UBC evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter named AAAS Fellow
Internationally renowned evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter has been elected to the newest class of American Association for the...
Learn MoreApplicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
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.
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
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.
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.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Science.
Year | Citation | Program |
---|---|---|
2011 | Dr. Tait studied how a herpesvirus protein may act as trigger of Multiple Sclerosis. He developed methods to isolate this viral protein in large quantities, then demonstrated how it can structurally and functionally mimic proteins found naturally in the brain, leading to disease. This research has the potential to contribute to future MS treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Milkeraitis developed a new astronomical technique to detect clusters of galaxies. She discovered over fifteen thousand clusters of galaxies from nearby to over 8 Billion lightyears away which were emitting light when our Universe was quite young, and measured properties such as mass. This work contributes to dark energy and dark matter research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Stevens studied rotating higher dimensional black holes, and examined particle motion in such a space. He also proved the non-existence of exotic structures in three-dimensional gravity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Hepperle used computers to study the formation of decamethyldizincocene, the first known molecule to have a bond between any of the 3d transition metals. He further contributed to a study of how a particular zirconium catalyst can cheaply and cleanly produce an enantiopure form of cyclic amines, the building blocks for many pharmaceuticals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Yim studied the effect of one antibiotic on a common disease causing bacteria, Salmonella. She showed that low levels of this antibiotic alter its characteristics rather than just stopping its growth. This research has broadened understanding of how antibiotics affect bacteria which may lead to using them more wisely. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Kapoor investigated several problems in the field of number theory. He proved a theorem that allows for a better understanding of the behavior of a multiplicative function. His theorem applies to a broad class of functions in an area where few results are known. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Freeman designed synthetic proteins, which mimicked those in the human body, to explore how particular proteins fold strings of amino acids into distinct structures. This research contributes to our understanding of protein folding and diseases associated with misfolded proteins, and will hopefully advance the field of synthetic protein design. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Addison used lasers to measure the vibrations of biological molecules in order to learn more about their structure when they interact with other molecules. This research could help to engineer new enzymes for treating polluted ecosystems, or provide new insight into DNA structure. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2011 | Dr. Vaghri developed numerical models to investigate how surface deformation around active faults depends on properties of the Earth's crust. He also made important findings about the fault zone geometry at depth and crustal deformation north of the San Francisco Bay Area. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
2011 | Through her research in the field of Chemistry, Dr. Covelli was the first to explore a new way oxygen is chemically bound to transition metals, such as rhodium. She found new compounds, which are potentially significant in industrial oxidation chemistry for fragrances and cosmetics, and to further advance fuel cell technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |