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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Contreras investigated claims of a hemispheric asymmetry of power in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), showing some models can be ruled out with the current data, but very sensitive polarization data are required for many others. He also showed that the CMB is consistent with no parity violation at the tightest precision available with current data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | The human body is home to approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms including bacteria and other microbes. Dr. Cait examined how this microbiome impacts asthma susceptibility and highlighted the importance of microbially-derived metabolites in preventing this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Aubry investigated how weather conditions during an eruption control the rise of explosive volcanic columns. His research unravels how long-term climate changes affect the delivery of volcanic gases into the atmosphere and suggests that global warming will hinder volcanoes' ability to cool Earth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Matinkhoo developed the first ever synthesis of alpha-amanitin, the main toxin of the notorious death cap mushroom, since its discovery over 60 years ago. This toxin recently provided effective treatments for several cancers in mice, namely pancreatic. This work provides insight into the synthesis of targeted amanitins and derivatives thereof. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Wang studied the microscopic structures and evolution of liquid crystalline tactoids formed by cellulose nanocrystals. He developed an in-situ photopolymerization method to capture these soft ordered microdroplets for direct electron microscopy observations. His work provides new insights into the early evolution of self-assembly processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Wang studied one of nature's great puzzles: what is dark energy which causes the accelerating expansion of our Universe? He proposed that dark energy is the vacuum energy of quantum fields, which curve the spacetime in a particular way to drive the accelerating expansion of the Universe. This work is a crucial step towards a theory of everything. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Rabayrol studied the formation of gold deposits in Anatolia in Turkey. He showed the genetic relationship between the Arabian continental collision, mantle flow, magmatism and gold mineralization. His research provides the mining industry with a new exploration model in Anatolia, and insights into metallogeny in collisional tectonic domains. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Kreynes studied how specific cell signalling mechanisms impact a plant's ability to produce flavonoid antioxidants in order to improve our understanding and yield of beneficial phytochemicals. Flavonoids help plants cope with stress, and are components in medicinal plants that can help us treat diseases and live longer healthier lives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. McArthur studied neglected viral diseases, looking for better ways to measure viruses and their ability to infect humans. He developed analytic methods targeting dengue, Zika, and Ebola viruses, and applied them to discover new antivirals. His results advance our understanding of these viruses and may lead to a universal virus diagnostic test. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Garcia completed his doctoral studies in the field of Chemistry. He developed numerical methods that speed up the process of solving the Schrodinger equation for large molecules. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |