AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support
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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. Hsing developed novel bioinformatics tools and approaches to identify highly-interacting proteins in bacteria. This research provides an effective drug discovery platform for future therapeutic applications. As a result of Dr. Hsing's work, new antibiotic candidates have been developed which are capable of eliminating major drug-resistant infections. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Dang examined how dinoflagellate chloroplast minicircle genes are transcribed and further processed. He found evidence for a novel type of "rolling-circle" transcription and developed a folding model for the ultra-divergent 16S ribosomal RNA. These studies contribute to our knowledge of the fundamental characteristics of dinoflagellate minicircle transcription. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Kelly synthesized a series of composite materials using polymer semiconductors. He found that the composites could be arranged into ordered structures with novel optical and electronic properties. The composites may be used in applications ranging from lasers to supercapacitors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Using a combination of modern molecular-biology tools, Dr. Walia discovered a novel signalling network that regulates cytoskeletal functions in plant growth and development. This work will advance our understanding of the mechanisms that determine plant cell wall properties to the benefit of the forestry, fibre and biofuels industries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Zhang investigated how the interactions between biomolecules determine biological functions within cellular systems by developing novel methods and tools to extract new knowledge from various types of biomolecular networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Mundim simulated the gravitational interaction of two boson stars, whose gravitational properties are similar to those of neutron stars, but which are easier to model. His results represent an important contribution to the field of numerical relativity, which will be a key enabler for gravitational wave astronomy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Yang's research explored novel methods to speed up the transfer of data inside integrated circuits. Her techniques achieve near-speed-of-light speeds while addressing problems of delay variations and signal degradation. She developed the theory behind these techniques and designed and tested a real chip to demonstrate them. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. White researched the diversity and invasibility of intertidal communities. She showed reciprocal relationships between native diversity and invasion with competitive and facilitative effects operating in both directions, and that exotic and native macroalgae were grazed and chemically defended similarly. Understanding mechanisms that facilitate invasions enables us to identify and mitigate effects. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Molina developed three multi-factor models for describing the random evolution of electricity prices, and developed methods for assessing them relative to market data. His work makes a significant contribution to the state of knowledge in this important area, since it presents models of increasing complexity, and sophisticated estimation techniques. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Duman studied the modular data of finite groups. He calculated specific examples for this data which has an important role in string theory. Moreover, he calculated the cohomology invariants of some geometric spaces which are called toroidal orbifolds. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |