AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support
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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. Cyr-Racine studied the physics of dark matter, a mysterious component that constitutes 85% of all matter in the Universe. His research showed that the physics governing dark matter could be rich without ruining the success of the current cosmological model. His results contribute to our understanding of the fundamental physics governing our Universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Veenstra experimented on superconductors which cannot currently be fully explained, using light to knock electrons free. By studying these electrons and relating their properties back to the material he was able to further our understanding of their interactions. This brings us closer to a complete description of superconductivity in these materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Aghaeepour developed algorithms for analysis of the millions of cell types involved in the immune system. He subsequently used these methods in clinical studies, to better diagnose and treat cancer, HIV, kidney transplant failure, tuberculosis and other diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Schechter developed new algorithms for simulating the flow of water and smoke in computer graphics. Her work includes modelling the impression of turbulence, capturing the interaction of water with solids and air, and generating the geometry of a water surface. This is of particular interest to the film visual effects and computer game industries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. McFarlane studied ways in which plants export lipids to the protective cuticle that coats their surface, to protect themselves against water loss and drought. She discovered that lipids are exported by certain combinations of transporters, which are closely related to chemotherapy resistance transporters in humans | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Glenn examined the physical properties of the materials that comprise seaweed tissues. His research showed that differences in material properties among seaweeds impact their success in wave-swept shorelines and influence ecological and evolutionary processes | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hamieh conducted her research in Pure Mathematics. She studied the special values of certain mathematical functions known as L-functions, building on recent major advances. Her results extend and generalize existing work on this topic and connect to some outstanding unsolved problems in algebraic number theory, giving it wide application. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Li studied ways the fish populations in the Strait of Georgia were affected by harbour seals, the impact of invasive species, and zooplankton. She found that changes in any one of those species could lead to changes in many species through the food webs in the ecosystem. Therefore, ecosystem-based management is highly recommended. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Rosen conducted experimental research into the physics of high-temperature superconductors. He demonstrated the existence of a temperature-dependent charge-density-wave, thereby establishing a new physical description for the surface of high-temperature superconductors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hoffman studied the problem of how to make optimal decisions in uncertain environments. In particular he developed algorithms which translate questions of decision making into problems of statistical inference. This framework greatly expands the ability of these methods to attack complex decision problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |