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 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 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 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

Department

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
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
Berlinguette, Curtis Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering Combinatorial Chemistry; CO2 conversion and utilization; clean energy; advanced solar cells; electrochromic windows; dynamic windows; hydrogen fuels production; catalysis; robotics and automation; machine learning / artificial intelligence
Bertram, Allan Department of Chemistry Atmospheric sciences; Chemical sciences; Atmosphere (Including Chemical Aspects); Physical and analytical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols
Beschastnikh, Ivan Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; software engineering; distributed systems; cloud computing; software analysis; Machine Learning
Bizzotto, Dan Department of Chemistry Electroanalytical chemistry; Electrochemistry; Colloid and surface chemistry; Electrochemical Systems; Surface Characterization; Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Layers; Sensors and Devices; Electrochemical and Fuel Cells; biosensors; electrocatalysis; fluorescence microscopy; interfacial analysis; self assembled monolayers; spectroelectrochemistry
Blakney, Anna Michael Smith Laboratories, School of Biomedical Engineering Biomedical materials; Medical molecular engineering of nucleic acids and proteins; Gene and molecular therapy; Gene delivery; RNA; Biomaterials; Immunoengineering
Bloem-Reddy, Benjamin Department of Statistics developing methods for evolving networks whose history is unobserved; distributional limits of preferential attachment networks; uses of symmetry in statistics, computation, and machine learning
Bohlmann, Joerg Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany plant biochemistry, forestry genomics, forest health, conifers, poplar, bark beetle, mountain pine beetle, natural products, secondary metabolites, terpenes, floral scent, grapevine, Conifer genomics Forest health genomics Mountain pine beetle, fungus, pine interactions and genomics Chemical ecology of conifer, insect interactions
Boley, Aaron Department of Physics & Astronomy Astronomy and Astrophysics; Planet formation, protoplanetary disk evolution, formation of meteorite parent bodies
Borduas-Dedekind, Nadine Department of Chemistry Chemical sciences; atmospheric chemistry; chemical mechanisms; atmospheric ice nucleation; Biogeochemistry; mass spectrometry; Photochemistry; indoor chemistry; atmospheric aerosols; singlet oxygen
Bostock, Michael Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences structure of the Canadian upper mantle, Geophysics, formation and evolution of the first continental landmasses, the structure and dynamics of subduction zones
Bouchard-Cote, Alexandre Department of Statistics machine/statistical learning; mathematical side of the subject as well as in applications in linguistics and biology
Bowman, William Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Programming languages and software engineering; Programming languages; Compilers; programming languages
Boyd, David Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs Human rights
Bradbury, Hal Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Chemical oceanography; Ocean biogeochemistry; Marine geology; Isotope geochemistry; Biogeochemistry; Paleoceanography; Chemical Oceanography; Reactive Transport Modelling; Carbon cycle; Marine Sedimentary Environments; Early Diagenesis; Biogeochemical Cycles; marine Carbon Dioxide Removal
Brauner, Colin Department of Zoology Gas exchange, ion regulation and acid-base balance in fish, Evolution and comparative physiology
Bruce, Heather Department of Zoology Evolution of developmental systems; Evolutionary developmental biology (evo devo); Arthropods; Novel structures; Production of morphological diversity by genetic networks; Evolution of genetic networks over hundreds of millions of years; Evolution of morphology over hundreds of millions of years; Appendages
Brumer, Harry Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Chemistry Biochemistry; Chemical sciences; Genomics; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; biomass; carbohydrates; cellulose; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Enzymes; microbiota; plant cell walls; polysaccharides
Bryan, Jim Department of Mathematics Algebraic and differential geometry; Algebraic geometry, moduli spaces, enumerative invariants related to theoretical physics.
Bryman, Douglas Department of Physics & Astronomy Particle physics, experimental; Experimental Particle Physics; Applied physics; physics
Burke, Sarah Department of Physics & Astronomy, Department of Chemistry Scanning probe microscopy, organic materials, nanoscale materials, surface physics, photovoltaics
Bustin, Robert Marc Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Unconventional Petroleum Reservoirs
Campbell, Trevor Department of Statistics automated, scalable Bayesian inference algorithms; Bayesian nonparametrics; streaming data; Bayesian theory; Probabilistic Inference; computational statistics; large-scale data
Carenini, Giuseppe Department of Computer Science Natural language processing
Cautis, Sabin Department of Mathematics Mathematics and statistics; Geometry

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Graduate Student Stories

Carraugh Brouwer

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Label-free, mass-resolved single protein detection in real time using interferometric scattering microscopy

Connor Durfy

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Developing homogenous electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide conversion

Jacquelina DaSilva

Master of Science in Zoology (MSc)

Classroom discourse in a first-year multi-section biology course

Mitchell Demchuk

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Multiple resonance type thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecules for near ultraviolet and deep blue emission

Connor Thompson

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

Molecular and cellular studies of novel broad-spectrum natural product antivirals against viruses of pandemic concern

Cariad Knight

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Development of myelin-specific MRI contrast mechanisms using 31-phosphorous

Oliver Tong

Master of Science in Physics (MSc)

Analytical approaches to electron-phonon interaction

Eric Lee

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)

Computational approaches for exploring the spatial dynamics of the cellular ecosystem
All Student Stories

Alumni on Success

Bruce MacKay

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2004]

Job Title
Principal Chemist and Client Support Manager

Employer
Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Clement Cheung

Master of Science in Chemistry (MSc) [2014]

Job Title
Chemical Operation Technologist

Employer
Phyton Biotech LLC

Kevin Shopsowitz

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2012]

Job Title
Medical student

Employer
University of British Columbia

Peter Frischmann

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2010]

Job Title
Co-Founder & CTO

Employer
Sepion Technologies

Chang Liu

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2013]

Job Title
Research Scientist

Employer
SCIEX

Ryan Philippe

Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) [2008]

Job Title
Director of R&D

Employer
Manus Biosynthesis

Barry Po

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) [2005]

Job Title
Senior Director, Product & Business Development

Employer
NGRAIN

Jennifer Geddes-McAlister

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

Job Title
Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Employer
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
All Alumni Stories

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.

 

Oscillatory instabilities in dynamically active signaling compartments coupled via bulk diffusion in a 3-D spherical domain
Publication: Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena
UBC Author(s): Michael Jeffrey Ward (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01672789
Volume: 476
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Assessing Winter Phytoplankton Community Composition Dynamics and Their Response to Environmental Drivers in the Subarctic Northeast Pacific
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans
UBC Author(s): Brian Hunt (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21699275
Volume: 130
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
An implementation of neural simulation-based inference for parameter estimation in ATLAS
Publication: Reports on Progress in Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00344885
Volume: 88
Publication Date: 1 June 2025

View Publication
Extreme heterochiasmy and high rates of sex-reversed recombination result in large yet homomorphic sex chromosomes in the Emei moustache toad
Publication: Genome Research
UBC Author(s): Judith Mank (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10889051
Volume: 35
Page Range: 1325-1336
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Characterization of a two-component kinase that initiates the bacterial catabolism of hydroxyphenylethanones
Publication: Journal of Biological Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Lindsay Eltis (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science), William Mohn (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00219258
Volume: 301
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
The Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Chromium at the Earth's Surface
Publication: Global Biogeochemical Cycles
UBC Author(s): Sean Crowe (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 08866236
Volume: 39
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Insights into garnet growth in S-type granite from Lu–Hf dating and trace element mapping
Publication: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
UBC Author(s): Matthijs Smit (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00107999
Volume: 180
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
The isotrivial case in the Mordell-Lang conjecture for semiabelian varieties defined over fields of positive characteristic
Publication: Canadian Mathematical Bulletin
UBC Author(s): Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00084395
Volume: 68
Page Range: 461-476
Publication Date: 1 June 2025

View Publication
Search for Gravitational Waves Emitted from SN2023ixf
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Jessica McIver (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 985
Publication Date: 1 June 2025

View Publication
Phylogenomic and morphological evidence supports the reinstatement of the bamboo genus Clavinodum from Oligostachyum (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)
Publication: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
UBC Author(s): Sean Graham (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10557903
Volume: 207
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Setting the limit: cold rather than hot temperatures limit intertidal distribution of a coastal foundation species
Publication: Marine Environmental Research
UBC Author(s): Christopher Harley (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01411136
Volume: 208
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Raman micro-spectroscopy uncovers complex structural and chemical adaptations of alpine azalea leaf surface
Publication: Microchemical Journal
UBC Author(s): Reinhard Jetter (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0026265X
Volume: 213
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
A MORDELL-LANG-TYPE PROBLEM for
Publication: Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society
UBC Author(s): Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00049727
Volume: 111
Page Range: 433-444
Publication Date: 1 June 2025

View Publication
A Bayesian framework for quantifying uncertainty in the thermal history of curing composite structures
Publication: Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
UBC Author(s): Trevor Campbell (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1359835X
Volume: 193
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Linear and smooth oriented equivalence of orthogonal representations of finite groups
Publication: Topology and its Applications
UBC Author(s): Thomas Williams (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01668641
Volume: 367
Publication Date: 1 June 2025

