AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support
Psychiatrists and computer scientists at UBC and BC Cancer have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately...
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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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dr. Ma developed an efficient way to generate porous nanomaterials in the solid state to study their potential application in the storage of hydrogen gas. This is one of the leading candidates as an energy carrier of the future due to its high energy content and clean burning nature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Gaudet explored a potential therapy for peripheral nerve injury in rodents. He found that the molecule galectin-1 is crucial for development of connections in the spinal cord, and that the protein may impact nerve repair by recruiting immune cells. These results suggest that galectin-1 could benefit humans after peripheral nerve or spinal cord injury. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Weber worked toward pushing back boundaries limiting the amount of information obtainable by the interaction of light and matter by using evolutionary computing. The information obtained was in turn used to better understand non-gas matter, known as the condensed phase, and the effect of such phases on individual molecules. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. van Straaten studied the geology of ancient diamond-bearing volcanic rocks at the Victor Mine in Northern Ontario, and provided models for how these volcanic systems erupted. The research highlights the similarities between common present-day volcanoes and diamond-bearing volcanic rocks, and will aid the ongoing worldwide search for diamond mines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Kindrachuk investigated antibiotic resistance in the Cystic Fibrosis pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She identified over 100 genes capable of affecting aminoglycoside resistance in this organism. Her work highlights the complexity of drug-bacterial interactions, a concept that is becoming increasingly important in pharmaceutical development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Zarate developed mathematical tools and methods that allow for the variational treatment of inverse and homogenization problems in certain types of partial differential equations. Such problems play an important role in modern science and engineering. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Relying on the coordination chemistry of platinum, zinc, and cadmium, Dr. Frischmann discovered a variety of self-assembling nano-architectures including capsules, nanotubes, and liquid crystals. These materials are promising candidates for developing molecular wires, sensors, and catalysts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Moradifam worked in the area of partial differential equations. He developed a general framework for Hardy and Hardy-Rellich inequalities. Dr Moradifam obtained various results for fourth order nonlinear elliptic eigenvalue problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Maeshima characterized the interaction of the protein CD44 with its carbohydrate ligand hyaluronan during an immune response. CD44 is expressed on the surface of immune cells and hyaluronan is found in the tissues surrounding cells. This work showed that this interaction occurs on proliferating T cells and regulates immune cell migration. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Dietrich's thesis focused on the synthesis of modified short proteins similar to the mushroom toxin amanitin. These molecules were tested for their effect on RNA synthesis within living cells. They can be used to improve our understanding of how the production of RNA is inhibited. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |