UBC evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter named AAAS Fellow
Internationally renowned evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter has been elected to the newest class of American Association for the...
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 |
---|---|---|
2022 | Dr. Amini developed methodologies to investigate earthquakes related to oil and gas industry activities in North America by integrating empirical analyses, machine learning and advanced numerical modelling. The results of this research help to better understand these phenomena and design effective mitigation plans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Steiner found that ancient gold-rich fluids in the Osiris gold deposit preferentially flowed through veins in rigid, folded rocks. The fluids deposited gold where local variations in rock permeability forced the fluids to flow into non-fractured rocks. These results will help geologists find and develop other ore deposits more efficiently. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Breckenridge's research revealed that zooplankton in the Fraser River Estuary are limited by how quickly water moves through the system; channelization of the delta may therefore have reduced zooplankton production. Her modelling suggests that warming and early snowmelt may lead to changes in the abundance of zooplankton in the estuary. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Deith created spatial tools to help manage wild meat hunting, one of the greatest threats to tropical mammals. Using movement algorithms and simulation, she built a software to help conservationists and managers map where overhunting occurs and assess how traditional management rules can improve food system sustainability. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Wright explored novel reactions for modifying polymers using light and oxygen. Working alongside amazing collaborators across chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, and microbiology, his research culminated in the development of fabric coatings that can kill bacteria and the SARS-CoV-2 virus when exposed to light. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Davidson studied how chromium moves through the environment, and the chemical changes that occur in the process. She developed a method to measure chromium in seawater and connected changes in the form of chromium to changes in its isotopic composition, identifying new links to environmental processes through increased detection of chromium. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Kianzad studied the design and evaluation of a robotic stylus -called MagicPen. He investigated how force feedback can enable learners to fluidly express their ideas during hand sketching tasks, and explored the benefits of using the sense of touch in learning. His work highlights the role of haptics in future objects-to-think-with. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
2022 | Algebraic geometry studies the geometry of shapes obtained as solutions to polynomial equation systems. Dr. Annala has investigated how to understand intersections of such objects using methods of homotopy theory. The results might find applications in various areas of mathematics, ranging from number theory to mathematical physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Hean designed organic crystalline material systems that converted light energy into mechanical motion. This research further advances the field of material sciences with an emphasis on light driven actuators. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Chaudhry studied the interactions between small molecules and large ring-shaped structures for sensing applications. He also explored the liquid crystalline properties of a few of these complexes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |