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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

Computational Sciences and Mathematics

Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences

Genomics and Biological Sciences

Human-Computer Interaction

Life Sciences

Chemistry and Materials Science

Physics

Sustainability

Research Facilities

Designed to inspire collaboration and creativity across disciplines, the 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 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 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

Department

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. Tompkins studied Boolean satisfiability, a fundamental problem in logic that lies at the heart of computer science and artificial intelligence. He advanced the state of the art for solving this problem with Local Search, and developed an advanced software architecture for representing and designing algorithms to solve the problem. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2010 Dr. Tse studied the cellular mechanisms that regulate the function and development of B cells, which produce antibodies to fight infections. She showed that certain proteins are key regulators of trafficking and cell signaling. Her work contributes to our understanding of B cell cancers and inflammatory diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2010 Dr. He explored the theoretical connections between string theory and condensed matter systems. His results improve our understanding of superconductivity, Fermi liquids, and other exotic low-temperature phenomena. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2010 Dr. Rummer discovered a novel mechanism in which oxygen delivery to muscle can be greatly increased in fish, well beyond that of other vertebrates. Muscle oxygenation may represent the first step in the most successful adaptive radiation event among vertebrates, that of the fishes. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2010 Dr. Woods identified a number of natural products, both known and unknown, from marine and plant sources. Identified compounds have activity relating to the treatment of diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and cancer. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2010 Dr. Jaschke discovered a new way that bacteria can make chlorophyll. This pathway produces an unusual form of chlorophyll that binds to zinc instead of magnesium. The knowledge gained during this work has enabled deeper understanding of several fundamental aspects of photosynthesis. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2010 Dr. Leitch developed a new zirconium-based catalyst system for the efficient addition of nitrogen-hydrogen bonds across carbon-carbon multiple bonds. This "hydroamination" reaction enables the formation of biologically important nitrogen containing molecules without the production of any chemical byproducts. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2010 Dr. Shiel evaluated cadmium and zinc isotopes as novel tools to trace metal pollution in coastal environments. These tools were used to identify a primarily natural source of cadmium in B.C. oysters. Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)
2010 Dr. Jiang synthesized several Schiff-base macrocycles. All macrocycles can self-assembly to host-guest complexes with cations. Some of complexes can form helical nanotube. One of macrocycle that contains naphthelene moiety can form lyotropic liquid crystals. In addition, a polymer contains Schiff-base component was synthesized and characterized. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2010 Dr. Lee has developed techniques for handling textual data with typographical errors. He studied efficient processing of queries with approximate matching semantics. His research assists database systems in robust processing of real-world textual data. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

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