Canadian Immigration Updates

Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more

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
Leslie, Sabrina Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Physics & Astronomy
Leyton-Brown, Kevin Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Artificial Intelligence; Algorithms; theoretical computer science; Resource Allocation; Computer Science and Statistics; Auction theory; game theory; Machine Learning
Li, Yue-Xian Department of Mathematics Calcium signalling in neuroendocrine cells Fertilization calcium waves in oocytes
Li, Xin Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany Molecules in plants, plants defence against pathogen infection, plant genes
Li, Hongbin Department of Chemistry Biophysical chemistry, biomaterials, single molecule studies, biological, atomic force, polymer chemistry
Lister, Alison Department of Physics & Astronomy Particle physics, experimental; Large Hadron Collier (LHC); ATLAS experiment; Search for physics beyond the standard model; top quarks; dark matter; Machine Learning; Long-lived particles
Loewen, Philip Department of Mathematics Mathematical optimization; Calculus of Variations; Optimal Control; optimization; Machine Learning
Lukes, Laura Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Earth and related environmental sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences; Education; Geoscience Education Research (Discipline-Based Education Research); Self-regulated Learning; field-based experiential learning; learning in informal settings (e.g., museums, parks, science centers); crowdsourced and citizen science; teacher beliefs; motivation, emotion, and beliefs in learning; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM; learning engineering
MacDonald, Colin Department of Mathematics List of publications; The Closest Point Method: a new method for PDEs on surfaces; Time-stepping for PDEs: constructing Runge-Kutta methods, strong-stability-preserving methods (visit the SSP Site); WENO spatial discretizations; The Predicted Sequential Regularization Method; List of talks and presentations.
MacFarlane, Andrew Department of Chemistry Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Nuclear chemistry; Development and applications of spectroscopic and structural techniques; Surfaces and structural properties of condensed matter; Solid state chemistry; Characterization of materials; Condensed matter experiments; Condensed matter characterization technique development; Condensed matter physics
MacLachlan, Mark Department of Chemistry Supramolecular inorganic chemistry; Inorganic materials; Supramolecular organic chemistry; Synthesis of materials; Functional materials in materials chemistry sciences; Supramolecular Chemistry; Nanomaterials; Biomaterials; Cellulose nanocrystals; Chitin; Materials Chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry
MacLean, Karon Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Information Systems; design of user interfaces; haptic interfaces; human-computer interaction; human-robot interaction
Madison, Kirk Department of Physics & Astronomy Atomic, molecular, and optical physics; Quantum sensors; Quantum Gases; Laser cooling; Bose-Einstein Condesation; Fermi-Degenerate Gases; Quantum optics; Laser physics
Madzwamuse, Anotida Department of Mathematics
Maldonado, Maite Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Phytoplankton Trace Metal Physiology
Man, Allison Department of Physics & Astronomy Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy; galaxy formation and evolution
Mank, Judith Department of Zoology evolution; How selection acts on males and females within a species; How the genome responds to contradictory selection to encode sexually dimorphic traits; Sex chromosomes; Gene regulation; Sexual conflict
Marcus, Brian Harry Department of Mathematics Coding and information theory, symbolic dynamics, ergodic theory and dynamical systems
Marshall, Katie Department of Zoology Animal physiology, environmental stress; Environmental Change; Marine biodiversity; Population Ecology; invertebrates and temperature adaptation
Martin, Gregory Department of Mathematics Number theory, Diophantine Approximation and Classical Analysis
Martone, Patrick Department of Botany Plant biology; Protist; Plants; Physiology; Taxonomy and Systematics; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Evolution and Phylogenesis; Biomaterials; Solid Mechanics; Fluid mechanics; biomechanics; Ecology; evolution; Intertidal Zone; Macroalgae; Phycology
Marziali, Andre Department of Physics & Astronomy Teaching methods, pedagogy, Robotics in education, Nanotechnology, Engineering Physics, Genomics, Biophysics, Genomics Technologies
Matsuuchi, Linda Department of Zoology Intracellular signaling, signal transduction, receptor and membrane biology; Cell Biology; Immunology
Matthews, Philip Department of Zoology Animal physiology, respiration; Insect biology; Animal physiology, biophysics; Comparative biomechanics; Animal physiological ecology; Comparative Physiology; biomechanics; Insect physiology; Respiratory Physiology
Matthews, Benjamin Department of Zoology Genomics; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Zoology; Aedes aeygpti mosquitoes; Arboviral pathogens; Chikungunya; Comparative Physiology; Dengue fever; Genome of mosquitoes; Yellow fever; Zika

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Jo Fitzgibbons

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

Co-constructing a mutualistic city: Envisioning future scenarios to support people and nature in urban landscapes
Herringer Paul's image

Paul Herringer

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Classifying computational phases of quantum matter in 2D and 3D
Borch Annie's image

Annie Borch

Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)

The history and impact of volcanism and glacial systems on landscape evolution in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, BC
Ina Na's image

Ina Na

Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)

The diversity and evolution of apicomplexans
Faeze Keshavarz's image

Faeze Keshavarz

Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)

Understanding cellular pathways modifications in cancer using the transcriptome
Betz Emma's image

Emma Betz

Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)

Developing a new inorganic proxy to explore trophic dynamics in the past

Joshua MacEachern's image

Joshua MacEachern

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Designing a new radio telescope to help study the universe when it was just a fraction of a second old
Luke Polson's image

Luke Polson

Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics (PhD)

Enhancement and quantification in nuclear medicine imaging using artificial intelligence
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.

 

Comparative effectiveness of methadone take-home dose initiation in British Columbia, Canada: protocol for a population-based retrospective cohort study using target trial guidelines
Publication: BMJ open
UBC Author(s): Paul Gustafson (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 15
Page Range: e095198
Publication Date: 5 March 2025

View Publication
Stabilization of optically inactive α-helices of peptidic foldamers through sequence control and i, i + 4 stapling
Publication: Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Mark MacLachlan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14770520
Volume: 23
Page Range: 3366-3371
Publication Date: 5 March 2025

View Publication
Visualizing the Cellular and Subcellular Distribution of Fms-like Tyrosine Kinase 3 (Flt3) and Other Neuronal Proteins Using Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) Immunolabeling
Publication: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
UBC Author(s): Xin Tang (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 16616596
Volume: 26
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Identification of intratumoral bacteria that enhance breast tumor metastasis
Publication: mBio
UBC Author(s): B Brett Finlay (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21612129
Volume: 16
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Intermediate temperature structural modulation and properties of CoIn2
Publication: Physical Review Materials
UBC Author(s): Meigan Aronson (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Cryptococcal nutrient acquisition and pathogenesis: dining on the host
Publication: Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews
UBC Author(s): James Kronstad (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10922172
Volume: 89
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
The ineffectiveness of current environmental and fire policies in the world’s largest wetland
Publication: Environmental Research Letters
UBC Author(s): Mark Johnson (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Measurement of photonuclear jet production in ultraperipheral (Formula presented) collisions at (Formula presented) with the ATLAS detector
Publication: Physical Review D
UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24700010
Volume: 111
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Search for light neutral particles decaying promptly into collimated pairs of electrons or muons in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Publication: European Physical Journal C
UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14346044
Volume: 85
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Early spring population dynamics of Salpa thompsoni linked to physical oceanography in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean
Publication: Polar Biology
UBC Author(s): Yevhenii Pakhomov (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 07224060
Volume: 48
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
tp53 R217H and R242H mutant zebrafish exhibit dysfunctional p53 hallmarks and recapitulate Li-Fraumeni syndrome phenotypes
Publication: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease
UBC Author(s): Martin Hirst (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09254439
Volume: 1871
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
An over complete deep learning method for inverse problems
Publication: Foundations of Data Science
UBC Author(s): Eldad Haber (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 7
Page Range: 50-71
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Caps and wickets
Publication: Discrete Mathematics
UBC Author(s): Jozsef Solymosi (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0012365X
Volume: 348
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Origin and scarcity of breathing pyrochlore lattices in spinel oxides
Publication: Physical Review Materials
UBC Author(s): Joerg Rottler (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
PYLMT: a transient detection pipeline for the 4-m International Liquid Mirror Telescope
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
UBC Author(s): Paul Hickson (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00358711
Volume: 538
Page Range: 133-152
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
The ALPHA-2 apparatus - facilitating experimentation with trapped antihydrogen
Publication: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
UBC Author(s): Takamasa Momose (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01689002
Volume: 1072
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Deep-sea mining and its risks for social-ecological systems: Insights from simulation-based analyses
Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of Endosymbiotic Ciliates (Peritrichia, Mobilida) of Marine Invertebrates with Descriptions of Two Novel Species Urceolaria clepsydra n. sp. and Urceolaria bratalia n. sp
Publication: The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology
UBC Author(s): Brian Leander (Botany / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 72
Page Range: e70003
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
MacArthur's Consumer-Resource Model: A Rosetta Stone for Competitive Interactions
Publication: The American naturalist
UBC Author(s): Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 205
Page Range: 306-326
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Demystifying Fundamental Theories in Ecology
Publication: The American naturalist
UBC Author(s): Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 205
Page Range: 280-284
Publication Date: 1 March 2025

View Publication
Early-life gut inflammation drives sex-dependent shifts in the microbiome-endocrine-brain axis
Publication: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
UBC Author(s): Carolina Tropini (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 08891591
Volume: 125
Page Range: 117-139
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Structure and mechanism of haem-dependent nitrogen–nitrogen bond formation in piperazate synthase
Publication: Nature Catalysis
UBC Author(s): Katherine Ryan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 8
Page Range: 207-217
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
The Ocean System Pathways (OSPs): A New Scenario and Simulation Framework to Investigate the Future of the World Fisheries
Publication: Earth's Future
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 13
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
Triangulating habitat suitability for the locally extirpated California grizzly bear
Publication: Biological Conservation
UBC Author(s): Kaitlyn Gaynor (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00063207
Volume: 303
Publication Date: March 2025

View Publication
The Geography of Negative Curves
Publication: Michigan Mathematical Journal
UBC Author(s): Kalle Karu (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00262285
Volume: 75
Page Range: 89-118
Publication Date: March 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
2024 Dr. Kunstner studied optimization for machine learning. His work develops new algorithms that automatically adapt to the problem and identifies bottlenecks in the training of deep learning models. These advances support the development of more efficient machine learning systems that take less human efforts to tune. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Hofmann used high-throughput microscopy, machine learning and creative visualizations to map protein changes in yeast cells to look at how membrane contact site proteins change localization. Additionally, she conducted teaching research and explored the attitudes of undergraduate biology students towards biology and math. Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Harvey developed machine learning models which generate and edit images and video. His work had a particular focus on enabling the same model to be used for many different editing tasks. Potential applications include editing films and developing controllers for robots. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Wang identified three immune regulators functioning downstream of immune receptor SNC2 and emphasizes the importance of homeostasis control of key immune regulator BDA1 in Arabidopsis. These findings provide advanced understanding on how plants regulate defense responses and may inform the sustainable solutions to crop protection. Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)
2024 Dr. Chernobai studed global existence of local energy solutions for Navier-Stokes equations, which describe a motion of incompressible fluid, and constructed solutions for the new class of initial data. She also researched the regularity of solutions to elliptic equations with critical drift, and proved the existence, uniqueness and higher regularity of such solutions. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Zhou's research delves into extreme value modelling with application to reverse stress testing, identifying scenarios of risk factor changes that lead to a specified adverse portfolio outcome. She developed multiple statistical methodologies to overcome the challenges due to limited historical data records of risk factors and associated portfolio losses. Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Sora modeled the Canadian Arctic under environmental changes. She found that key species and habitats are particularly vulnerable. Her findings revealed valuable insights for the integration of climate change considerations into marine spatial planning, the conservation objectives of protected areas, and the interests of Indigenous communities. Doctor of Philosophy in Oceans and Fisheries (PhD)
2024 Dr. Trainor's research lies in the intersection of analysis, discrete mathematics, and geometry. She studies discrete analogues of classical continuous problems, and focuses on a recent, effective method in these fields known as the polynomial method. Her dissertation applies and advances this method to new problems and in new settings. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2024 Dr. Orabi studied and developed computational methods for analysing bioinformatics data, with a special focus on RNA and DNA sequencing technologies. His main contributions include designing and testing novel algorithms for detecting alternative splicing using long-read RNA sequencing without relying on existing annotation databases. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2024 Dr. Vacariu synthesized substrates for the study of “AmpG”, a membrane transport protein critical to the induction of bacterial antibiotic resistance. These substrates were used to demonstrate the first ever binding interactions for “AmpG” outside the bacterial environment and will be used to map the parts of “AmpG” responsible for its function. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Pages