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...
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dr. Tyerman demonstrated that competition for resources caused experimental populations of bacteria to diversify. His work provides direct evidence that ecological interactions, like competition, can drive adaptive diversification. Subsequently he investigated how trade-offs, mutational constraints and ecological opportunities impact the origin and maintenance of bacterial diversity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Clay applied the concept of ordering generalized symmetries to study the shape of three-dimensional space. His work built upon the known interaction between orderings and topology, by studying how orderings change when the shape of space is changed by a classical geometric operation called Dehn surgery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Sun studied how compounds interact with each other during capillary electrophoresis process using a computer simulation model and experimental methods. With the assistance of the computer program Dr. Sun developed, the behavior of the species migrating in the capillary during electrophoresis can be well understood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Hossain developed novel ways to control electronic and magnetic properties of several strongly correlated electron systems via impurities. He measured, for the first time, the true Fermi surface of the high-temperature superconductor YBCO and used impurities to measure unconventional magnetism in ruthenium oxides. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Karunakaran-Datt studied the oxidation processes at the sulfur atom of the amino acids cysteine and methionine in biological systems. Her research has provided new insights into the reactivity of these amino acids and their involvement in age-related diseases such as senile cataract formation and Alzheimer's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Jilkine studied how animal cells are able to initiate movement. She developed and analyzed a mathematical model of how cells develop a "front" and "rear" in response to their external environment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Richer studied how certain viral infections can cause autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. His work identified a subset of cells that is important for both the immune response to viral infection and the development of autoimmunity. He further demonstrated that these cells can be manipulated into actively inducing protective mechanisms that prevent onset of type 1 diabetes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Jafarpour characterized the X4 protein of tomato ringspot virus and analysed its variability among virus isolates. She provided preliminary evidence that X4 is an unstable protein and that it may have a role in supressing plant defence mechanisms. This research provides new into the role of this unique protein in the virus replication cycle. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Silverman investigated the deadly protozon parasite Leishmania donovani, identifying novel secreted molecules, discovering a secretion system, and presenting the first description of leishmania exosomes and their immune-suppressing properties. Her work has significantly advanced the current knowledge of leishmania biology, with implications for other protozoan pathogens, and development of new therapeutics and vaccines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Croteau showed that the presence of defects on kaolinite particles plays a significant role in water adsorption and possible ice nucleation. These studies allow us to better understand the interactions between clay surfaces and water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |