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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
Ghioca, Dragos Department of Mathematics Drinfeld modules, isotrivial semiabelian varieties, Lehmer inequality
Giang, Amanda Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering Atmospheric sciences; Mechanical engineering; Natural environment sciences; Atmospheric Pollutants; Chemical Pollutants; Climate Changes and Impacts; Public Policies; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection
Gladman, Brett Department of Physics & Astronomy Astronomy, Planetary Science, meteorites, astrobiology, Solar system formation and evolution
Gold, Michael Department of Microbiology & Immunology understanding cell signaling, morphology, trafficking, and effector function of immune cells and tumour cells
Gordon, Julia Yulia Department of Mathematics Representation theory of p-adic groups and motivic integration; Trace Formula and its applications
Gordon, Michael Department of Zoology Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Zoology; Chemosensation; Drosophila; Feeding; Gustation; Neural circuits; Neuronal Systems; neuroscience; Sensory systems; Taste
Graham, Sean Department of Botany Plant phylogenetics; Plant systematics; Plant evolution; Organelles; Phylogenomics; Land plants; Mycoheterotrophs
Grant, Edward Department of Chemistry Spectroscopy, molecular electronic structure, Chemical physics
Greenstreet, Mark Department of Computer Science Dynamic systems, formal methods, hybrid systems, differential equations
Greif, Chen Department of Computer Science Numerical computation; Numerical analysis; scientific computing; numerical linear algebra; numerical solution of elliptic partial differential equations
Groat, Lee Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Mineralogy and crystallography (except soil mineralogy and chemicals aspects of crystallography); Inorganic geochemistry; Economic geology; mineralogy; crystal chemistry; Geochemistry; economic geology; gem deposits; pegmatites
Gujarati, Arpan Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Systems
Gustafson, Stephen James Department of Mathematics Partial and ordinary differential equations; Mathematical physics; Nonlinear partial differential equations; Nonlinear waves; Solitons; Topological solitons; Mathematics of quantum systems; Mathematics of magnetism; Mathematical fluid mechanics
Gustafson, Paul Department of Statistics Statistics; meta-analysis; Parametric and Non-Parametric Inference; Theoretical Statistics; Pharmacoepidemiology; Bayesian statistical methods; Biostatistics and Epidemiology; Causal inference; Evidence synthesis; Partial Identification
Haber, Eldad Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Scientific computing and its application to geophysical and medical imaging
Hallam, Steven Department of Microbiology & Immunology Microbiome; Microbial ecology; metagenomics; Biological engineering; Synthetic biology; Bioinformatics; Machine Learning; Entrepreneurship
Hallas, Alannah Department of Physics & Astronomy Condensed matter experiments; Solid state chemistry; Quantum materials; Materials design and discovery; magnetism; Disorder; superconductivity
Halpern, Mark Department of Physics & Astronomy Cosmology, Cosmic background radiation, history of star formation, measuring the geometry and contents of the Universe, satellites, balloon-borne telescopes, the physics of music, Physics of music, Cosmic Microwave Background, Physical Cosmology, Star formation history
Hancock, Robert E Department of Microbiology & Immunology Medical, health and life sciences; cationic peptides as anti-biofilm agents; systems immunology
Harder, Kenneth Department of Microbiology & Immunology Host-pathogen, tumours, infection, immunity, atherosclerosis, role of macrophages in inflammation
Hariri, Amani Department of Chemistry Biological chemistry, Integrated Biosensors, Ultrasensitive sensor platforms for low abundance molecular detection, Aptamer switches for multifunctional stimulus-responsive Nano-systems
Harley, Christopher Department of Zoology, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Fisheries sciences; Zoology; climate change; community ecology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; marine algae; marine invertebrates
Harris, Leila Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice Critical identity, ethnic and race studies; Gender, sexuality and education; Human rights, justice, and ethical issues; Africa; Development Policies; Drinking Water; Environmental justice; equity and social justice; Ethics and Fundamental Issues of Law and Justice; Fresh Water; Gender Relationship; gender and social difference; Ghana; International development; participatory resource management; Resources Management; Social Contract and Social Justice; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; South Africa; Turkey and Middle East; Water; water governance; water politics
Harvey, Nicholas Department of Computer Science randomized algorithms, combinatorial optimization, graph sparsification, discrepancy theory and learning theory; algorithmic problems arising in computer networking, including cache analysis, load balancing, data replication, peer-to-peer networks, and network coding.
Hasinoff, Michael Department of Physics & Astronomy Low-energy particle physics

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Graduate Student Stories

Betty Shea

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

Optimization methods

Rama El-khawaldeh

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Computer vision for real-time monitoring and control of chemical processes

Rane Simpson

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Highly-charged radioactive molecules: Amplifying sensitivity for new physics

Nicholas Richardson

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

Signal decomposition and source separation

Geoffrey Woollard

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

Simulation and inference in cryogenic electron microscopy

Lorna Tu

Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics (PhD)

Predicting lung cancer recurrence after radiotherapy

Kabir Bhalla

Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)

Contribution of polyphosphate to Cryptococcal disease

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.

