Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
The Faculty of Applied Science comprises a unique constellation of professional disciplines including; Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Nursing and Community & Regional Planning. The core purpose shared across all of our four disciplines is to discover, create and apply knowledge, provide unwavering top-tier education and champion a community of responsible professionals devoted to serving a thriving, sustainable and healthy society. Our work and the professions which our graduates represent span the entire human-centred built environment.
The disciplines within the Faculty of Applied Science are celebrated for the scope, strength and impact of their research activities. Our Faculty claims the spotlight in the global arena for our research in clean energy, communication and digital technologies, health and health technology among many others. We offer disciplinary-specific research based graduate programs as well as a range of professional graduate programs and pride ourselves on our ability to open doors of opportunity to students beyond their time within our Faculty.
| Name | Academic Unit(s) | Research Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Yedlin, Matthew | Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering | earthquakes, nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear weapons, flipped classroom pedagogy, geophysics, digital signal processing, electroencephalography |
| Zhang, Justin | Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering | Electrical energy systems; energy systems; Power electronics; power systems; High-voltage DC (HVDC); Microgrids; Cyber-physical security |
| Ziels, Ryan | Department of Civil Engineering | Environmental engineering; Genomics; Environmental biotechnology; Anaerobic digestion; Biological nutrient removal; Environmental Systems Engineering; Microbial biotechnology; Microbial ecology; Multi-omics; Resource recovery; Sustainable biological wastewater treatment |
| Zimmerman, Naomi | Department of Mechanical Engineering | development and application of real-world-based tools to quickly and quantitatively assess the impact of our policy and technology decisions on air pollution and climate outcomes, and to use the knowledge gained to support better environmental policy planning; air quality |
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Applied Science.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Zang’s research advanced the understanding of aluminum alloys in the automotive industry, focusing on their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining structural integrity. His research provided key insights into how material evolves during manufacturing, from origin to product, and its effect on final performance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Yousefi Darestani developed an intelligent ureteral stent for wireless kidney pressure monitoring, enabling early detection of hydronephrosis. He successfully tested his device on an ex vivo swine kidney-ureter model, confirming its effectiveness and potential to advance diagnostics and therapy in urology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Keeping balance is challenging for older adults and those with brain injuries. However, the neural mechanisms behind such deficits remain unclear. Dr. Qiao improved balance tests by upgrading a balance robot to enable side-to-side motions and cerebellar activity measurements. These advancements could enhance balance assessments and rehabilitations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Khalifa developed new kinds of superconducting quantum devices. Due to their versatility, these devices can enable the development of new quantum technologies for computing and sensing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Pinilla developed new theory and practices for the algorithms and tools necessary to bring quantum computing to a utility scale. His contributions improve the utilization of resources in quantum annealers, which translates into better quality solutions for optimization and quantum-assisted machine learning applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Pokhrel studied the role of geothermal energy for global decarbonization potential. He developed numerical models to understand the physical behavior of complex subsurface reservoirs for extracting geothermal energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Health monitoring is essential to enable timely and appropriate care for newborns. However, this is limited in low-to-middle-income countries due to insufficient resources and health staff. Dr. Grooby examined accessible newborn health monitoring. He developed software to monitor heart and lung health using digital stethoscopes and video cameras. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Pourzahedi's research delved into the dynamics of gas propagation inside complex fluids, offering strategies to manipulate gas presence inside such media. Relevant to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from tailings ponds, understanding gas behavior in these fluids holds significant importance for sustainability and environmental preservation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Schmidt designed and researched methods for efficiently tracking organ surfaces during surgery. He designed multiple algorithms to track tissue motion along with a dataset to evaluate performance for applications of tissue tracking. His research in efficient tracking will enable applications in surgical robotics, such as autonomy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Zaman investigated how state & nonstate actors intervene in disaster resilience planning, exposing disparities between international standards & local contexts using Pakistan as case study. Criticizing top-down governance, her research advocates prioritizing basic human needs alongside resilience for community wellbeing amidst climate crises. | Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD) |