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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The doctoral studies of Dr. Perry focused on the development of environmentally friendly catalysts to generate amines. These nitrogen containing molecules could be efficiently transformed into new plastics with tunable properties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Kolesnik analyzed two aspects of random spaces. He studied geodesics, or shortest paths, in a random fractal surface called the Brownian map, which is related to quantum gravity from theoretical physics. He also studied conditions in random networks which allow for the existence of a small part that can influence the whole network. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Platelets are a highly valued blood product but their storage is limited to 1 week. Dr. Hadjesfandiari has developed a polymer coating for platelet bags to minimize unwanted effects of bag material on platelets. A decrease in platelet and bacterial adhesion on the coated bags has the potential to improve quality and safety of platelet transfusion. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Villarreal-Herrera used algebraic tools to understand geometric objects such as shapes and graphs, or in general, abstract spaces. He focused primarily in the space of commuting elements of a Lie group. This object expands classical concepts in algebraic topology, such as vector bundles and their characteristic classes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Northrup demonstrated how populations of rainbow trout are able to tolerate high pH and how altering hatchery practices can affect this tolerance. This research will aid in the management of rainbow trout and help to sustain an important recreational fishery in the face of environmental change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Barriers in epithelia block germs and prevent fluid loss. Gliotactin is essential to form these barriers, but too much Gliotactin leads to tumor-like growth and tissue disruption. Dr. Samarasekera identified cellular pathways that are involved in this tissue disruption, increasing our understanding why misregulation of barrier proteins can lead to cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Wason studied the acquisition and processing of seismic data. She designed simultaneous-source acquisitions that provide flexibility for better survey-area coverage and speedup acquisition, and developed processing techniques to address the challenge of source separation. This work will help improve survey efficiency and accuracy while reducing cost. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Granados studied the effects of human activities on plants and animals in a Malaysian Borneo. She showed that the combined threats of logging and hunting could affect tropical forest regeneration and could also affect how animals use the forest. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Wallace computed universal critical exponents for phase transitions in models of ferromagnets and linear polymers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Siegle examined how heat waves affect individual energy balance, reproduction, and population growth in an intertidal crustacean. His research identified gaps in bioenergetic models, demonstrating that the effect of transient heat stress on populations is sensitive to time-scale and broader life-history traits. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |