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

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Chan, Kai Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability Natural environment sciences; Human Ecology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; Applied Ethics; Values and Lifestyles; Sustainable Development; conservation finance; Conservation science; cultural ecosystem services; Ecosystem services; environmental assessment; environmental values; incentive programs; payments for ecosystem services; resilience; social-ecological systems; sustainability science
Chau, Albert Department of Mathematics Differential Geometry and Partial Differential Equations
Chen, David Department of Chemistry Instrumentation
Chen, Jingyi Department of Mathematics Algebraic and differential geometry; Differential Geometry, Partial Differential Equations
Chen, Jiahua Department of Statistics Statistical theory and modeling; empirical likelihood; finite mixture model; sample survey; asymptotic theory; imputation
Cheung, Wai Lung Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Global change biology; Ecological impacts of climate change; climate change; Marine Ecosystems; sustainability; biodiversity; Interdisciplinary
Choptuik, Matthew Department of Physics & Astronomy Theoretical physics, Relativity/Computational Physics
Chou, Keng Chang Department of Chemistry Chemical physics
Christensen, Villy Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Fisheries management; Global change biology; Ecosystem function; Ecosystem modelling
Chritz, Kendra Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Anthropocene, Onset, tempo, and trajectory of human impacts on biological processes and environmental change
Clune, Jeff Department of Computer Science
Cohen Freue, Gabriela Department of Statistics statistical genomics (focus in proteomics), robust estimation and inference, linear models with endogeneity
Colliander, James Department of Mathematics hamiltonian dynamical systems; partial differential equations; harmonic analysis
Conati, Cristina Department of Computer Science artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, affective computing, personalized interfaces, intelligent user interfaces, intelligent interface agents, virtual agent, user-adapted interaction, computer-assisted education, educational computer games, computers in education, user-adaptive interaction, Artificial intelligence, adaptive interfaces, cognitive systems, user modelling
Condon, Anne Department of Computer Science Algorithms; Molecular Programming
Cooke, Ilsa Department of Chemistry Role of icy dust grains in interstellar chemistry; Constraining aromatic and carbon chemistry during star formation; Observational Astronomy
Coombs, Daniel Department of Mathematics Mathematical biology; Cellular immunology; Complex physical systems; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Cell Signaling and Infectious and Immune Diseases; Cell biophysics; Disease models; Epidemiology; Immune cell signalling; Mathematics
Cronk, Quentin Charles Department of Botany Plant biology; botany; taxonomy; systematics; genomics
Crowe, Sean Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Geobiology, biogeochemistry, microbial evolution
Cytrynbaum, Eric Department of Mathematics Bacterial cell division, Microtubule and cellular organization, Wave propagation in excitable media
d'Arcy, Mitch Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Earth and related environmental sciences; Geomorphology; Climate/palaeoclimate; Sedimentology; Geochronology; remote sensing
Dake, Gregory Department of Chemistry Organic, bioactive, metal as catalyist
Damascelli, Andrea Department of Physics & Astronomy Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Electronic Structure of Quantum Materials
Dao Duc, Khanh Department of Mathematics Genomics; Mathematical biology; Neurocognitive patterns and neural networks; Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling; combine mathematical,computational and statistical tools to study fundamental biological processes; regulation and determinants of gene expression and translation; Machine Learning for Biological Imaging and Microscopy; Database development and management; Biological and Artificial Neural Networks for geometric representation
Davies, Jonathan Department of Botany, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences Phylogenetics & Biodiversity. Development and application of phylogenetic methods in ecology and conservation biology

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Graduate Student Stories

Sarah Ravoth

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Understanding diverse ecological responses to global change using insect food webs

Edward Sun

Master of Science in Botany (MSc)

Genomics and phylogenomics of mycoheterotrophic plants

Zoë Golay

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

The Impact of the Physiochemical Properties of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosols on their Multiphase Reactivity in the Stratosphere

Errol Bowman

Master of Science in Physics (MSc)

Dual Comb Spectroscopy For Mining Applications

Serena Formenti

Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)

Investigating the Composition of Earth’s Mantle: Geochemical Clues from Hawaiian Volcanoes

Scott McNeil

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Cyclotron Production of Tb-155

Gopal Khanal

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

Communities, carnivores and conservation: Understanding socio-ecological interactions among wildlife and livestock herders in Nepal

Bulgan Batdorj

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

Enhancing Mining Transparency and Accountability through Natural Language Processing

All Student Stories

Alumni on Success

Liam Spencer

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2006]

Job Title
Research Scientist

Employer
The Dow Chemical Company

Steven Huan Liang

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) [2010]

Job Title
Assistant Professor

Employer
Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital

Olga Pena

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) [2013]

Job Title
Research Scientist and Manager

Employer
UBC

Hannes Dempewolf

Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) [2012]

Job Title
Scientist and Project Manager

Employer
Global Crop Diversity Trust

Elitza Tocheva

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) [2007]

Job Title
Assistant Professor

Employer
Universite de Montreal

Ellen T Arena

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) [2011]

Job Title
Assistant Scientist

Employer
University of Wisconsin Madison

Adam Ford

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) [2014]

Job Title
Assistant Professor

Employer
University of British Columbia

Benjamin Good

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) [2009]

Job Title
Assistant Professor

Employer
The Scripps Research Institute
All Alumni Stories

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.

 

Proposed revision of SI unit classifications: how the candela, mole, kelvin differ conceptually from the base units of kilogram, meter, second, ampere
Publication: European Journal of Physics
UBC Author(s): Lorne Whitehead (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01430807
Volume: 46
Publication Date: 31 May 2025

View Publication
Acidic pH Reduces Fluconazole Susceptibility in Cryptococcus neoformans by Altering Iron Uptake and Enhancing Ergosterol Biosynthesis
Publication: Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
UBC Author(s): James Kronstad (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 35
Page Range: e2504007
Publication Date: 27 May 2025

View Publication
Cumulative effects of fire in the Fraser River basin on freshwater quality and implications for the Salish Sea
Publication: Science of the Total Environment
UBC Author(s): Brian Hunt (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00489697
Volume: 978
Publication Date: 25 May 2025

View Publication
High Optical-to-X-Ray Polarization Ratio Reveals Compton Scattering in BL Lacertae’s Jet
Publication: Astrophysical Journal Letters
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 20418205
Volume: 985
Publication Date: 20 May 2025

View Publication
Functional imaging and connectome analyses reveal organizing principles of taste circuits in Drosophila
Publication: Current Biology
UBC Author(s): Michael Gordon (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09609822
Volume: 35
Page Range: 2391-2405.e4
Publication Date: 19 May 2025

View Publication
Electronically and Sterically Varied Vanadium Aminopyridinate Complexes Applied to the Catalytic Reductive Coupling of Alcohols
Publication: Inorganic Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Laurel Schafer (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00201669
Volume: 64
Page Range: 9500-9508
Publication Date: 19 May 2025

View Publication
Free summands of stably free modules
Publication: Forum of Mathematics, Sigma
UBC Author(s): Thomas Williams (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 13
Publication Date: 16 May 2025

View Publication
Sunflower ‘virgin births’ enable accelerated crop breeding
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Marco Todesco (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science), Loren Rieseberg (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00280836
Volume: 641
Page Range: 596-598
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Heterogeneous enriched geochemical compositions in Hawaiian lavas: Contributions from recycled continental materials in the Loa source of the Hawaiian plume
Publication: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
UBC Author(s): James Stewart Scoates (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00167037
Volume: 397
Page Range: 75-95
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Demonstration of hybrid foreground removal on CHIME data
Publication: Physical Review D
UBC Author(s): Mark Halpern (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700010
Volume: 111
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Dystroglycan mediates polarized deposition of laminin and axon ensheathment by wrapping glia
Publication: Development (Cambridge, England)
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 152
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Distribution of haploid chromosomes into separate nuclei in two pathogenic fungi
Publication: Science (New York, N.Y.)
UBC Author(s): Philip Hieter (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science), Martin Hirst (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 388
Page Range: 784-788
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Plant diversity and origin do not predict abundance and diversity of syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in small urban gardens
Publication: Canadian Entomologist
UBC Author(s): Michelle Tseng (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0008347X
Volume: 157
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Electrogenic dynamics of biofilm formation: Correlation between genetic expression and electrochemical activity in Bacillus subtilis
Publication: Biosensors and Bioelectronics
UBC Author(s): Dan Bizzotto (Chemistry / Faculty of Science), Carolina Tropini (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09565663
Volume: 276
Publication Date: 15 May 2025

View Publication
Ex vivo and in vivo HIV-1 latency reversal by "Mukungulu," a protein kinase C-activating African medicinal plant extract
Publication: mBio
UBC Author(s): Raymond Andersen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 16
Page Range: e0381624
Publication Date: 14 May 2025

View Publication
D-semble: Efficient Diversity-Guided Search for Resilient ML Ensembles
Publication: Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Applied Computing
UBC Author(s): Arpan Gujarati (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Page Range: 1548-1557
Publication Date: 14 May 2025

View Publication
Erratum: The ATP-Binding Cassette Gene ABCF1 Functions as an E2 Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme Controlling Macrophage Polarization to Dampen Lethal Septic Shock (Immunity (2019) 50(2) (418–431.e6), (S1074761319300378), (10.1016/j.immuni.2019.01.014))
Publication: Immunity
UBC Author(s): Wilfred Arthur Jefferies (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10747613
Volume: 58
Page Range: 1359
Publication Date: 13 May 2025

View Publication
The implications of a fluid yield stress
Publication: Journal of Fluid Mechanics
UBC Author(s): Neil Balmforth (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00221120
Volume: 1011
Publication Date: 13 May 2025

View Publication
Go with CO: A Case for Targeting Carbon Monoxide As a Reactive Carbon Capture Product
Publication: ACS Energy Letters
UBC Author(s): Curtis Berlinguette (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 10
Page Range: 2498-2502
Publication Date: 9 May 2025

View Publication
Deformation, dynamics and rheology of immersed elastic capsules in an inertial shear flow
Publication: Journal of Fluid Mechanics
UBC Author(s): Anthony Wachs (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00221120
Volume: 1010
Publication Date: 9 May 2025

View Publication
ortho-Aromatic polyamides by ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides
Publication: Chem
UBC Author(s): Parisa Mehrkhodavandi (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24519308
Volume: 11
Publication Date: 8 May 2025

View Publication
Models for the Anionic Polymerization of P═C Bonds: Cyclization of n-BuLi-Initiated MesP═CPh<inf>2</inf> and Related Phosphaalkenes with H<inf>2</inf>C═CPh<inf>2</inf>
Publication: Chemistry - A European Journal
UBC Author(s): Derek Gates (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09476539
Volume: 31
Publication Date: 5 May 2025

View Publication
Exploring a Real-time Feedback Display of Non-verbal Cues in Online Work Meetings to Support Self-Presentation
Publication: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
UBC Author(s): Joanna McGrenere (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Publication Date: 2 May 2025

View Publication
Remote Workplace Interactions and Extraversion: A Field Study on Wellbeing and Productivity Among Knowledge Workers
Publication: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
UBC Author(s): Gail Murphy (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Page Range: 1-26
Publication Date: 2 May 2025

View Publication
A Gentle Introduction to Mental Health Through Storytelling: Design and Evaluation of Digital Human Library
Publication: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
UBC Author(s): Joanna McGrenere (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Publication Date: 2 May 2025

View Publication

Pages

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
2025 The energy transition will likely require increased mining of critical metals. Dr. Vanderzee's research can be used to help certain critical metal mines offset their greenhouse gas emissions by using their waste products for CO2 sequestration. The research can also be used to improve mine efficiency by leveraging detailed geological knowledge. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2025 Dr. Zheng explored new efforts in green and sustainable organic synthesis towards creating pharmaceutically relevant nitrogen-containing compounds by leveraging the use of earth abundant metal catalysts. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Dr.Nyamayaro explored bioderived materials as replacements for harmful plastics in advanced applications. He chemically tailored the properties of cellulosic materials and used them to fabricate biodegradable electronics and design innovative materials with novel flow properties. His findings advance eco-friendly materials in sustainable technology Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Dr. Bornarel developed an end-to-end model to investigate trophic amplification (how environmental changes intensify higher in the food web) along BC’s coast. By coupling physical-biogeochemical and food web models, they identified key feedbacks driving this process, advancing ecosystem modeling for fisheries and conservation. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Sidrow developed new statistical methods to infer hidden behaviours from complex biologging data collected by modern sensors. He applied these methods to investigate the foraging behaviour of Killer Whales off the coast of British Columbia using animal-borne tags. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Fernández Boyano investigated placental DNA methylation to better understand early-onset preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication. Her work revealed distinct molecular features of this condition and informed a science communication initiative to bring placental research closer to the public. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Press investigated how the avian brain uses visual motion to guide flight. He developed techniques to record neural activity in flying zebra finches and found that neurons known to mediate stabilizing eye movements are also implicated in locomotion. This research improves our understanding of how self-motion is encoded in behaving animals. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Dufresne studied the ultrafast electron dynamics of a novel quantum material, revealing how electronic interactions drive its exotic insulating state. Utilising a developed laser system to and probe ultrathin samples, their work showed how light and dimensionality can tune and control emergent quantum phases. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2025 Ice nucleating substances can initiate ice formation in clouds, affecting cloud properties and climate. Dr. Worthy developed a new technique for studying ice nucleating substances in the environment, which can improve our understanding of their concentrations and identities, and thus their impacts on climate. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Dr. Pathak’s research focused on the interplay between topology and unconventional superconductivity in layered, two-dimensional quantum materials. Her research predicted novel mechanisms for topological phase formation, occurrence of Majorana modes and spontaneous edge currents, contributing to the development of future quantum technologies. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

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