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 MoreApplicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
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.
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
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.
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.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Science.
Year | Citation | Program |
---|---|---|
2009 | Dr. Tian described a new iron transport pathway that promotes the growth of skin cancer cells. These studies aid in the understanding of the development of cancers and in identifying therapies for overcoming this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Glaze identified and mechanistically investigated the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of a sugar nucleotide in the bacterial strain responsible for causing Legionnaires' disease. The results of these investigations have provided further understanding of the formation of the lipopolysaccharide in bacterial species. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Rempel worked on the development of fluorosugars that could be used to inhibit enzymes that process sugars. He synthesized and tested these compounds to search for useful molecules with the ultimate goal of finding treatments or diagnostics for the rare genetic diseases Gauchers disease and MPS 1. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. McKim investigated the genetic regulation of shedding or abscission of lateral organs in plants. She showed that the function of two genes was essential for development of the cellular anatomy necessary for abscission in leaves and flowers, greatly contributing to our understanding of a key life event in plants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Scott studied how some birds can fly over the highest mountains in the world, where oxygen is so scarce that people can barely survive. His research discovered the basis for the impressive feat of these animals, advancing our knowledge of how physiological systems evolve in nature and of the limitations of our own physiology at high altitudes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Cantarero-Lopez developed a new tool to study generalized symmetries that come from abstract objects called groupoids. This is a generalization of a classical theory called K-theory, and can also be used to study classical symmetries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Lukeman studied how individuals interact within large animal aggregates. By gathering dynamic trajectory data from large flocks of surf scoters, Dr. Lukeman was able to connect mathematical modeling with empirical observations to infer interaction rules governing the motion of individuals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Pel developed a new method and instrument for extracting and purifying DNA, based on its physical properties, in contrast to existing methods which rely on its chemical properties. This method enables very selective DNA purification, and was applied to a wide range of samples that were previously very difficult to analyze due to high contamination. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
2009 | Dr. Marchinko examined the ecological and genetic mechanisms resulting in the evolution of threespine stickleback fish. His work revealed that although the factors contributing to evolutionary change are often complex, modifications at a single gene can play a major role in biological diversification. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2009 | Dr Moss studied the explosive eruptions of kimberlite magma. He successfully linked evidence left in volcanic deposits of kimberlite with the eruption processes responsible for their formation. Dr Moss suggests that these processes have direct implications for the distribution of diamonds within kimberlite pipes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |