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
Marziali, Andre	Department of Physics & Astronomy	Teaching methods, pedagogy, Robotics in education, Nanotechnology, Engineering Physics, Genomics, Biophysics, Genomics Technologies
Matsuuchi, Linda	Department of Zoology	Cell signaling of specific membrane receptors, combining aspects of Cell Biology, Immunology , Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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
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
Mattison, Thomas	Department of Physics & Astronomy	Subatomic physics, Particle & Nuclear Physics, Applied Physics
Mayer, Ulrich	Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences	Geology; groundwater contamination; groundwater remediation; hydrogeology; low-temperature geochemistry; mine waste management
McAllister, Murdoch	Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries	Statistical methods for fisheries risk assessment, estimation, decision analysis and management strategy evaluation
McDonald, Daniel	Department of Statistics	High dimensional data analysis; Computational methods in statistics; Statistical theory and modeling; Machine learning; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Methods and models for epidemiological forecasting; Estimation and quantification of prediction risk; Evaluating the predictive abilities of complex dependent data; Application of statistical learning techniques to time series prediction problems; Investigations of cross-validation and the bootstrap for risk estimation
McDougall, Scott	Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences	Debris flows / floods, Geohazards, Landslide-generated waves, Landslides, Natural and man-made geological hazards, Rock avalanches, Shoreline erosion, Tailings dam breaches
McGrenere, Joanna	Department of Computer Science	Computer and information sciences; computer science; computer supported cooperative work (CSCW); human-computer interaction; interactive technologies for older users and people with cognitive disorders; personalized user interfaces; universal usability
McIver, Jess	Department of Physics & Astronomy	General relativity and gravitational waves in astronomical and space sciences; Gravitational wave astrophysics; Multi-messenger astronomy; Characterization of large-scale physics instrumentation; data science
McKenna, Janis	Department of Physics & Astronomy	Physical sciences
Mehrkhodavandi, Parisa	Department of Chemistry	Chemical sciences; Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds; Polymers; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Bio-based polymers; Bioproducts; catalysis; Green Chemistry; Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry; Polymer Chemistry and Characterization
Mehta, Aastha	Department of Computer Science	Networking, Security & Privacy, Systems security, Data privacy, Operating systems, Distributed systems
Michal, Carl	Department of Physics & Astronomy	Soft condensed matter; Development and applications of spectroscopic and structural techniques; Solid-state NMR; NMR and MRI of brain tissue; NMR methods and instrumentation; Biological and functional materials
Michaletz, Sean	Department of Botany	Plant physiological ecology; Plant biology; Surface processes; Natural hazards; Ecophysiology; Ecosystem ecology; climate change; macroecology; Geophysics; Scaling; Fire
Miller, Freda	Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Medical Genetics
Milner, Valery	Department of Physics & Astronomy	Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics; Ultrafast Quantum Coherent Control; Ultrafast Spectroscopy
Mitchell, Ian	Department of Computer Science	safety critical systems, assistive technology (mobility), robotics, scientific computing, cyber-physical systems, Mathematical software, computational science and engineering, hybrid and cyber-physical systems, verification and validation, reproducible research, level set methods, robotic path, planning
Mizumoto, Kota	Department of Zoology	Cell and Developmental Biology
Mohn, William	Department of Microbiology & Immunology	pollutant biodegradation, pollutant bioremediation, biological treatment of forest industry effluents and wastes, microbial ecology, environmental biotechnology, forest soil microbial ecology, tuberculosis, microbial genomics, Microbial ecology
Momose, Takamasa	Department of Chemistry	Spectroscopy, Chemical physics
Munzner, Tamara	Department of Computer Science	Human-centered computing; visualization; information visualization; visual analytics; data science
Murphy, Michael	Department of Microbiology & Immunology	Bacteriology; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Alternatives to antibiotics; Bacterial pathogenesis; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Functional and Structural Proteomics; Microbial metal metabolism
Murphy, Gail	Department of Computer Science	Programming languages and software engineering; Software Development; knowledge worker productivity; software design; software engineering; software evolution

Graduate Student Stories

Sasha McDowell

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Taste processing in Drosophila melanogaster

Oguzhan Can

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Topological superconductivity

Robin Newhouse

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Searching for evidence of Heavy Neutral Leptons in the LHC with the ATLAS Experiment

Ana Pozas

Master of Science in Oceans and Fisheries (MSc)

Investigating the diet of California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) populations in the Gulf of California, Mexico and Southern California, USA.

Roshni Mangar

Master of Science in Oceans and Fisheries (MSc)

Understanding the fishers to change the fishery: who is involved in bottom trawl fisheries in Asia, and why?

Fiona Beaty

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Marine resilience in the Anthropocene: understanding the adaptive capacity of marine socio-ecological systems to change

Gaylean Davies

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

Women, Water + Empowerment: Investigating connections and disconnections in small water enterprises in Ghana

Verena Rossa-Roccor

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

Academics as activists? Leveraging political knowledge-to-action strategies to improve ecological determinants of health through climate policy

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.

Complex variations in X-ray polarization in the X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431

Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 677
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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Revisiting fuel tax concessions (FTCs): The economic implications of fuel subsidies for the commercial fishing fleet of the United Kingdom

Publication: Marine Policy
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0308597X
Volume: 155
Publication Date: September 2023

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Limits on Fast Radio Burst-like Counterparts to Gamma-Ray Bursts Using CHIME/FRB

Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 954
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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Transcriptome features of stone cell development in weevil-resistant and susceptible Sitka spruce

Publication: New Phytologist
UBC Author(s): Carl Bohlmann (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0028646X
Volume: 239
Page Range: 2138-2152
Publication Date: September 2023

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The adenylate cyclase toxin RTX domain follows a series templated folding mechanism with implications for toxin activity

Publication: Journal of Biological Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Hongbin Li (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00219258
Volume: 299
Publication Date: September 2023

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Third-order moment varieties of linear non-Gaussian graphical models

Publication: Information and Inference
UBC Author(s): Elina Robeva (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 12
Publication Date: September 2023

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Enhanced negative energy with a massless Dirac field

Publication: Journal of High Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Mark Van Raamsdonk (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2023
Publication Date: September 2023

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Designing a collaborative faculty-student mentoring model in a large, complex science curriculum development team project

Publication: New Directions for Teaching and Learning
UBC Author(s): Laura Lukes (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 02710633
Volume: 2023
Page Range: 61-70
Publication Date: Fall 2023

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Compositional evolution of igneous garnets: calcic garnets from alkaline rocks of Terskiy Coast (Kola Alkaline Carbonatite Province)

Publication: Mineralogy and Petrology
UBC Author(s): Maya Kopylova (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09300708
Volume: 117
Page Range: 553-571
Publication Date: September 2023

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Coupling non-invasive imaging and reactive transport modeling to investigate water and oxygen dynamics in the root zone

Publication: Vadose Zone Journal
UBC Author(s): Ulrich Mayer (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 22
Publication Date: September/October 2023

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Combining parametric and nonparametric models to estimate treatment effects in observational studies

Publication: Biometrics
UBC Author(s): Paul Gustafson (Statistics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0006341X
Volume: 79
Page Range: 1986-1995
Publication Date: September 2023

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IXPE and XMM-Newton Observations of the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20

Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 954
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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Earth’s mantle composition revealed by mantle plumes

Publication: Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
UBC Author(s): Dominique Weis (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 4
Page Range: 604-625
Publication Date: September 2023

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The determination of dimethyl sulfoxide in natural waters using electrochemical reduction

Publication: Limnology and Oceanography: Methods
UBC Author(s): Philippe Tortell (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 21
Page Range: 529-541
Publication Date: September 2023

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Dimensions of beliefs without strong supporting evidence and reasons for holding them

Publication: Heliyon
UBC Author(s): Jiaying Zhao (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 24058440
Volume: 9
Publication Date: September 2023

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First Measurement of the Nuclear-Recoil Ionization Yield in Silicon at 100 eV

Publication: Physical review letters
UBC Author(s): Scott Oser (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 131
Page Range: 091801
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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Drivers of conflict and resilience in shifting transboundary fisheries

The benefits of climate change mitigation to retaining rainbow trout habitat in British Columbia, Canada

Publication: Regional Environmental Change
UBC Author(s): Kai Chan (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14363798
Volume: 23
Publication Date: September 2023

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Accretion properties and estimation of spin of galactic black hole candidate Swift J1728.9-3613with NuSTAR during its 2019 outburst

Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00358711
Volume: 524
Page Range: 3834-3845
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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Molecular determinants of protein evolvability

Publication: Trends in Biochemical Sciences
UBC Author(s): Nobuhiko Tokuriki (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09680004
Volume: 48
Page Range: 751-760
Publication Date: September 2023

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Corrigendum to “The ‘paper park index’: Evaluating marine protected area effectiveness through a global study of stakeholder perceptions” [Mar. Policy 151 (2023) 105571] (Marine Policy (2023) 151, (S0308597X23000982), (10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105571))

Publication: Marine Policy
UBC Author(s): Daniel Pauly (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0308597X
Volume: 155
Publication Date: September 2023

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Incentivizing alternatives to agricultural waste burning in Northern India: trust, awareness, and access as barriers to adoption

Publication: Environment Systems and Decisions
UBC Author(s): Amanda Giang (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21945403
Volume: 43
Page Range: 358-370
Publication Date: September 2023

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Comparison of cellulose nanocrystal dispersion in aqueous suspension via new and established analytical techniques

Publication: Cellulose
UBC Author(s): Edward Grant (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09690239
Volume: 30
Page Range: 8259-8274
Publication Date: September 2023

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Synthesis and evaluation of metal-impregnated carbon cloth supplementation to improve anaerobic digestion performance from municipal sludge

Publication: Chemical Engineering Journal
UBC Author(s): Steven Hallam (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13858947
Volume: 471
Publication Date: 1 September 2023

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i-Frame interventions enhance s-frame interventions

Publication: The Behavioral and brain sciences
UBC Author(s): Jiaying Zhao (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 46
Page Range: e180
Publication Date: 30 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
2022	Dr. Wharton studied metal-based radioactive drugs for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer. His work led to the development of several radiopharmaceuticals which achieved effective imaging of tumours. His research deepens our understanding of viable approaches to drug design and has implications for the further advancement of cancer treatments.	Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2022	Dr. Cristiani studied the movement of marine invertebrates among different areas of the British Columbia coast. His research modeled the spatial extent of animal dispersal and predicted where habitat is connected. This work is now being incorporated into planning the placement of marine protected areas to better conserve biodiversity.	Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022	Dr. Baker studied metals in which electronic motion does not obey Ohm's law. He looked at metals where electrons develop preferred directions of motion because of strong interactions with the ionic lattice. He developed a theory of how this leads to new electrical and optical properties, and measured these novel effects in palladium cobalt oxide.	Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022	Dr. Ju developed prediction methods that go beyond classical settings. Her proposals are built upon the idea of ensemble learning and use data that contain extreme or function-valued variables. The resulting algorithms provide computational tools for practitioners to deal with complex data seen in various applications.	Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2022	Dr. Blain tested for predicted effects of competitive interactions among co-occurring fish phenotypes in post-glacial lakes. She demonstrated weak or no evidence for predictions from theory for selection and evolution in solitary stickleback populations and some evidence for habitat and trait repeatability in assemblages of sympatric salmonids.	Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022	Dr. Jung investigated the regulation of respiratory gases within the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system in teleost. She also studied the potential implications associated with osmoregulation and digestion. Her research illuminates maintenance of blood homeostasis despite the extreme extracorporeal environment in the tract.	Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2022	Dr. DeLisle used quantum information theory to study electromagnetic and gravitational fields. His work argued that upcoming laboratory experiments should be capable of observing quantum superpositions of space-time, and resulted in the discovery of a new kind of electric current, responsible for emitting the longest wavelengths of light in Nature.	Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022	Dr. Christidis developed a new class of statistical algorithms designed to analyze data in high dimensions. He made theoretical and computational contributions to support his work. His methods were applied to study the relationship between genetic patterns and different types of diseases.	Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)
2022	Dr. Bruns examined the mechanisms of heat transport in carbon nanotubes at the atomic level. He showed that the small spatial dimensions of these materials require a rethinking of some fundamental laws of thermal science. His research improves our understanding of the thermal performance of some technologically important materials.	Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2022	What happens when you fall into a black hole? Gravity predicts one answer, quantum mechanics another. Dr. Wakeham explored this problem, using an approach which combines quantum and gravitational effects, and in particular exploited surfaces called end-of-the-world branes to peer inside black holes and understand the fate of someone who falls in.	Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)