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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

Computational Sciences and Mathematics

Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

Genomics and Biological Sciences

Human-Computer Interaction

Life Sciences

Chemistry and Materials Science

Physics

Sustainability

Research Facilities

Designed to inspire collaboration and creativity across disciplines, the 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 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 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

Department

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

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
2022 In many real-world applications, data are collected as multiple samples from connected populations. Dr. Zhang developed statistical methodologies to jointly analyze the multiple samples. His research leads to more efficient and reliable data analysis procedures than some existing ones in the literature. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Li investigated the folding-unfolding mechanisms of four important metalloproteins at the single-molecule level. These studies revealed some fundamental principles that guide the folding-unfolding processes of metalloproteins in general. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2022 Dr. Sha developed artificial intelligence methods to make precipitation forecasts in British Columbia more accurate. Dr. Sha also developed a new method to automatically remove poor-quality observational data. Dr. Sha's research improved heavy-rain forecasts, hydropower generation and flood forecasting. Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)
2022 Dr. Islam studied epigenetic alterations associated with a subset of human lymphoid leukemias, which are the cancer of white blood cells. He identified key mechanisms for enhancer activation driving the oncogenic transcriptional program in those leukemias that might help to develop potential targeted anti-leukemic therapeutics. Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Savard developed a Penning ion source using helium gas, with the end-goal of generating alpha-particles for medical accelerators. He studied the internal plasma properties of this ion source, in order to better understand how these ion sources work. This will allow for better optimization of these ion sources in the future. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Yang characterized the molecular mechanism of a unique nuclear entry pathway used by parvoviruses. As these viruses are recognized for their great potential as anti-cancer agents, her findings deepen our understanding on how these viruses infect host cells and contribute to the development of novel anti-cancer therapies. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Alford studied the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes infection of many bodily niches including the skin and lungs. Her research identified mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and virulence using host-like models of infection. Her findings will be used to develop new therapies for treating infections in clinical settings. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Banerjee proposed a model that combines utility-driven item adoption with the viral network effect helping to propagate adoption of and desire for items from users to their peers. He subsequently applied the model to study influence maximization and filter bubble problem. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2022 Across all eukaryotic life, genes contain introns that must be removed for proper expression. This process is thought to occur similarly across species. Dr. Wong, however, discovered unusual features and patterns of this key process in a diverse array of algae, which highlights the importance of expanding our understanding beyond model organisms. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2022 Dr. Eom studied the role of fish breathing against toxic chemicals in aquatic environments and found that the fish control their breathing by generating various patterns against toxicants, which is beneficial to increase survival rates. This information would help understand how aquatic animals respond to global and local toxicants. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

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