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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. Zielke used computer simulations to study how water freezes in the atmosphere with the help of airborne particles. These simulations helped explain the microscopic process of how certain airborne particles organize water into ice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lam studied evolutionary changes that occur in genomes of plants that steal nutrients from fungi. She found that genes are lost from their genomes in a predictable manner, leading to genome compaction and restructuring. Her work provides new insights into how plants can survive without photosynthesis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Stortz aided in the design of a high-resolution pre-clinical Positron Emission Tomography scanner with the ability to function inside of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The design of the PET scanner was informed by his computer simulations and detector hardware characterization. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Briceno studied spatial mixing properties of Gibbs distributions in symbolic systems and their connections with decay of correlations, uniqueness of equilibrium states, and counting complexity. Using this knowledge, he developed new techniques for representation and approximation for topological entropy and pressure. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Rennison's research investigated the processes of adaptation and speciation using a combination of field studies and controlled experiments on threespine stickleback fish. Her work suggests that biotic interactions are key drivers of diversification and that genetic architecture plays an important role in determining adaptive responses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bai completed his doctoral work in the application of mathematics and game theory. He studied how to use mathematical models to predict the expected level of vaccine coverage. His research will help inform possible strategies in public health to fight against infectious diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fohring developed and tested mathematical methodologies for non-invasive monitoring of water flow in an aquifer, using synthetic numerical models of seismic tomography surveys. These studies help to determine optimal survey designs for seismic tomography while generating the best images of water flow underground. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Insects, plants, and their feeding interactions form food webs that regulate much of Earth's biodiversity. Dr. Barbour discovered that different plant genotypes support unique food chains of insect species. His work indicates that the loss of plant genetic diversity could unravel the web of interactions that sustains the diversity of life on Earth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Zhang conducted her research at the interface of chemistry and biochemistry. She studied the interaction of the starch-digesting enzyme in the human pancreas with starch and natural product mimics, to control the blood glucose level. Her novel work paved the way for treatments of diabetes and obesity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Phytoplankton are the forests of the ocean. Invisible to the naked eye, these organisms take up as much CO2 and evolve as much O2 as all the plants on land combined, which makes them a crucial component of our planet's climate. Dr. Schuback's work helps to more accurately estimate rates of 'phytoplankton primary productivity' in the oceans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |