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 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
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, Gail Department of Computer Science Computer and information sciences; Software Development; knowledge worker productivity; software design; software engineering; software evolution
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
Murugan, Mathav Department of Mathematics Mathematics and statistics; boundary theory; Metric geometry; potential theory; probability theory and analysis; quasiconformal mappings; relationship between behavior of Markov processes and the geometry of the underlying state space; Sandpile models
Nasseri, Seyed Ali Nanoelectronics; Condensed matter physics, n.e.c.; Aerospace systems design; aerospace systems; engineering design; micromagnetics; nanomagnetism; spintronics; Computational physics; Applied physics; space safety; space sustainability
Ng, Raymond Tak-yan Department of Computer Science Data mining and analysis, health informatics, text summarization, text mining
Nichols, Eva Department of Chemistry Inorganic catalysis and reaction mechanisms; carbon dioxide reduction; electrocatalysis; bioinspired catalyst designs; molecularly-modified materials; molecular mechanisms; self-assembled monolayers; operando spectroscopy
Nocera, Alberto ,
Nolde, Natalia Department of Statistics Statistics; Statistics and Probabilities; Applications in finance, insurance, geosciences; Multivariate extreme value theory; Risk assessment
O'Connor, Mary Department of Zoology climate change, ocean, seafood, seagrass, eelgrass, invertebrate, ecology, environment,
Oberg, Gunilla Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability Natural environment sciences; Science and Knowledge; Chemical Pollutants; Risk management; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; environmental health; Sustainable Development; Environment and Society; Language, Knowledge, Significance and Thought Building; Urban and Rural Planning Policies; Learning and Development Approaches
Ollivier, Rachel Department of Mathematics Langlands Programme, a central theme in pure mathematics which predicts deep connections between number theory and representation theory;
Orians, Kristin Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Chemistry Chemical Oceanography, Trace metals in seawater
Orsi, Anais Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences Atmospheric measurement techniques; Physics of snow and ice; Cryosphere processes, n.e.c.; Isotope geochemistry; Geochronology; Environmental geochemistry; Quantitative methods for environmental sciences; Earth system sciences; Climate change impacts and adaptation; climate change; Polar climate; Data analysis, inverse modeling; Paleoclimate
Ortner, Christoph Department of Mathematics Numerical analysis; Mathematical modelling and simulation; Partial and ordinary differential equations; Computational chemistry; Condensed matter modelling and density functional theory; Numerical modelling and mechanical characterisation; Numerical Analysis & Scientific Computing; Applied Analysis; Multi-scale Modelling and Coarse-graining; Molecular Simulation; Scientific Machine-learning, in particular for applications in multi-scale modelling
Orvig, Chris Department of Chemistry Chemical sciences; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Imaging; Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds; Nuclear medicine; Chemical Processes; Chemotherapy; bioinorganic chemistry; coordination chemistry; ligand design and synthesis; medicinal inorganic chemistry; radiopharmaceutical chemistry
Osborne, Lisa Department of Microbiology & Immunology influence that the bacteria that live on and in our intestines, lungs and skin have on human health; understanding how the host recognizes the diverse species that reside in the gut - from microscopic viruses to large, multicellular helminthic worms - and tailors an immune response of the appropriate scope and magnitude necessary to achieve homeostasis
Oser, Scott Department of Physics & Astronomy Physical sciences; dark matter; Elementary Particles; neutrinos; particle physics; statistical methods for physics; gravitational wave astronomy
Otto, Sarah Department of Zoology evolution, mathematical modeling, population genetics, genomic evolution, evolution of sex, yeast experimental evolution, Population genetics and evolutionary biology, yeast
Pai, Dinesh Department of Computer Science Robotics, computer graphics, medical imaging, neuroscience, sensorimotor computation
Pakhomov, Yevhenii Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Feeding ecophysiology of aquatic invertebrates and fishes, Antarctic ecology, Antarctic krill biology, Tunicate biology, Fishery ecology, Stable isotope ecology
Pante, Nelly Department of Zoology Molecular trafficking pathways within the cell

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Dana James

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

Enabling and Assessing the Transformative Potential of Agroecology

Susanna Klassen

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

Assessing the contributions of organic agriculture to food system sustainability

Balsher Singh Sidhu

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

Reorienting rainfed agriculture: Increasing resilience to climate variability through optimized irrigation strategies

Jungsoo Park

Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD)

Microbial interactions with photosynthetic hosts

Mackenzie Kinney

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Species Hybridization as a Mode of Rapid Evolution in Response to Environmental Change

MengXing Na

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Coherent control of ultrafast dynamics of materials studied with time and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Dominique Trischuk

Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Inner Tracker Detector Upgrade at the ATLAS Experiment

Taylor Wright

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Dynamic Cross-linked Polymeric Materials
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.

 

A repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 602
Page Range: 585-589
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Pressure–temperature–time evolution of subducted crust revealed by complex garnet zoning (Theodul Glacier Unit, Switzerland)
Publication: Journal of Metamorphic Geology
UBC Author(s): Matthijs Smit (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 02634929
Volume: 40
Page Range: 175-206
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Mineral inclusions in Lace diamonds and the mantle beneath the Kroonstad kimberlite cluster in South Africa
Publication: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
UBC Author(s): Maya Kopylova (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00107999
Volume: 177
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Enhanced oxygen unloading in two marine percomorph teleosts
Publication: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology -Part A : Molecular and Integrative Physiology
UBC Author(s): Colin Brauner (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10956433
Volume: 264
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Macrozooplankton and micronekton diversity and associated carbon vertical patterns and fluxes under distinct productive conditions around the Kerguelen Islands
Publication: Journal of Marine Systems
UBC Author(s): Yevhenii Pakhomov (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09247963
Volume: 226
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Use of Bayesian Optimization to understand the structure of nuclei
Publication: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
UBC Author(s): Reiner Kruecken (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0168583X
Volume: 512
Page Range: 6-11
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Cytochromes P450 in the biocatalytic valorization of lignin
Publication: Current Opinion in Biotechnology
UBC Author(s): Lindsay Eltis (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09581669
Volume: 73
Page Range: 43-50
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Search for magnetic monopoles produced via the Schwinger mechanism
Publication: Nature
UBC Author(s): Gordon Walter Semenoff (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 602
Page Range: 63-67
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Changes in arthropod communities mediate the effects of landscape composition and farm management on pest control ecosystem services in organically managed strawberry crops
Publication: Journal of Applied Ecology
UBC Author(s): Claire Kremen (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00218901
Volume: 59
Page Range: 585-597
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
The NANOGrav 12.5 yr Data Set: Polarimetry and Faraday Rotation Measures from Observations of Millisecond Pulsars with the Green Bank Telescope
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 926
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Volatility and vulnerability in Mexican fisheries and aquaculture: Enhancing resilience via public policy
Publication: Marine Policy
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0308597X
Volume: 136
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Critical enzyme reactions in aromatic catabolism for microbial lignin conversion
Publication: Nature Catalysis
UBC Author(s): Lindsay Eltis (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 5
Page Range: 86-98
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Social-ecological shifts, traps and collapses in small-scale fisheries: Envisioning a way forward to transformative changes
Publication: Marine Policy
UBC Author(s): Ussif Rashid Sumaila (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0308597X
Volume: 136
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
On the Ecological Significance of Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Microbial Populations Undergoing Starvation
Publication: Microbiology Spectrum
UBC Author(s): Michael Walter Doebeli (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 10
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Stable graphene oxide hydrophobic photonic liquids
Publication: Nanoscale Horizons
UBC Author(s): Mark MacLachlan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 20556756
Volume: 7
Page Range: 185-191
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Complex Structure in the Nootka Fault Zone Revealed by Double-Difference Tomography and a New Earthquake Catalog
Publication: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
UBC Author(s): Simon Peacock (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science), Michael Bostock (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 23
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Porous metal electrodes enable efficient electrolysis of carbon capture solutions
Publication: Energy and Environmental Science
UBC Author(s): Curtis Berlinguette (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 17545692
Volume: 15
Page Range: 705-713
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Commensal Pseudomonas fluorescens Strains Protect Arabidopsis from Closely Related Pseudomonas Pathogens in a Colonization-Dependent Manner
Publication: mBio
UBC Author(s): Cara Haney (Microbiology & Immunology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 21612129
Volume: 13
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Remembering Yury N. Gnedin at the Dawn of X-ray Polarimetry: Predictions of IXPE Observations of Neutron Stars
Publication: Universe
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 8
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
A bridge over troubled waters
Publication: Nature Sustainability
UBC Author(s): Leila Harris (Institute for Resources,Environment & Sustainability / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 5
Page Range: 92
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
NBIHT: An Efficient Algorithm for 1-Bit Compressed Sensing with Optimal Error Decay Rate
Publication: IEEE Transactions on Information Theory
UBC Author(s): Yaniv Plan (Mathematics / Faculty of Science), Ozgur Yilmaz (Mathematics / Faculty of Science), Michael Friedlander (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00189448
Volume: 68
Page Range: 1157-1177
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Projecting global mariculture production and adaptation pathways under climate change
Publication: Global Change Biology
UBC Author(s): Wai Lung Cheung (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13541013
Volume: 28
Page Range: 1315-1331
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Modelling the structure and functioning of an upwelling ecosystem in the Southern Taiwan Strait, China
Publication: Journal of Marine Systems
UBC Author(s): Wai Lung Cheung (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09247963
Volume: 226
Publication Date: February 2022

View Publication
Quantifying drainage-divide migration from orographic rainfall over geologic timescales: Sierra de Aconquija, southern Central Andes
Publication: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
UBC Author(s): Mitchall Darcy (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0012821X
Volume: 579
Publication Date: 1 February 2022

View Publication
Stepping stones towards Antarctica: Switch to southern spawning grounds explains an abrupt range shift in krill
Publication: Global Change Biology
UBC Author(s): Yevhenii Pakhomov (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13541013
Volume: 28
Page Range: 1359-1375
Publication Date: February 2022

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
2021 Dr. Epifanov developed novel applications of sulfuryl fluoride, a common fumigant produced industrially on a multi-ton scale. The unique chemical properties of sulfuryl fluoride was used to render important transformations in organic synthesis to be more efficient and operationally simpler than existing methods. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2021 Dr. Zolaktaf studied ways to improve the prediction of nucleic acid kinetics. This study provides more efficient computational methods for predicting nucleic acid kinetics and improving the underlying kinetic models for nucleic acids. Her contributions will make it easier to design nucleic-acid based devices, such as DNA robots. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
2021 Dr. DiPucchio developed catalysts based on the element Tantalum to accelerate carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. These resultant catalysts used ureate ligands and displayed reactivity that allowed for making new types of drug-inspired products. Her project has inspired a variety of current and future projects in the Schafer lab." Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2021 Climate change is shifting the distribution of marine fish species that cross international borders. Dr. Palacios-Abrantes's research identified the impacts of climate change-induced shifts on transboundary fish stocks distributions and their management, thereby informing international fisheries governance to prepare and respond to climate change. Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
2021 Dr. Gomez studied the structure and dynamics of localized patterns in cellular biology using several new mathematical models, some patterns of which have applications to bulk-membrane processes. The analysis of such patterns provides insights on the phenomena being modeled and contributes to our general understanding of pattern formation. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2021 Dr. Salehi developed a statistical framework that characterises and predicts how cancerous tumours evolve over time, with or without treatment at a single-cell level. His research provides insight into therapeutic strategies promoting early intervention, drug combinations and evolution-aware approaches to clinical management of human cancers. Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD)
2021 Silicon PhotoMultiplier technology is a new attempt to create ideal solid-state photon detectors. Dr. Gallina studied different characteristics of Silicon PhotoMultipliers and optimized them for the next generation of double beta decay and dark matter experiments. This research helps probe the boundaries of the standard model of particle physics. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2021 Dr. Stuart investigated the nanoscale electronic properties of a number of novel quantum materials. He completed the first ever scanning tunneling microscopy measurements of the drumhead surface state in a topological semi-metal. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2021 Dr. Khoda searched for new heavy particles that decay into pairs of electrons or top quarks and their respective antiparticles by analyzing proton-proton collisions using the ATLAS detector and placed strong constraints on new physics scenarios. He also developed part of a new algorithm to efficiently reconstruct close-by charged particle tracks. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2021 Dr. Kabernik developed a framework for utilizing the mathematical structures of operator algebras in quantum mechanics. This framework simplifies the analysis of dynamics in quantum systems and has been applied to problems in quantum computing. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)

Pages

 

UBC opens $2.4-million geological field station in South Okanagan

Students, researchers and community groups now have access to an expanded and enriched earth sciences learning environment in the South...

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The lonely fate of a robot on Mars

Covered in the red dust that sealed its fate, the NASA InSight lander is slowly shutting down, more than 250 million kilometres from home...

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Dr. Catherine Johnson elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Dr. Catherine Johnson, Planetary Scientist and Professor of Geophysics at EOAS, has been elected as a member of the American Academy...

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UBC spin-off companies win $2 million in competition for carbon removal technology funded by the Musk Foundation

UBC spin-off Carbin Minerals will receive $1 million from XPRIZE and the Musk Foundation to remove thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide...

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Five UBC Science instructors awarded Killam Teaching Prizes

UBC Science is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2021/22 Killam Teaching Prize for their outstanding contributions in the...

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CHIME Outrigger telescopes boost search for fast radio bursts

In the quest to identify the origins of one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries – fast radio bursts (FRBs) – Canada’s world-renowned telescope...

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