UBC evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter named AAAS Fellow
Internationally renowned evolutionary biologist Dr. Dolph Schluter has been elected to the newest class of American Association for the...
Learn MoreApplicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
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.
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
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.
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.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Science.
Year | Citation | Program |
---|---|---|
2013 | Dr. Glenn examined the physical properties of the materials that comprise seaweed tissues. His research showed that differences in material properties among seaweeds impact their success in wave-swept shorelines and influence ecological and evolutionary processes | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Hamieh conducted her research in Pure Mathematics. She studied the special values of certain mathematical functions known as L-functions, building on recent major advances. Her results extend and generalize existing work on this topic and connect to some outstanding unsolved problems in algebraic number theory, giving it wide application. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Li studied ways the fish populations in the Strait of Georgia were affected by harbour seals, the impact of invasive species, and zooplankton. She found that changes in any one of those species could lead to changes in many species through the food webs in the ecosystem. Therefore, ecosystem-based management is highly recommended. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Rosen conducted experimental research into the physics of high-temperature superconductors. He demonstrated the existence of a temperature-dependent charge-density-wave, thereby establishing a new physical description for the surface of high-temperature superconductors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Hoffman studied the problem of how to make optimal decisions in uncertain environments. In particular he developed algorithms which translate questions of decision making into problems of statistical inference. This framework greatly expands the ability of these methods to attack complex decision problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. McKenzie used population genetic techniques and breeding experiments to describe the factors that help keep two subspecies of killifish distinct. She found that the two subspecies rarely mate in the lab, and that hybrid offspring are rare in nature. This research provides insights into factors maintaining and promoting the evolution of species. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Thachuk studied how nucleic acids, such as DNA, can change their structure to perform computation. His research proved fundamental limits for these systems and also their potential for being space and energy efficient. These molecular computers are a foundation of DNA nanotechnology and can, in principle, be used to create 'doctors within a cell'. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Fazly studied the behaviour of the solutions to various mathematical equations. Starting in 1914, pure mathematicians have been interested in classifying and reducing the dimensions of solutions to differential equations. This study introduced two new concepts regarding classifying and reducing the dimensions of certain systems of equations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Hui developed methods to measure a few target molecules in patients receiving heart surgery. This research helped clinicians to understand the underlying mechanisms of surgery-related injuries and select suitable drug doses to reduce those injuries. He also enabled the trace analyses of target molecules, which may have broad clinical applications | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2013 | Dr. Lv studied the design of biomaterials based on proteins that are engineered to mimic natural biomolecules. He found that the materials do mimic their natural counterparts. The study provides new possibilities for designing materials with novel features. The materials can potentially be used in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |