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

Computational Sciences and Mathematics

Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

Genomics and Biological Sciences

Human-Computer Interaction

Life Sciences

Chemistry and Materials Science

Physics

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. 

Graduate Degree Programs

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Abraham, Ninan Department of Zoology Mammals, pathogens, genetic analysis, proper cell funtion, development, maintenance and proper functioning of T- and B-cells
Adams, Keith Department of Botany Molecular evolution, genome evolution, and gene expression
Adem, Alejandro Department of Mathematics Cohomology of finite groups, orbifolds, stringy topology, algebra, sporadic simple group, group actions, arithmetic groups, K-theory, homotopy theory, spaces of homomorphisms
Algar, Russ Department of Chemistry Luminescent Materials; Bio/Chemical Sensing; Materials synthesis and biofunctionalization; Understanding the nanoparticle interface; New energy transfer configurations for sensing and imaging; Point-of-care diagnostic devices; Intracellular sensing
Allen, Susan Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric sciences; Oceanography; coastal oceanography; coupled bio-physics and chem-physics and all three models; forecast models; Oceans and Inland Waters; physical oceanography; Prediction and Climatic Modeling
Altshuler, Doug Department of Zoology Zoology; flight control; visual guidance; visual neuroscience; neuroethology; avian biomechanics; aerodynamics; wing morphing; motor control
Ameli, Ali Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Geology; Applied Hydro-geochemistry; Climate Changes and Impacts; Environmental Tracer; Ground Water and Water Tables; Groundwater Ecohydrology; Groundwater-Surfacewater & land Interaction; Hydro-geological Engineering; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Numerical analysis; Watershed Management
Andersen, Raymond Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Chemistry Chemicals produced by marine organisms
Angel, Omer Department of Mathematics Probability theory, percolation, random graphs, random walks, particle processes, scaling limits
Angert, Amy Department of Botany, Department of Zoology Plant biology; Zoology; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity; biogeography; biological responses to climate change; Conservation Biology; Ecological and Ecophysiological Processes; evolutionary ecology; population biology
Anstee, Richard Department of Mathematics Discrete Mathematics, Extremal Set Theory, Graph Theory, Matching Theory
Aronson, Meigan Department of Physics & Astronomy heavy-ferromagnetic compounds; charge density waves; magnetic nanoparticles
Auger-Methe, Marie Department of Statistics, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Fisheries sciences; Statistics; Zoology; Animal movement; Polar ecology; Statistical Ecology
Auld, Vanessa Department of Zoology Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Zoology; Cell; Cell Biology; Development; Developmental Genetics; epithelia; Genetics; glia; in vivo imaging; Molecular Genetics; nervous system; Neurogenesis and Gliogenesis; permeability barriers
Austin, Philip Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences global climate; climate change; greenhouse effect; global warming; clouds; lightning; storms, Cloud physics, radiative properties of layer clouds, status cirrus formation, global climate, cloug aerosol feedbacks and climate
Aviles, Leticia Department of Zoology Community ecology (except invasive species ecology); Animal behaviour
Bachmann, Sven Department of Mathematics Mathematics and statistics; Mathematical Analysis; quantum phenomena; Mathematical physics; Quantum statistical physics; Topological states of matter
Baliga, Vikram Zoology
Balmforth, Neil Department of Mathematics Fluid mechanics, nonlinear dynamics and applied partial differential equations
Barker, Shaun Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Beckie, Roger Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Ground hydrology, geotechnical engineering
Behrend, Kai Department of Mathematics Moduli spaces, Gromov-Witten invariants, string theory, Donaldson-Thomas invariants, Euler characteristics, categorification
Bennett, Michael Department of Mathematics Number Theory, Diophantine Approximation and Classical Analysis
Berbee, Mary Department of Botany Plant biology; Evolution and Phylogenesis; Microorganisms; Taxonomy and Systematics; fungi; molecular phylogenetics; mycology; systematics
Berciu, Mona Department of Physics & Astronomy Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Physical sciences; condensed matter theory; polarons, bipolarons; strongly correlated systems

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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.

 

Publication: Science of the Total Environment
UBC Author(s): Richard Pawlowicz (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science), Roger Francois (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science), Maria Maldonado-Pareja (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00489697
Volume: 873
Publication Date: 15 May 2023

View Publication
Publication: European Journal of Combinatorics
UBC Author(s): Stephanie van Willigenburg (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01956698
Volume: 110
Publication Date: May 2023

View Publication
Publication: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
UBC Author(s): Claire Kremen (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01678809
Volume: 347
Publication Date: 1 May 2023

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics
UBC Author(s): Chen Greif (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03770427
Volume: 424
Publication Date: 1 May 2023

View Publication
Publication: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
UBC Author(s): Carl Michal (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 07403194
Volume: 89
Page Range: 1809-1824
Publication Date: May 2023

View Publication
Publication: Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
UBC Author(s): Michael Jeffrey Ward (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 381
Page Range: 20220089
Publication Date: 17 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Powder Technology
UBC Author(s): Anthony Wachs (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00325910
Volume: 420
Publication Date: 15 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Aquaculture
UBC Author(s): Colin Brauner (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00448486
Volume: 568
Publication Date: 15 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: NeuroImage
UBC Author(s): Daniel McDonald (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10538119
Volume: 270
Publication Date: 15 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Theoretical Biology
UBC Author(s): Michael Walter Doebeli (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00225193
Volume: 562
Publication Date: 7 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Astronomical Journal
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046256
Volume: 165
Publication Date: 1 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Ecology Letters
UBC Author(s): Mary O'Connor (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1461023X
Volume: 26
Page Range: 621-639
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Inventiones Mathematicae
UBC Author(s): Izabella Laba (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00209910
Volume: 232
Page Range: 365-470
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Algebra and its Applications
UBC Author(s): Zinovy Reichstein (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 02194988
Volume: 22
Publication Date: 1 April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Ecology of Freshwater Fish
UBC Author(s): Jeffrey Richards (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09066691
Volume: 32
Page Range: 431-443
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Ecology of Freshwater Fish
UBC Author(s): Jeffrey Richards (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09066691
Volume: 32
Page Range: 247-256
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Probability Theory and Related Fields
UBC Author(s): Omer Angel (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01788051
Volume: 185
Page Range: 815-837
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Earth-Science Reviews
UBC Author(s): Sean Crowe (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00128252
Volume: 239
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Tao Huan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01659936
Volume: 161
Publication Date: April 2023

View Publication
Publication: Cell Reports
UBC Author(s): Freda Miller (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 42
Publication Date: 28 March 2023

View Publication
Publication: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
UBC Author(s): Kayla King (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09628436
Volume: 378
Publication Date: 27 March 2023

View Publication
Publication: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
UBC Author(s): Kayla King (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09628436
Volume: 378
Publication Date: 27 March 2023

View Publication
Publication: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
UBC Author(s): Patrick John Keeling (Botany / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 120
Publication Date: 21 March 2023

View Publication
Publication: STAR Protocols
UBC Author(s): Kota Mizumoto (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 4
Publication Date: 17 March 2023

View Publication
Publication: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
UBC Author(s): Joel Edward Saylor (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0012821X
Volume: 606
Publication Date: 15 March 2023

View Publication

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Recent Thesis Submissions

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
2022 Dr. Huang studied how the transition from traditional chemistry to green chemistry can be accomplished through an in-situ hydrogen supply reactor. She engineered catalysts with finely-tuned structures for hydrogenation reactions. These reactions can be used in crucial industries such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, disinfection, and fuels. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2022 Dr. Pietromonaco studied curve-counting in certain geometries with singular points. His new results lead to some beautiful formulas, and reveal some new structure in the enumerative geometry of these singular spaces. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Wharton studied metal-based radioactive drugs for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer. His work led to the development of several radiopharmaceuticals which achieved effective imaging of tumours. His research deepens our understanding of viable approaches to drug design and has implications for the further advancement of cancer treatments. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2022 Dr. Cristiani studied the movement of marine invertebrates among different areas of the British Columbia coast. His research modeled the spatial extent of animal dispersal and predicted where habitat is connected. This work is now being incorporated into planning the placement of marine protected areas to better conserve biodiversity. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Baker studied metals in which electronic motion does not obey Ohm's law. He looked at metals where electrons develop preferred directions of motion because of strong interactions with the ionic lattice. He developed a theory of how this leads to new electrical and optical properties, and measured these novel effects in palladium cobalt oxide. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Ju developed prediction methods that go beyond classical settings. Her proposals are built upon the idea of ensemble learning and use data that contain extreme or function-valued variables. The resulting algorithms provide computational tools for practitioners to deal with complex data seen in various applications. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Blain tested for predicted effects of competitive interactions among co-occurring fish phenotypes in post-glacial lakes. She demonstrated weak or no evidence for predictions from theory for selection and evolution in solitary stickleback populations and some evidence for habitat and trait repeatability in assemblages of sympatric salmonids. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Jung investigated the regulation of respiratory gases within the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system in teleost. She also studied the potential implications associated with osmoregulation and digestion. Her research illuminates maintenance of blood homeostasis despite the extreme extracorporeal environment in the tract. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022 Dr. DeLisle used quantum information theory to study electromagnetic and gravitational fields. His work argued that upcoming laboratory experiments should be capable of observing quantum superpositions of space-time, and resulted in the discovery of a new kind of electric current, responsible for emitting the longest wavelengths of light in Nature. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022 Dr. Christidis developed a new class of statistical algorithms designed to analyze data in high dimensions. He made theoretical and computational contributions to support his work. His methods were applied to study the relationship between genetic patterns and different types of diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)

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