 

Diversification and recurrent adaptation of the synaptonemal complex in Drosophila
Publication: PLoS Genetics
UBC Author(s): Kevin Wei (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 15537390
Volume: 21
Publication Date: 13 January 2025

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Local honey reflects environmental changes in metal concentrations and lead isotope ratios during COVID-19 restrictions in Brussels, Belgium, and Vancouver, Canada
Publication: Science of the Total Environment
UBC Author(s): Dominique Weis (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00489697
Volume: 959
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

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The Ethical Compiler: Addressing the Is-Ought Gap in Compilation (Invited Talk)
Publication: PEPM 2025 - Proceedings of the 2025 ACM SIGPLAN International Workshop on Partial Evaluation and Program Manipulation, Co-located with: POPL 2025
UBC Author(s): William Bowman (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Page Range: 1-9
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

View Publication
Nigrosporinol Sulfoxides A and B, Sulfur-Bridged Heterocyclic Sesquiterpenoids Produced by Cultures of the Fungus Nigrospora lacticolonia
Publication: Organic Letters
UBC Author(s): Raymond Andersen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 15237060
Volume: 27
Page Range: 288-291
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

View Publication
Economic Viability of Integrated CO<inf>2</inf> Capture and Conversion
Publication: ACS Energy Letters
UBC Author(s): Curtis Berlinguette (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 10
Page Range: 403-409
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

View Publication
Measurement of CP Asymmetries in B0 → KS0 π0γ Decays at Belle II
Publication: Physical Review Letters
UBC Author(s): Janis McKenna (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00319007
Volume: 134
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

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Gravity-Driven Membrane Filtration with Passive Hydraulic Fouling Control for Drinking Water Treatment: Demonstration of Long-Term Performance at Full Scale
Publication: ACS ES and T Water
UBC Author(s): William Mohn (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 5
Page Range: 70-80
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

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Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes via Intramolecular Formal (3+2)-Cycloaddition
Publication: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
UBC Author(s): Corey Stephenson (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14337851
Volume: 64
Publication Date: 10 January 2025

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DJK-5, an anti-biofilm peptide, increases Staphylococcus aureus sensitivity to colistin killing in co-biofilms with Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Publication: NPJ biofilms and microbiomes
UBC Author(s): Robert E Hancock (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 11
Page Range: 8
Publication Date: 8 January 2025

View Publication
Niche Theory as an Underutilized Resource for the Study of Adaptive Radiations
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology
UBC Author(s): Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: 7 January 2025

View Publication
Rapid Parallel Adaptation in Distinct Invasions of Ambrosia Artemisiifolia Is Driven by Large-Effect Structural Variants
Publication: Molecular biology and evolution
UBC Author(s): Loren Rieseberg (Botany / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 42
Publication Date: 6 January 2025

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Cross-modal sensory compensation increases mosquito attraction to humans
Publication: Science advances
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 11
Page Range: eadn5758
Publication Date: 3 January 2025

View Publication
Instability of falling films of discontinuously shear-thickening fluid
Publication: Journal of Fluid Mechanics
UBC Author(s): Neil Balmforth (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00221120
Volume: 1002
Publication Date: 3 January 2025

View Publication
A pulsar-like polarization angle swing from a nearby fast radio burst
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00280836
Volume: 637
Page Range: 43-47
Publication Date: 2 January 2025

View Publication
The Future is Bright: The Emergence of Glassy Organic Dots for Biological Applications
Publication: Chemistry - A European Journal
UBC Author(s): Zachary Hudson (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09476539
Volume: 31
Publication Date: 2 January 2025

View Publication
RANK drives structured intestinal epithelial expansion during pregnancy
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Lisa Osborne (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00280836
Volume: 637
Page Range: 156-166
Publication Date: 2 January 2025

View Publication
Combination of searches for singly and doubly charged Higgs bosons produced via vector-boson fusion in proton–proton collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 860
Publication Date: January 2025

View Publication
Euclid preparation: LIV. Sensitivity to neutrino parameters
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 693
Publication Date: 1 January 2025

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Light dark matter constraints from SuperCDMS HVeV detectors operated underground with an anticoincidence event selection
Publication: Physical Review D
UBC Author(s): Scott Oser (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700010
Volume: 111
Publication Date: 1 January 2025

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Reversible light-responsive protein hydrogel for on-demand cell encapsulation and release
Publication: Acta Biomaterialia
UBC Author(s): Xin Tang (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 17427061
Publication Date: 2025

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Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Evolutionary Reconfiguration of Embryonic Cell Fate Specification in the Sea Urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma
Publication: Genome Biology and Evolution
UBC Author(s): Geoffrey Schiebinger (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: 1 January 2025

View Publication
The Census-Stub Graph Invariant Descriptor
Publication: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
UBC Author(s): Tamara Munzner (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10772626
Volume: 31
Page Range: 1945-1961
Publication Date: 2025

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Unveiling the hidden hands: Analysis of corporate ownership of industrial tuna fishing vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
Publication: Marine Policy
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0308597X
Volume: 171
Publication Date: January 2025

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Stratigraphic record of tectonic and climatic impact on orogenic growth: An example from the Hexi Corridor Basin, NE Tibetan Plateau
Publication: Bulletin of the Geological Society of America
UBC Author(s): Joel Edward Saylor (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00167606
Volume: 137
Page Range: 712-724
Publication Date: 2025

View Publication
Towards a Model for Haptics as a Co-regulation Adjunct in Cognitive Reappraisal
Publication: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
UBC Author(s): Karon MacLean (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03029743
Volume: 14769 LNCS
Page Range: 168-181
Publication Date: 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
2024 Dr. Otani conducted a study on molecular complexes at low temperatures using spectroscopic techniques. Her realization of a signature of molecular superfluidity predicted by theory but not yet realized and the nature of chiral molecules offers valuable insights into atomic, molecular, and condensed matter. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2024 Dr. Poon's research focused on heart motion management in radiation therapy for irregular heartbeats. He quantified regional heart motion and investigated a technique to synchronize radiation delivery with the cardiac cycle, with the goal of improving treatment outcomes by reducing the treated volume and minimizing radiation to healthy tissue. Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Takemon developed a computer-based method to examine cancer gene functions and identify cancer cell-specific vulnerabilities. Using this method, they found several vulnerabilities that can be exploited to selectively kill cancer cells using existing FDA approved drugs. Dr. Takemon's research illustrates a model for improving future precision cancer medicine. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Lykiardopoulou contributed to the field of nuclear physics by measuring the mass of short-lived sodium isotopes. The results challenge current theories of nuclear structure and establish benchmarks for new theoretical approaches. She contributed in the development and commissioning of a novel ion trap that aims at higher precision mass measurements of short-lived species. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Daly-Grafstein developed new statistical methods for studying cause-and-effect relationships. These methods require fewer assumptions about the nature of the data, making estimates more robust. They are applicable when conducting observational studies or when research data is partially missing. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Askelson studied how one species evolves into multiple species over time. He discovered that white-breasted nuthatches, which have been treated as a single species, in fact consist of three distinct species. Dr. Askelson showed that hybridization and gene flow has shaped dramatic patterns of differentiation across these birds' genomes. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Reeves showed how chaotic phenomena, such as the butterfly effect, can appear in certain quantum systems that can model black holes. By discovering the relationship between chaos and symmetries in these systems, Dr. Reeves furthered the understanding of these systems and their connection to black holes. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Song explored how plants communicate with the microbial community surrounding their roots, known as the rhizosphere microbiome. She identified novel genetic mechanisms plants employ to interact with beneficial microbes. Her findings will help enhance crop resilience and productivity, offering important advancements in agricultural practices. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2024 Exploring global midwater zooplankton, Dr. Egorova identified key biodiversity hotspots and unique biomass patterns. Dr. Egorova's findings enhance marine models and deepen understanding of ocean ecosystems. These insights benefit environmental scientists and policymakers, enhancing global conservation. Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)
2024 Dr. Xing explored and improved the detection of topic shifts in natural language and multimedia using data-driven approaches. He proposed enhanced topic segmentation models with better coherence analysis strategies, showing potential to benefit other natural language understanding tasks like text summarization and dialogue modeling. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

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