Faculty of Science

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.

Faculty Website

Fact Sheet

Mission

To nurture an exceptional scientific learning and research environment for the people of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.

670

Master's Students

(2022)
1005

Doctoral Students

(2022)
435

Graduate Degrees Awarded

(2022)
430

Full-Time Faculty

(2022)
131.7

million in Research Awards

(2021/2022)

Research Centres

Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology

Computational Sciences and Mathematics

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

Chemistry and Materials Science

Physics

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

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
Germain, Rachel	Department of Zoology	Ecology; evolution
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 partial differential equations; computational optimization
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, 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
Gustafson, Stephen James	Department of Mathematics	Mathematics and statistics; Mathematical Analysis; Differential Equation; Global and Non-Linear Analysis; Mathematical physics; Nonlinear partial differential equations; Nonlinear waves; Topological solitons
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	Physical sciences; quantum phenomena; magnetism; Materials design and discovery; Quantum materials
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	Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides, Host Defence Peptides and Innate Immunity, Functional Genomics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Regulation of Antibiotic Resistance, Array Data, Self-promoted uptake hypothesis
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.

Graduate Student Stories

Katrina Bergmann

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Using conventional computations and quantum simulations to accelerate the in silico design of highly efficient optoelectronic materials

Emilie Carpentier

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Four dimensional treatment planning for dynamic tumour tracking on a gimballed linear accelerator

Jessica Koski

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

Implementation of Indigenous rights to lands & resources

Atlanta-Marinna Grant

Master of Arts in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (MA)

From food 'waste' to food 'cycle: biocultural heritage and the sharing of oral histories

Sasha Tuttle

Master of Science in Zoology (MSc)

The relationship between wild pollinator diversity and blueberry yield and quality within farmlands in Delta, BC

Aditi Pradeep

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Direct dark matter search using the first SuperCDMS SNOLAB detector towers

Gabriel Currier

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

Extremal combinatorics

Shaoxuan Ren

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Conversion of carbon dioxide into chemicals and fuels in a flow reactor

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.

Local exchangeability

Publication: Bernoulli
UBC Author(s): Trevor Campbell (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13507265
Volume: 29
Page Range: 2084-2100
Publication Date: August 2023

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Metals and the cell surface of Cryptococcus neoformans

Publication: Current Opinion in Microbiology
UBC Author(s): James Kronstad (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13695274
Volume: 74
Publication Date: August 2023

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Tensor-to-scalar ratio forecasts for extended LiteBIRD frequency configurations

Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 676
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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Separation of an Upwelling Current Bounding the Juan de Fuca Eddy

Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
UBC Author(s): Susan Elizabeth Allen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21699275
Volume: 128
Publication Date: August 2023

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Babies, bugs and brains: How the early microbiome associates with infant brain and behavior development

Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): B Brett Finlay (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 18
Publication Date: August 2023

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Regulatory T Cell Biomarkers Identify Patients at Risk of Developing Acute Cellular Rejection in the First Year Following Heart Transplantation

Publication: Transplantation
UBC Author(s): Raymond Tak-yan Ng (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 107
Page Range: 1810-1819
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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Learning from small data: Classifying sex from retinal images via deep learning

Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Ozgur Yilmaz (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 18
Publication Date: August 2023

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Conceptual and empirical bridges between micro- and macroevolution

Publication: Nature Ecology and Evolution
UBC Author(s): Michael Walter Doebeli (Mathematics / Faculty of Science), Sarah Otto (Zoology / Faculty of Science), Dolph Schluter (Zoology / Faculty of Science), Judith Mank (Zoology / Faculty of Science), Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 7
Page Range: 1181-1193
Publication Date: August 2023

View Publication

Soft phonon theorems

Publication: Journal of High Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Julio Parra Martinez (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2023
Publication Date: August 2023

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Rapid Vector-Based Peak Fitting and Resolution Enhancement for Correlation Analyses of Raman Hyperspectra

Publication: Applied Spectroscopy
UBC Author(s): James Piret (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00037028
Volume: 77
Page Range: 957-969
Publication Date: August 2023

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Two-Dimensional Clustering of Spectral Changes for the Interpretation of Raman Hyperspectra

Publication: Applied Spectroscopy
UBC Author(s): James Piret (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00037028
Volume: 77
Page Range: 835-847
Publication Date: August 2023

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A systematic literature review of climate change research on Europe's threatened commercial fish species

Publication: Ocean and Coastal Management
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09645691
Volume: 242
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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Seasonality of modelled planktonic food web structure in the Strait of Georgia, Canada

Publication: Ecological Modelling
UBC Author(s): Yevhenii Pakhomov (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science), Richard Pawlowicz (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science), Maria Maldonado-Pareja (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03043800
Volume: 482
Publication Date: August 2023

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StripMaker: Perception-driven Learned Vector Sketch Consolidation

Publication: ACM Transactions on Graphics
UBC Author(s): Alla Sheffer (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 07300301
Volume: 42
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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Phaeanthuslucidines A-D, dimeric aporphine alkaloid derivatives from Phaeanthus lucidus Oliv.

Publication: Phytochemistry
UBC Author(s): Raymond Andersen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00319422
Volume: 212
Publication Date: August 2023

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Row-strict dual immaculate functions

Publication: Advances in Applied Mathematics
UBC Author(s): Stephanie van Willigenburg (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01968858
Volume: 149
Publication Date: August 2023

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From Perspective Maps to Epigraphical Projections

Publication: Mathematics of Operations Research
UBC Author(s): Michael Friedlander (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0364765X
Volume: 48
Page Range: 1711-1740
Publication Date: August 2023

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Issues in Implementing Regression Calibration Analyses

Publication: American Journal of Epidemiology
UBC Author(s): Paul Gustafson (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00029262
Volume: 192
Page Range: 1406-1414
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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“Making Data the Drug”: A Pragmatic Pilot Feasibility Randomized Crossover Trial of Data Visualization as an Intervention for Pediatric Chronic Pain

Publication: Children
UBC Author(s): Tamara Munzner (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 10
Publication Date: August 2023

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Not just the Big Five: African ecotourists prefer parks brimming with bird diversity

Publication: Animal Conservation
UBC Author(s): Kai Chan (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13679430
Volume: 26
Page Range: 428-442
Publication Date: August 2023

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Contribution of the Nuclear Localization Sequences of Influenza A Nucleoprotein to the Nuclear Import of the Influenza Genome in Infected Cells

Publication: Viruses
UBC Author(s): Nelly Pante (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 15
Publication Date: August 2023

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SsCak1 Regulates Growth and Pathogenicity in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Publication: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
UBC Author(s): Xin Li (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 16616596
Volume: 24
Publication Date: August 2023

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Nonexistence of Negative Curves

Publication: International Mathematics Research Notices
UBC Author(s): Kalle Karu (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10737928
Volume: 2023
Page Range: 14368-14400
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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Corrigendum to “Implanted-ion β NMR: A new probe for nanoscience” [Solid State Nucl. Magn. Reson. 68-69 (2015) 1–12, (S0926204015000181), (10.1016/j.ssnmr.2015.02.004)]

Publication: Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
UBC Author(s): William Andrew MacFarlane (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09262040
Volume: 126
Publication Date: August 2023

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The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational-wave Background

Publication: Astrophysical Journal Letters
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 20418205
Volume: 952
Publication Date: 1 August 2023

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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
2023	Dr. Zarrinderakht developed a comprehensive mathematical and numerical model for propagation of crevasses and iceberg calving in ice shelves. The hope is that this model will provide the scientific community new insights into the complex processes that control the impact of climate change on our planet.	Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2023	Dr. Masrani contributed to the field of machine learning by proposing a novel method for training deep generative models based on techniques used in statistical physics. His research unifies and extends a number of methods in the literature, and provides practitioners with tools to train	Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2023	Dr. Beaty studied human impacts and relationships with the ocean. She revealed broad negative effects of climate change on marine animals and identified traits and places that increase vulnerability. She also co-created a values-mapping project with Indigenous and local partners in the Salish Sea. Her work helps us steward life in the ocean.	Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2023	Dr. Peña Díaz studied a group of molecules utilized by intestinal bacteria to perform cell-to-cell communication, and investigated their importance both during health and disease. His research will help in the development of novel therapeutics that could be used to manipulate bacterial behaviour as a method to treat infections.	Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2023	Dr. Racz developed a method for retrieving a configuration of the subglacial drainage network and its changes throughout the melt season. This work contributes to a better understanding of subglacial hydrology which plays a crucial role in regulating glacier movement, and is, therefore, essential for predicting future sea level rise.	Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2023	Dr. Woodward used genetic barcoding to study population dynamics of intestinal pathogens. She found that manipulating host protective barriers to infection determines overall disease outcome. This research provides insights into infection ecology and how the gut environment can shape the population-level diversity of outbreaks.	Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2023	The crystal structures of lithium halides are dependent on a complex balance between competing forces at the atomic scale. Dr. Scheiber's research explores this complexity in detail using new theoretical and computational methods. The research contributes new tools and data to improve our understanding of these seemingly simple salts.	Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023	Dr. Ji became the first UBC researcher in perovskite solar cell fabrication and successfully finished his four projects by making over 2500 devices in Ph.D program in the Department of Chemistry. He demonstrated creative works by incorporating chemical methods and thinking in developing this new-generation solar cell technology.	Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023	Dr. Sato developed robotic platforms to analyze heterogeneous chemical reactions and developed a new analytical methodology for monitoring nanocluster synthesis. This work enables greater understanding of reaction mechanisms, helping to optimize these challenging-to-sample reactions and is actively being applied in industry.	Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023	Dr. Jo studied inviscid damping phenomena in mathematical fluid dynamics. He developed a derivative loss minimizing methodology that captures the extra stabilizing mechanism around certain stationary states of the governing fluid systems that are not inherently energy dissipative.	Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)