AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support
Psychiatrists and computer scientists at UBC and BC Cancer have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately...
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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
- Biodiversity Research Centre
- Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
- Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution
Computational Sciences and Mathematics
- Data Science Institute
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Institute of Applied Mathematics
- Statistical Consulting and Research Laboratory
- Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
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
- Centre for Blood Research
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries
- Life Sciences Institute
- Michael Smith Laboratories
- Neglected Global Diseased Initiative
Chemistry and Materials Science
- Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
- Max Planck-UBC Centre for Quantum Materials
- Quantum Devices Group
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute
Physics
- Antihydrogen Trapping and Spectroscopy at CERN
- Pacific Institute for Theoretical Physics
- TRIUMF: Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics
- UBC ATLAS Project at Large Hadron Collider
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
Graduate Degree Programs
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Russell studied how intestinal microbes influence allergic diseases. She showed that antibiotic exposure early in life can affect populations of intestinal bacteria and make animals more susceptible to asthma and food allergies. This research highlights a role for healthy intestinal bacteria in the treatment and prevention of allergic diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Gurney constructed the first marine ecosystem model of the Subantarctic Prince Edward Achipelago. The model captured the food web of marine life and was able to reproduce past population dynamics and forecast potential effects of climate change. The model provides a tool for fisheries and conservation research at the islands. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Topping developed and tested methods for measuring accumulation of manganese in rats using magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. These results will be useful in future studies of how patterns of brain activation change in response to drugs or other stimuli. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Rastegari studied markets where expertise or goods are exchanged. She identified and modeled conditions under which such markets may fail to reach an optimal stable outcome. She proposed mechanisms to get around these instabilities, for example the design of a cost efficient hiring system that guarantees an optimal stable outcome. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Leung discovered two reactions which employ ultraviolet light, for example sunlight, to transfer fluorine atoms to organic molecules. He also discovered a safer source-equivalent of atomic fluorine. These contributions might provide a new and reliable strategy for scientists to synthesize fluorine containing drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Okay investigated certain subspaces of the classifying space of a group, a central object in algebraic topology. He studied homotopy type of these subspaces. This work is in the intersection of group theory and homotopy theory, and provides interesting examples for both fields. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Smith studied how plants synthesize lignin, the cell wall polymer essential for the strength of wood. She discovered that multiple cell types are involved in the synthesis of lignin. These results are important because lignin is a major barrier to the production of biofuels from plants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Earl designed new metal-organic frameworks with complex extended structures for energy storage and transport. She explored how the shape of molecules influenced the properties of solid phase polymers. Dr. Earl's findings have implications for applications such as separating industrial gases and full spectrum light emitting diodes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Huang studied two novel negative regulators in plant innate immunity identified from a genetic screen. This work expands the limited knowledge of NB-LRR degradation pathway and highlights the significance of negative regulation of mitochondria, both contributing to uncover the sophisticated negative regulatory network in plant immune system. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Smith studied natural diamonds that contain small droplets of fluid from the Earth's mantle, below Earth's crust. He characterized the oldest known samples of fluid from the mantle and discovered inclusions containing liquid nitrogen. This research provides valuable insight into the behaviour of the deep Earth through geologic time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |