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 | Many practical problems are subject to order constraints, for example, combined physical and chemical therapies are usually at least as good as chemical therapy alone. Dr. Zhou developed methods to formally utilize order constraints for statistical inference. His methods enable scientists from various disciplines to make more efficient use of the available data resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Ding studied immune signalling pathways in plants. Part of her work represents a major breakthrough in the understanding of the perception and molecular signaling of salicylic acid, one of the most important plant immune-related phytohormones. Findings from this and other work will contribute to our better understanding of plant immune systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Roach explored specialized metabolite biosynthesis in two non-model plant systems. In the flower, Crocosmia, he explored the biosynthetic genes of a new potential diabetes therapeutic. In the tree, Sitka spruce, he explored the inherent plasticity and evolution of a family of terpene synthases associated with defense against pests. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Steif developed state of the art approaches to detect changes in the genomes of individual cancer cells. She then used these methods to decipher how distinct populations of cancer cells evolve over time. These approaches will enable future studies that examine how tumours respond to treatment and what leads to cancer relapses in patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. VanInsberghe developed microfluidic methods to measure the expression of microRNAs, an important class of regulatory molecule, in single cells. He subsequently applied this technology to measure microRNA expression in the blood development system, helping to refine the model for how these cells create the different blood cell types. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Terpstra designed nanomaterials that mimic the unique three-dimensional organization of biological polymers. She used cellulose nanocrystals to create thin film materials with nanometer-sized helical structures. These materials have iridescent colours and were used to study the effects of nanoscale structures on sensing and catalysis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Naman studied how stream-dwelling salmon and the invertebrates they eat are influenced by physical habitat structure. He found that a combination of contrasting habitat types is required for fish to have sufficient space to live but also enough food. This work will inform efforts to conserve and restore habitat for these iconic stream fishes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Marchetto has devised an improved technique for designing the magnets used to separate exotic nuclei for nuclear and astrophysics experiments. This allows mass selection even for masses whose separation is as small as one part in 20,000. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Thomas studied topological aspects of Quantum Chromodynamics, the theory of strong nuclear force, in a simplified toy model. He showed how certain structures, which are believed to exist in the true theory, arise in the simplified model, and discussed how they could potentially answer some questions about how the universe works. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Gordon studied the physics of strongly interacting elementary particles, performing detailed calculations in the framework of quantum field theory. He elucidated features of the quantum vacuum and generated predictions that enable precise tests of holographic duality, an important but conjectural relation between quantum theory and gravity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |