How to avoid becoming a mosquito’s dinner
Summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean mosquitoes aren’t still searching for their next meal—and you might be next. A new study co...
Learn More
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
- Biodiversity Research Centre
- Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
- Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution
Computational Sciences and Mathematics
- Data Science Institute
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Institute of Applied Mathematics
- Statistical Consulting and Research Laboratory
- Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Geophysical Inversion Facility
- Lithoprobe: Canada's National Geoscience Project
- Mineral Deposit Research Unit
- Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research
- Seismic Laboratory for Imaging and Modeling
Genomics and Biological Sciences
- Centre for High-Throughput Biology
- Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics
- Michael Smith Laboratories
Human-Computer Interaction
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Vancouver Institute for Visual Analytics
Life Sciences
- Biomedical Research Centre
- Centre for Blood Research
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries
- Life Sciences Institute
- Michael Smith Laboratories
- Neglected Global Diseased Initiative
Chemistry and Materials Science
- Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
- Max Planck-UBC Centre for Quantum Materials
- Quantum Devices Group
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute
Physics
- Antihydrogen Trapping and Spectroscopy at CERN
- Pacific Institute for Theoretical Physics
- TRIUMF: Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics
- UBC ATLAS Project at Large Hadron Collider
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.
Schools / Departments
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
-
Single cell profiling of the immune system landscape in Lyn deficiency and colorectal cancer (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
-
Using light to investigate taste reward circuits in Drosophila (Zoology - PHD)
-
FASTR : fast approximation of soft tissue in real time (Computer Science - MSC)
-
Ufit : interactive attribute driven sewing pattern adjustment (Computer Science - MSC)
-
Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by the macrophage Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
-
Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by the macrophage Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 : [supplementary material] (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
-
Antibiofilm coatings with long-term activity for medical devices (Chemistry - PHD)
-
Structural and mechanistic studies on the biosynthesis of streptozocin (Chemistry - MSC)
-
Epigenetic dysregulation in lymphoid leukemias (Bioinformatics - PHD)
-
Investigation of L-type calcium channels as potential targets for cancer therapy (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
-
Lipid A modifications in Bordetella pertussis : regulation and function of the lgm locus (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
-
Investigating the role of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in tumour development (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dr. Chong used molecular chemistry to develop completely new porous materials for emerging applications. He demonstrated that these new materialsy can be used for the remediation of contaminated water and for storing hydrogen as an alternative energy source. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Hanna developed a new instrument for determining the chemical composition of particulate matter in urban air pollution. Her research provided insight into several fundamental processes important in the chemical analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Zhu examined how a coastal diatom species copes with changing light intensity. She found that unique members of the light-harvesting family of proteins are regulated differently from the other members of this superfamily and are involved in photoprotection during long term high light stress. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Shieh used gauge/gravity duality correspondence to study strongly coupled systems in high-energy and condensed-matter physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Chen examined the design of pollution monitoring systems for the detection of contaminants in surface water and groundwater. He identified key factors affecting the probabilities of detecting contaminants, and was the first to use comprehensive modeling approaches to evaluate monitoring networks in a highly complex watershed system. His research provides important guidelines for practice in the design of contaminant monitoring networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr.Guan examined the Landau-Lifshitz and Dirac equations arising in quantum physics - both of which which relate to the motion of charged particles. She refined the current understanding of these two equations, proved global existence and blow up results for Landau-Lifshitz flow, and showed the Dirac standing wave solutions are unstable. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Pan studied structures of two systems - the fusion peptide from the tick-borne encephalitis virus and nanocrystalline cellulose films. His studies on the fusion peptide assist us in understanding the fusion mechanism of enveloped viruses. He also found parameters which enable one to manipulate the nematic structure and crystallinity of nanocrystalline cellulose films. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Henderson investigated the application of potassium permanganate for the treatment of groundwater contaminated by industrial solvents. A computer program was developed and employed to assess contaminant treatment, and to identify the processes most important to the effectiveness of this technology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2009 | Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, but the exact causes of disease development and progression are poorly understood. A series of small molecule drugs was designed and synthesised to bind metals and quench free radicals in the brain, contributing a number of new compounds to the pool of potential Alzheimer's therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. MacDonald explored the role of infection and inflammation in the human diseases, cystic fibrosis and chronic granulomatous disease. She explored how certain bacteria interfere with immunologic defenses and why the bacteria are so virulent. Her thesis contributes to our understanding of human vs. bacterial interactions, particularly in compromised hosts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |