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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

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
White, Rachel Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics; Climate modelling; Atmospheric dynamics; climate change; Extreme weather events; Climate impacts
Whitehead, Lorne Department of Physics & Astronomy Atomic, molecular, and optical physics; Education; Economics and business administration; Applied optics; Applied physics, especially novel geometrical approaches; Illuminating engineering and display technology; Optimizing innovation and enhancing learning within higher education
Whitlock, Michael Department of Zoology Evolution, forces which control the nature and distribution of genotypes in subdivided populations and how does this affect the outcome of other evolutionary processes
Whitton, Jeannette Department of Botany Speciation (evolutionary processes); Plant developmental and reproductive biology; Plant evolutionary ecology; Evolution of asexuality; Evolution and consequences of polyploidy; Speciation/ diversification; Species at risk in Canada; Conservation policy
Williams, Ben Department of Mathematics Topology; Algebra; Algebraic topology; Motivic homotopy theory; A1 homotopy theory
Wolf, Michael Department of Chemistry Synthesis of materials; Physical inorganic chemistry; Materials Chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry; Polymer chemistry; Photochemistry
Wood, Frank Donald Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Artificial Intelligence; Computational neuroscience; Machine Learning; Natural Language Processing; New models and inference algorithms; Probabilistic models; Probabilistic programming; Probabilistic programming systems; Reinforcement learning; Robotics; vision
Wu, Lang Department of Statistics Biostatistical methods; Longitudinal data analysis, mixed effects models, missing data, hypothesis testing, biostatistics
Xiao, Robert Department of Computer Science human-computer interaction; Virtual/augmented reality
Ye, Ziliang Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; Nanomaterials; Optics and Photonics
Yi, Kwang Moo Department of Computer Science Computer vision in artificial intelligence; Pattern recognition and artificial vision; 3D Computer Vision; Computer Vision; Machine Learning; Astronomy Applications of Computer VIsion
Yilmaz, Ozgur Department of Mathematics Mathematical problems related to analog-to-digital conversion, blind source separation, sparse approximations and compressed sensing, and applications in seismic signal processing
Yoon, Dongwook Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Computer Science and Statistics; design; Educational Technologies; Augmented reality; computer supported cooperative work (CSCW); Educational technology; Human-computer interaction (HCI); Interaction and interface design; Multimodal interaction; Speech, touch, multitouch, stylus, gesture, mixed-reality, 3d interaction; Virtual Reality
Zahl, Joshua Department of Mathematics Combinatorics and discrete mathematics; Lie groups, harmonic and Fourier analysis; Harmonic Analysis; Combinatorics; Discrete and Combinatorial Geometry
Zhao, Jiaying Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Psychology Natural environment sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences
Zhitnitsky, Ariel Department of Physics & Astronomy Particle theory, cosmology, quantum chromodymics, hadrons, axion physics, physcs of neutron stars, inflation models, dark matter problem
Zhou, Fei Department of Physics & Astronomy Condensed matter and theoretical physics, Ultra Cold Atoms Near Resonances
Zou, Ke Department of Physics & Astronomy 2D crystals, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) synthesis, heterostructures, gated field effect transistors (FETs)

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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.

 

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
2024 Dr. Rees developed and characterized dextran-coated nanoparticles and nanoparticle assemblies for bioanalytical applications such as the specific labelling of cancer cells. These materials were very brightly fluorescent, stable, non-fouling, and will help enable point-of-care diagnostic technology that will make molecular medicine more accessible. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2024 Dr. Gogoi examined how satellite-based crop yield estimation in the Canadian Prairie region can be improved by using new multi-source, multi-variable datasets, and machine and deep learning methods. Her studies have improved our ability to estimate crop yields at fine spatial scales and to forecast them a few months ahead of time. Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)
2024 Dr. Frieling used laser cooled atoms to create ultra-cold molecules and study chemical reactions at 1 millionth of a degree above absolute zero and to characterize the performance of a new quantum atomic sensor for vacuum metrology relevant for applications in aerospace and semi-conducting fabrication industries. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Herberts developed a noninvasive blood profiling technology for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, enabling expedited discovery of treatment resistance mechanisms to common cancer drugs, and helping clinicians select treatment tailored to patient's unique tumor biology. This test is now being evaluated in two Canadian clinical trials. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Bacon used DNA sequencing to explore genomic associations with poor disease outcomes in patients with genitourinary cancers. His work has demonstrated the role of circulating tumour DNA as a tool for predicting survival in patients with kidney cancer, as well as the prognostic utility of specific gene alterations in patients with bladder cancer. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2024 Why is the natural world so diverse in its shape and form? Is diversity random or driven by natural selection? Dr. Boehm studied the beaks of tropical hummingbirds, and the flowers they visit, to answer these questions. He concludes that extreme curvature is a result of niche partitioning, while other shapes remain unknown in their origin. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2024 Dr. Thulasi examined the role of protein degradation in the regulation of plant immunity. He identified a new regulatory mechanism mediated by the degradation of lipid biosynthetic enzymes. These findings deepen our understanding of the complex plant immune system. He hopes his discoveries aid in the future development of disease-resistant crops. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2024 Using artificial intelligence methods, Dr. Dirks developed machine learning models to unlock the information contained in spectral data. Demonstrated applications include grade estimation in mining and food quality assessment in agriculture. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Kinney investigated how rapid environmental changes influence evolution in hybrid populations. Using threespine stickleback fish, she showcased the pivotal role of ecological selection in shaping hybrid populations, improving our understanding of the fragility of reproductive isolation. This work advances our insights into hybrid evolution. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Ruder examined the conditions under which novel agricultural technologies can support transitions to more just and sustainable food systems in Canada. Her research offered new ways to evaluate impacts of technologies, made policy recommendations, and informed a toolkit of public scholarship resources for governing data and technology. Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

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