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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

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
Dierker, Steve Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; Collective dynamics of condensed matter systems; Dependence on reduced dimensionality, strong interactions, disorder, and mesoscale structure
Ding, Jiarui Department of Computer Science Bioinformatics; Basic medicine and life sciences; Computational Biology; Machine Learning; Probabilistic Deep Learning; single-cell genomics; visualization; Cancer biology; Computational Immunology; Food Allergy; neuroscience
Doebeli, Michael Walter Department of Mathematics, Department of Zoology Mathematical ecology and evolution, evolution of diversity, adaptive speciation, evolution of cooperation, game theory, experimental evolution in microorganisms
Domeier, Phillip Department of Microbiology & Immunology Host-pathogen; biodiversity; Rapid evolution infection; Immunity; Inflammation Viruses
Eberhardt, Erik Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Geotechnical engineering; Mining engineering; Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering; Deep Underground Excavations; Rock Slope Engineering; Block Cave Mining
Eltis, Lindsay Department of Microbiology & Immunology Biochemistry; Genomics; Immunology; Microbiology; Bacterial catabolism of steroids and lignin; biocatalyst development; Enzymes and Proteins; Metabolism (Living Organisms); Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Evans, William Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Algorithms; theoretical computer science; Computer Sciences and Mathematical Tools; computational geometry; graph drawing; program compression
Fast, Naomi Department of Botany Genomics, single-celled organisms
Feeley, Michael Department of Computer Science Distributed systems, operating systems, workstation and pc clusters
Fernandez, Rachel Department of Microbiology & Immunology Bordetella pertusis, whooping cough, lipopolysaccharide
Finlay, B Brett Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Infectious agents, bacteria, microbial infections and how humans react to it
Fischer, Monika Department of Botany, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences Mycology; mycology; fire-adapted fungi; fungal community ecology; fungal genetics & development; fungal metabolism
Folk, Joshua Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; 2D materials and Vanderwaals heterostructures; Quantum electronics; Thermodynamics of quantum systems; Strongly correlated phenomena; Topological phenomena; Quantum transport
Franz, Marcel Department of Physics & Astronomy Condensed matter theory
Fraser, Ailana Department of Mathematics Differential Geometry, Geometric Analysis
Friedlander, Michael Department of Computer Science, Department of Mathematics numerical optimization, numerical linear algebra, scientific computing, Scientific computing
Friedman, Joel Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Algebraic Graph Theory; Combinatorics; Computer Science Theory
Gantois, Joséphine Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability Environment and natural resources economics; Ecological applications; Sociology; Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation; environmental economics; Applied Ecology; Rural Sociology; Causal inference; Applied Deep Learning
Gao, Lucy Department of Statistics Statistics; Selective Inference; Inference x Unsupervised Learning; Statistics x Optimization
Garcia, Ronald Department of Computer Science Programming languages; programming languages
Gates, Derek Department of Chemistry Inorganic chemistry, materials science, polymer chemistry, catalysis
Gay, Colin Department of Physics & Astronomy Experimental subatomic physics, Beyond Standard Model physics, Extra dimensions
Gaynor, Kaitlyn Department of Zoology, Department of Botany behavioral responses of animals to human presence; effects of anthropogenic disturbance on predator-prey and other species interactions; socio-ecological dynamics of conservation and coexistence
Genovese, Giuseppe Department of Mathematics
Germain, Rachel Department of Zoology Ecology; evolution

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Bulgan Batdorj

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

Enhancing Mining Transparency and Accountability through Natural Language Processing

Nicole (Nikki) Kaechele

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

Reparations, compensation, and Indigenous governance: operationalizing reconciliation through theory and practice.

Pardis Semnani

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

Causal Inference and Density Estimation

Michael Sekatchev

Master of Science in Physics (MSc)

Axion quark nuggets versus excess galactic emissions

Jackson Moore

Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)

Domestication and ecology of the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Charlotte Milne

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

Finding best practices in Canadian flood mapping to decrease risk for all

Zana Mody

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

Counting blue carbon for coastal communities: understanding socio-ecological contexts of nature based climate solutions and mangrove restoration

Sharada Balaji

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Characterizing white matter: Adventures with quantitative magnetic resonance imaging
All Student 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.

 

Recruitment of intertidal kelps Hedophyllum sessile and Alaria marginata (Laminariales) to articulated and crustose coralline algal species
Publication: Journal of Phycology
UBC Author(s): Patrick Martone (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00223646
Volume: 61
Page Range: 699-707
Publication Date: June 2025

View Publication
VIBES: Exploring Viewer Spatial Interactions as Direct Input for Livestreamed Content
Publication: Imx 2025 Proceedings of the 2025 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences
UBC Author(s): Bo Robert Xiao (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Page Range: 200-219
Publication Date: 31 May 2025

View Publication
Entertainers Between Real and Virtual - Investigating Viewer Interaction, Engagement, and Relationships with Avatarized Virtual Livestreamers
Publication: Imx 2025 Proceedings of the 2025 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences
UBC Author(s): Bo Robert Xiao (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Page Range: 243-257
Publication Date: 31 May 2025

View Publication
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

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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

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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 Dr. Lee investigated the respiratory adaptations of water-breathing insects that evolved from air-breathing ancestors. Using larval dragonflies, he found that their respiratory system is conducive for obtaining oxygen but inhibitory for living in deep depths, highlighting a key evolutionary constraint within the insect lineage Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Lee used a genetic approach to study the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, identifying a novel pathway for antifungal drug development. He also highlighted a new class of synthetic proteins with therapeutic potential against Cryptococcus. This research enhances our knowledge of cryptococcal disease and supports a new treatment strategy. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Derriche studied how electric polarization affects a wide class of solids. He discovered that relaxing common approximations in the treatment of polarization leads to the emergence of interesting behaviors explaining experimental results related to lattice distortions, topological insulators and high-temperature superconductors. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Storlund investigated how marine mammals adjust heart rate and blood flow. Using innovative techniques, she found that an expanded section of their main artery maintains circulation between heartbeats, prolonging dive times. Her work enhances understanding of marine mammal physiology and their resilience to ocean changes. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Thomson investigated the utility of sulfur fluorides as reagents in synthetic organic chemistry. His work exemplified the utility of these reagents through expediting the syntheses of pharmaceutically-relevant motifs. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Dr. Rueda-Espinosa studied some of the mechanisms by which platinum, palladium and nickel activate carbon-hydrogen, carbon-sulfur and carbon-fluorine bonds. His research provides insights that will aid in developing more efficient and sustainable methods for bond cleavage in chemical transformations. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton provide 50% of the O2 we breathe and are important drivers of marine carbon cycles. Dr. Sezginer addressed several challenges to high-resolution phytoplankton productivity data collection. Her work seeks to expand data coverage and understanding of the tiny green engines that fuel our oceans. Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)
2025 Dr. McDowell studied the roles of three taste receptors in the fruit fly. She identified a taste receptor necessary for high salt avoidance and found that two other receptors were important in regulating feeding. Her research helps us understand salt detection in animals and how consumption is controlled to ensure an animal's fitness. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Indran developed a yeast-based platform using genetic interaction to measure functional effects of human gene variants and mutations. Applying this to TP53, a key cancer gene, revealed how specific mutations alter its activity. This work supports improved classification of uncertain variants in cancer diagnostics. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Na studied the diversity and evolutionary relationships of apicomplexans, an important group of animal parasites that cause serious diseases like malaria. She discovered new species, expanded molecular data availability, and uncovered novel insights changing our understanding of their evolutionary history and biological diversity. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)

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