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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

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
2012 Dr. Hua studied statistical models that improve on classical methods for modelling risks. He can better quantify and bound the risk of simultaneous occurrence of rare events such as large financial losses in different markets. This research is relevant to insurance practice and financial risk management. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2012 Dr. Siu focused his research on phosphorus chemistry. He synthesized compounds of varying sizes, both big and small. Some of these compounds are highly reactive, others are not. His investigation helps to broaden the field of phosphorus chemistry and could potentially lead to unique materials and catalysts. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2012 Debugging computer-chip defects consumes more than 50% of the chip design process. To address this problem, Dr. De Paula defined a formal framework called BackSpace, which methodically and correctly extracts information from chips. His experiments show that BackSpace is successful in practice and is promising to contribute significantly to the computer industry. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2012 Dr. Svensson studied how Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium that causes food poisoning, adapts to stressful conditions. She discovered that Campylobacter forms stress-tolerant communities called biofilms, and two particular genes allow it to sense and respond to environmental challenges. This work will help control C. jejuni in the food chain. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2012 Dr. Bare used organic synthesis to study fundamental structural and functional roles of the chromosome ends, the telomeres. Phosphate forming reactions were developed to construct a molecule that could mimic telomere drug interactions. The resulting discoveries may be useful for chemists designing new anticancer therapeutics or studying DNA structure. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2012 Dr. Zhdanovich studied ways in which atoms and molecules are controlled by light. In his experimental work he developed robust and effective control methods using ultra-short laser pulses. These methods can be used to study collisions between molecules, enable control of chemical reactions and assist in understanding behaviour of chaotic systems. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2012 Dr. Cheung developed computer methods to describe the properties of genes, diseases and drugs in quantitative profiles. In performing billions of computer comparisons, his methods for comparing profiles from different topics reveals new associations between genes and diseases, and new disease applications for existing drugs. Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)
2012 Dr. Gill investigated the existence of Axion-like particles, that are strong contenders for the dark matter in our Universe. He developed a novel method for measuring the mass of these particles by studying their signature in the light observed from strongly magnetized stars. Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD)
2012 Metals create disturbances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI. Dr. Hoff exploited the physics of the MRI signal to obtain medical images that are free of the aberrations typically found in images taken near metallic implants in patients. These innovations will result in faster imaging of tissue surrounding implanted screws and joint prostheses. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2012 Dr. Madera examined ways in which synthetic proteins can strengthen the human immune response. These proteins were found to enhance the beneficial activity of immune cells taken from the blood of human participants. These findings are valuable since they contribute to the development of new medicines against infectious diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

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