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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Paisley prepared organic semiconductor polymers with deep red or near-infrared emission for applications as biological imaging agents. He also developed a method for the formation of semiconductor polymers from simple starting materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Viviani investigated what design represented in software development and how to extract design information from discussions between software developers. He developed a tool to automatize the localization of design information and showed that this information is understandable and useful to software developers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Jalabert examined peripheral and neural synthesis of steroids across seasons and in different social contexts in wild male song sparrows. She showed that steroids are regulated within the brain throughout the year and local steroid production rapidly increases in response to aggressive interactions in the non-breeding season. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Altus studied the mechanism of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-halogen bond cleavage by platinum catalysts. His work resulted in the discovery of a new mechanisms that had previously been overlooked. Furthermore, his research provides new insights for the development novel catalysts for the upscaling hydrocarbon fuels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Straus used a combination of field, molecular and laboratory experiments to explore the interactions between social spider hosts and their parasites. She found that colony size and primary productivity influence parasite loads, and that the parasites cause measurable harm to their host, and they are able to move freely between host colonies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Polgar studied systems of light-sensitive molecules that are used in various green technologies. His work elaborated novel methods for improving the performance of these systems. The findings can improve our ability to turn energy into light, or light into energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Ren challenged the accepted dogma that molecular catalysts are not capable of converting carbon dioxide to useful chemicals at commercial scales. His research reveals a new approach to designing catalysts and prompts the solar fuels communities to study molecular catalysts in a flow regime, thereby opening an entirely new area of chemistry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Lee focused on the development and investigation of new methodologies for the syntheses of fluorinated motifs using fluorinated gases in efficient one-pot processes. The invention of these methods to easily access high-value organofluorine compounds has significant impact on pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Davis characterized microbial communities residing on marine seaweed and shellfish hosts. She showed the microbial community on a host is dynamic and closely associated with the host biology and surrounding environmental conditions. Her research advances understanding of how the health of marine organisms will be affected by changing oceans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Ogbede studied genes important for how we react to chemicals such as approved drugs. He found that when particular genes are absent, cells are more vulnerable to certain chemicals, and cells that are made to produce an excessive amount of proteins are protected against the effects of these chemicals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |