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

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

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

Quanhan Xi

Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)

Representing latent interventions in generative models

Mohit Pandey

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)

Exploration of large chemical spaces with deep reinforcement and active learning
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.

 

Euclid: Early Release Observations – The intracluster light and intracluster globular clusters of the Perseus cluster
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 697
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Specializations of iterated Galois groups of PCF rational functions
Publication: Mathematische Annalen
UBC Author(s): Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00255831
Volume: 392
Page Range: 1031-1050
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Frustrated spin-1/2 chains in a correlated metal
Publication: Nature Materials
UBC Author(s): Meigan Aronson (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14761122
Volume: 24
Page Range: 716-721
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Seasonably Variable Estuarine Exchange Through Interconnected Channels in the Salish Sea
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
UBC Author(s): Susan Elizabeth Allen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21699275
Volume: 130
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Mechanistic Links Between Climatic Forcing and Model-Based Plankton Dynamics in the Strait of Georgia, Canada
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
UBC Author(s): Susan Elizabeth Allen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21699275
Volume: 130
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Using Two-frequency Dust Spectral Matching to Separate Galactic Synchrotron and Free-Free Temperature Foregrounds from the Cosmic Microwave Background
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Mark Halpern (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 984
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Formation of Spongy Clinopyroxene: Insights from Eclogitic Inclusions in Diamonds
Publication: Journal of Petrology
UBC Author(s): Maya Kopylova (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00223530
Volume: 66
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Metabolites are not genes — avoiding the misuse of pathway analysis in metabolomics
Publication: Nature Metabolism
UBC Author(s): Tao Huan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 7
Page Range: 858-861
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
The cold tolerance of the terrestrial slug, Ambigolimax valentianus
Publication: Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
UBC Author(s): Katie Marshall (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03407594
Volume: 211
Page Range: 247-259
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Vegetation Structural Complexity Across Elevational Gradients: Insights From the Tropical Andes
Publication: Journal of Biogeography
UBC Author(s): Leticia Aviles (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03050270
Volume: 52
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Multi-solitons for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with repulsive Dirac delta potential
Publication: Nonlinear Differential Equations and Applications
UBC Author(s): Stephen James Gustafson (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10219722
Volume: 32
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID
Publication: Nature Biotechnology
UBC Author(s): Sarah Otto (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10870156
Volume: 43
Page Range: 665-666
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
A Heterotic Hermitian–Yang–Mills Equivalence
Publication: Communications in Mathematical Physics
UBC Author(s): Sebastien Picard (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00103616
Volume: 406
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Phase transitions and symmetry breaking of cooperation on lattices
Publication: Physical Review E
UBC Author(s): Christoph Hauert (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700045
Volume: 111
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Disentangling serial chloroplast captures in willows
Publication: American Journal of Botany
UBC Author(s): Quentin Charles Cronk (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00029122
Volume: 112
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
The geochemistry, origins and metallurgical implications of different textural types of spodumene-quartz intergrowths (SQUI) from the Tanco pegmatite, Manitoba, Canada
Publication: Ore Geology Reviews
UBC Author(s): Lee Groat (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01691368
Volume: 180
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Euclid I. Overview of the Euclid mission
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 697
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Using highest density intervals can reduce perceived uncertainty in stock assessments
Publication: Fisheries Research
UBC Author(s): Marie Auger-Methe (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01657836
Volume: 285
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Euclid V. The Flagship galaxy mock catalogue: A comprehensive simulation for the Euclid mission
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 697
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Euclid: Early Release Observations - A glance at free-floating newborn planets in the σ Orionis cluster
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 697
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Black hole evaporation – 50 years
Publication: General Relativity and Gravitation
UBC Author(s): William Unruh (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00017701
Volume: 57
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Learning From Limited Temporal Data: Dynamically Sparse Historical Functional Linear Models With Applications to Earth Science
Publication: Environmetrics
UBC Author(s): Ali Ameli (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 11804009
Volume: 36
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Euclid II. The VIS instrument
Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Douglas Scott (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 697
Publication Date: 1 May 2025

View Publication
Specializations of iterated Galois groups of PCF rational functions
Publication: Mathematische Annalen
UBC Author(s): Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00255831
Volume: 392
Page Range: 1031-1050
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication
Vegetation Structural Complexity Across Elevational Gradients: Insights From the Tropical Andes
Publication: Journal of Biogeography
UBC Author(s): Leticia Aviles (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03050270
Volume: 52
Publication Date: May 2025

View Publication

Pages

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. Gupta studied people's perspectives and experiences of nuclear energy in India, comparing them to other major energy sources like coal and solar. Her research examined how varied notions of development shape perceptions of risks and benefits, offering insights to support a more informed and democratic energy transition policy. Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)
2025 Dr. Zhao investigates unknown compounds and emerging pollutants in complex biofluids and the environment. She integrates artificial intelligence with mass spectrometry to facilitate the discovery of new compounds. Her work advances understanding of chemical exposures and health impacts. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2025 Locating the global maximum is a universally challenging task. Dr. Liang developed a global maximum test for detecting whether a given local maximum is the global maximum in the context of empirical likelihood. The proposed global maximum test is widely applicable to various settings and has superior numerical performance. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Goyal studied data-efficient learning in the area of computer vision. He developed methods which lowers annotation cost for tasks like detecting and localizing objects and actions in both images and videos. His research shows how data can be used effectively to build computational agents that understand visual content of various forms. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2025 Dr. Arriagada conducts participatory research with women water defenders in Chiloé, southern Chile. Her findings show that activism redefines traditional gender identities while proposing alternative relations with water bodies. By including women’s voices as co-producers of knowledge, she bridges academic and activist work on gender and nature. Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)
2025 Dr. Black established novel mechanistic insights into how stress response and metabolic adaptation enable the proliferation and virulence of a globally important human pathogenic fungus. His work, along with the suite of molecular tools he developed, informs host-pathogen interactions and the development of antifungal therapeutics. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Fettig investigated the role of the intestinal environment in autoimmune neuroinflammation. She investigated how changes in the diet, the gut microbiome, and infection each influenced the immune system and development of multiple sclerosis-like disease. Her research identified new therapeutic strategies to reduce inflammation in the brain. Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD)
2025 Dr. Lee conducted research on partially identified models, with an emphasis on computational challenges. She explored a method to improve the computation of Bayesian inference under such models and discussed its universal applicability. She also developed an R package to help researchers conduct Bayesian analysis with partially identified models. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2025 Dr. Steinthorsdottir evaluated three areas in B.C. where there is potential for carbon storage in serpentinite rocks. She developed a framework for early engagement practices and collected surface geological data to assess if the rocks can turn CO2 to stone. Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
2025 Dr. Nasseri investigated the molecular mechanism of carbohydrate consumption by bacteria and devised a new strategy for developing antibacterial agents, based on the idea that a sugar-coated antibiotic can selectively target those bacteria that like to consume the specific sugar. His work will contribute to the development of future antibiotics. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

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