View Publication
Seasonal variability of the energy content of Salpa thompsoni, a key metazoan in Southern Ocean food webs
Publication: Polar Biology
UBC Author(s): Yevhenii Pakhomov (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 07224060
Volume: 48
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Visualization of bipartite graphs in limited window size
Publication: Acta Informatica
UBC Author(s): William Evans (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00015903
Volume: 62
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Function of nuclear envelope proteins in plant growth and development
Publication: Current Opinion in Plant Biology
UBC Author(s): Mohammad Arif Ashraf (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13695266
Volume: 85
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
Proposed revision of SI unit classifications: how the candela, mole, kelvin differ conceptually from the base units of kilogram, meter, second, ampere
Publication: European Journal of Physics
UBC Author(s): Lorne Whitehead (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01430807
Volume: 46
Publication Date: 31 May 2025

View Publication
Acidic pH Reduces Fluconazole Susceptibility in Cryptococcus neoformans by Altering Iron Uptake and Enhancing Ergosterol Biosynthesis
Publication: Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
UBC Author(s): James Kronstad (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 35
Page Range: e2504007
Publication Date: 27 May 2025

View Publication
Cumulative effects of fire in the Fraser River basin on freshwater quality and implications for the Salish Sea
Publication: Science of the Total Environment
UBC Author(s): Brian Hunt (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00489697
Volume: 978
Publication Date: 25 May 2025

View Publication
Functional imaging and connectome analyses reveal organizing principles of taste circuits in Drosophila
Publication: Current Biology
UBC Author(s): Michael Gordon (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09609822
Volume: 35
Page Range: 2391-2405.e4
Publication Date: 19 May 2025

View Publication
Electronically and Sterically Varied Vanadium Aminopyridinate Complexes Applied to the Catalytic Reductive Coupling of Alcohols
Publication: Inorganic Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Laurel Schafer (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00201669
Volume: 64
Page Range: 9500-9508
Publication Date: 19 May 2025

View Publication
Free summands of stably free modules
Publication: Forum of Mathematics, Sigma
UBC Author(s): Thomas Williams (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 13
Publication Date: 16 May 2025

View Publication
Sunflower ‘virgin births’ enable accelerated crop breeding
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Marco Todesco (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science), Loren Rieseberg (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00280836
Volume: 641
Page Range: 596-598
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

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
2025 Dr. Lavington developed algorithms for training AI systems in simulated environments by leveraging privileged information available during simulation. His methods enabled faster and safer policy learning for complex tasks like autonomous driving and locomotion, advancing the path from simulation to real-world deployment. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2025 Dr. Lensink designed machine learning algorithms that mimic how natural systems change over time. He found that the resulting algorithms are more robust and efficient, enabling analysis of high-resolution medical images. His work helped hospitals analyze CT scans of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Pichler investigated Mycobacterium abscessus lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. She redefined clinical understanding by revealing phenotypic diversity in isolates and developing an infection model that predicts disease progression, laying the groundwork for personalised, outcome-driven care for chronic respiratory infections. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Reda developed methods to teach virtual characters to move realistically in physics-based simulations using reinforcement learning. By addressing challenges in exploration, data limitations, and environment design, his work enables robust, adaptable controllers for applications in character animation, humanoid robotics, and virtual reality. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2025 Dr. Rothchild is interested in how small molecules are made in nature. They studied how fungal enzymes make a molecule that is toxic to insects and may have applications in agriculture. Knowledge of how these enzymes work can help us develop cheaper and more sustainable ways to make important molecules that we rely on. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Dr. Fleury searched for evidence of new physics affecting white dwarfs, which are stellar remnants whose cooling rate could be altered by the emission of hypothesized particles such as axions. By comparing predictions from stellar evolution simulations to observations, she tested white dwarf cooling models and found new constraints on axion models. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Lu conducted groundbreaking research on the intersection of sustainable mining practices and climate change mitigation through carbon mineralization. Her dissertation explores the potential of ultramafic rocks, minerals, and tailings to capture, store, and remove anthropogenic CO2, offering a low-cost, scalable solution to combat climate change. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2025 Dr. Kehila studied the evolution of social interactions between microorganisms. He discovered novel principles revealing how these microscopic creatures work together to breakdown oceanic debris, as well as manmade chemicals, like pesticides and antibiotics. These discoveries expand our view of how sociality evolves across the tree of life. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Rodell studied wildfire danger and behavior, developing ways to forecast them using hourly weather predictions and machine learning. He created a new model that improves fire danger estimates and enhances wildfire smoke modeling. This work helps fire managers and air quality forecasters make better decisions. Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)
2025 Dr. Hagar discovered antimicrobial compounds from cave soil bacteria. These compounds, named 'caveamides', were found by combining genetic analysis and chemical detection methods. Beyond their pharmaceutical potential, caveamides have rare structural elements that give key insights into a poorly understood aspect of microbial biochemistry. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

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