revealed a movement mechanism which was not well understood before, and an efficient way to simulate it which can be used in computer animation and movement neuroscience. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |