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 MoreCanadian Immigration Updates
Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
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
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dr. Duncan studied essential dimension, an important invariant of algebraic objects. His work sheds light on classical problems in algebra including the Noether problem, inverse Galois theory and Hilbert's thirteenth problem. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Zhang developed statistical methods and Bioconductor software packages for analysing high-throughput sequencing data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Leung researched ways to help older adults learn to use smartphones and other mobile devices. Specifically, he investigated three novel user-interface-design approaches, showing how each approach can benefit older adults. This work helps researchers and developers design learnable mobile devices for older adults, increasing chances of technology adoption. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Eliason Parsons discovered that Fraser River sockeye salmon populations are adapted to cope with their specific upriver migration conditions. This research suggests that some sockeye salmon populations may be more susceptible to climate change, raising conservation concerns. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Forysinski built a new spectrometer for the detailed studies of atmospherically relevant molecules and aerosol particles. He investigated the vibrational dynamics of acetic acid and difluoromethane cations, and obtained promising results toward the development of a novel particle sizer for the smallest and most weakly bound of aerosol particles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Gill studied a mathematical process which could be used to model the aggregate motion of a large number of randomly branching particles which also move randomly. His research could model, for example, a population of oceanic plankton during an algal bloom. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Bhargava characterized a protein for its novel role in regulating secondary cell wall formation in a model plant, Arabidopsis. The outcome of his research will contribute to the improvement of ligno-cellulosic material, the source from plant cell walls, required for biofuel development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Chipeniuk investigated the quantitative arithmetic properties of relatively dense sets of prime numbers and sets of complex numbers whose elements produce a small number of pair-wise products. This research helps us to understand the intimate connection between arithmetic and geometric structure. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Miao studied the synthesis of the novel ligands for their use in supramolecular systems. By properly designing the ligands, the metallo-supramolecular complexes can be obtained through self-assembly processes. These complexes have potential application in molecular electronic, host-guest chemistry and gas storage. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Poffenberger examined the role of immune genes in virus-induced autoimmune heart disease development and severity. Additionally, Dr. Poffenberger identified regions of the genome that contain genes conferring susceptibility to virus-induced autoimmune heart disease. This research will aid in the identification and treatment of heart disease patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |