Why whales don’t get brain damage when they swim
Special blood vessels in whale brains may protect them from pulses, caused by swimming, in their blood that would damage the brain, new UBC...
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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
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zhang, Yuelin | Department of Botany | Plant biology; Plant immunity; Salicylic acid signaling; Systemic acquired resistance; ROS signaling; MAPK signaling; plant immune receptors |
| Zhao, Jiaying | Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Psychology | Natural environment sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences; Behavior Change; Cognitive Science; Environment and Society; Poverty; Psychology - Biological Aspects; Public Policy; Socio-Economic Conditions; sustainability |
| 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) |
Pages
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
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Hidden figures : an untold story of the impact of postnatal multiple micronutrient deficiencies on host phenome and gut microbiome (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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Patrolling monocyte development and regulation of obesity, tumour metastases, and Alzheimer's disease (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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Functional materials from cellulose nanocrystals (Chemistry - PHD)
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Photochemistry of matrix isolated chiral molecules (Chemistry - PHD)
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Functional and biochemical characterization of novel genetic variants in IRAK4 and IRF4 causing human inborn errors of immunity (Microbiology and Immunology - MSC)
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Fast CO₂ conversion by molecular electrocatalysts (Chemistry - PHD)
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Exploring Cannabis sativa's response to powdery mildew (Golovinomyces ambrosiae) infection (Genome Science and Technology - MSC)
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Single cell profiling of the immune system landscape in Lyn deficiency and colorectal cancer (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by the macrophage Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by the macrophage Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 : [supplementary material] (Microbiology and Immunology - PHD)
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FASTR : fast approximation of soft tissue in real time (Computer Science - MSC)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dr. Gomez studied the structure and dynamics of localized patterns in cellular biology using several new mathematical models, some patterns of which have applications to bulk-membrane processes. The analysis of such patterns provides insights on the phenomena being modeled and contributes to our general understanding of pattern formation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Salehi developed a statistical framework that characterises and predicts how cancerous tumours evolve over time, with or without treatment at a single-cell level. His research provides insight into therapeutic strategies promoting early intervention, drug combinations and evolution-aware approaches to clinical management of human cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Silicon PhotoMultiplier technology is a new attempt to create ideal solid-state photon detectors. Dr. Gallina studied different characteristics of Silicon PhotoMultipliers and optimized them for the next generation of double beta decay and dark matter experiments. This research helps probe the boundaries of the standard model of particle physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Stuart investigated the nanoscale electronic properties of a number of novel quantum materials. He completed the first ever scanning tunneling microscopy measurements of the drumhead surface state in a topological semi-metal. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Khoda searched for new heavy particles that decay into pairs of electrons or top quarks and their respective antiparticles by analyzing proton-proton collisions using the ATLAS detector and placed strong constraints on new physics scenarios. He also developed part of a new algorithm to efficiently reconstruct close-by charged particle tracks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Kabernik developed a framework for utilizing the mathematical structures of operator algebras in quantum mechanics. This framework simplifies the analysis of dynamics in quantum systems and has been applied to problems in quantum computing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Tran developed a simple, rapid, and inexpensive method for visualizing cancer cells that were labeled with various ultrabright fluorescent particles on a 3-D printed, smartphone-based imaging platform. His research demonstrates potential for applications in point-of-care diagnostic testing and personalized medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yang developed recommender systems to unveil binding preferences of experimentally unexplored RNA-binding proteins. He utilized cutting-edge deep learning techniques in the systems to improve the understanding of such proteins and to provide new opportunities to investigate the complex post-transcriptional regulations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2021 | Big data requires algorithms to be efficient in time and working memory. Dr. Melnykova's research provides performance guarantees of such algorithms for sparse recovery. Her analysis on the impact of mapping linear measurements onto reconstruction error using a process called quantization bridges a gap in the literature between theory and practice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Liu developed an advanced magnetic resonance imaging technique called myelin water imaging to quantify the content of myelin, an insulating layer around nerves of the human brain and spinal cord. His work largely improved the clinical feasibility of using myelin water imaging to assess myelin damage in various neurological diseases and injuries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |