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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

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
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, Hongbin Department of Chemistry Biophysical chemistry, biomaterials, single molecule studies, biological, atomic force, polymer chemistry
Li, Xin Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany Molecules in plants, plants defence against pathogen infection, plant genes
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
Lloyd, Samantha Medical physics; Automation in external beam and brachytherapy treatment planning and delivery; Application of optical surface guidance for radiation therapy setup and motion monitoring; Machine learning for cancer outcomes prediction; Systems design for safety and quality control; Clinical trials
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 Chemical physics, Electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline solids, especially strongly correlated materials such as the cuprate high temperature superconductors
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
Maddison, Wayne Department of Zoology, Department of Botany Arachnology, Biodiversity, Spiders, Phylogenetic Theory and Programming
Madison, Kirk Department of Physics & Astronomy Condensed matter, atomic, molecular and optical 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 Natural sciences; Cell Biology; Immunology

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Gabriel Currier

Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)

Extremal combinatorics

Shaoxuan Ren

Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Conversion of carbon dioxide into chemicals and fuels in a flow reactor

Rapichan Phurisamban

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

Relationalities and River Flows: Toward a Socially-Equitable and Bioculturally-Conscious Environmental Flow Management

Verónica Relaño-Ecija

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)

Socio-ecological management in San Antonio Marine Protected Area (MPA), Argentina

Prerna Gupta

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

Nuclear risk perception in India: risk in the context of political debates and economic insecurities

Icíar Fernández Boyano

Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD)

Redefining preeclampsia in the placenta

Neha Sharma-Mascarenhas

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

Analyzing data and policy outcomes for repair, reuse, and recycling for end-of-life electronics

Baraa Orabi

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

Design and complexity analysis of novel algorithms for annotation-independent detection of transcriptomic alternative splicing Isoforms using long-read sequencing
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.

 

The detection of polarized X-ray emission from the magnetar 1E 2259+586
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
UBC Author(s): Jeremy Heyl (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00358711
Volume: 527
Page Range: 12219-12231
Publication Date: 1 February 2024

View Publication
The WZA: A window-based method for characterizing genotype–environment associations
Publication: Molecular Ecology Resources
UBC Author(s): Michael Whitlock (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1755098X
Volume: 24
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
HDPairFinder: A data processing platform for hydrogen/deuterium isotopic labeling-based nontargeted analysis of trace-level amino-containing chemicals in environmental water
Publication: Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
UBC Author(s): Tao Huan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10010742
Volume: 136
Page Range: 583-593
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Quantification of perfluorinated compounds in atmospheric particulate shows potential connection with environmental event
Publication: Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
UBC Author(s): David Chen (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10010742
Volume: 136
Page Range: 237-247
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Viscoplastic rimming flow inside a rotating cylinder
Publication: Physical Review Fluids
UBC Author(s): Neil Balmforth (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 9
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
An imine reductase that captures reactive intermediates in the biosynthesis of the indolocarbazole reductasporine
Publication: Journal of Biological Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Katherine Ryan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00219258
Volume: 300
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
TOWARD A MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF TRAJECTORY INFERENCE
Publication: Annals of Applied Probability
UBC Author(s): Geoffrey Schiebinger (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10505164
Volume: 34
Page Range: 428-500
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Hotter is not (always) better: Embracing unimodal scaling of biological rates with temperature
Publication: Ecology Letters
UBC Author(s): Sean Michaletz (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1461023X
Volume: 27
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Exhaled breath analysis of non-volatile drugs: Towards clinical applications
Publication: TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry
UBC Author(s): Tao Huan (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 01659936
Volume: 171
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
A MULTILEVEL METHOD FOR MANY-ELECTRON SCHRODINGER EQUATIONS BASED ON THE ATOMIC CLUSTER EXPANSION
Publication: SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing
UBC Author(s): Christoph Ortner (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10648275
Volume: 46
Page Range: A105-A129
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Macroecological constraints on species' ‘movement profiles’: Body mass does not explain it all
Publication: Global Ecology and Biogeography
UBC Author(s): Mary O'Connor (Zoology / Faculty of Science), Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1466822X
Volume: 33
Page Range: 227-243
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Fast Assimilation-Temperature Response: a FAsTeR method for measuring the temperature dependence of leaf-level photosynthesis
Publication: New Phytologist
UBC Author(s): Sean Michaletz (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0028646X
Volume: 241
Page Range: 1361-1372
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Editors are biased too: An extension of Fox et al. (2023)'s analysis makes the case for triple-blind review
Publication: Functional Ecology
UBC Author(s): Diane Srivastava (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 02698463
Volume: 38
Page Range: 278-283
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Hydrodynamic force interaction of two fixed spheres in a wall-bounded linear shear flow
Publication: International Journal of Multiphase Flow
UBC Author(s): Anthony Wachs (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03019322
Volume: 172
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Mean temperature of the catch index can be masked by changes in catch composition unrelated to ocean warming
Publication: Fisheries Management and Ecology
UBC Author(s): Daniel Pauly (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0969997X
Volume: 31
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Statistical analysis of the impact of ore draw strategies on wet inrush hazard susceptibility in a panel cave mine
Publication: International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences
UBC Author(s): Erik Eberhardt (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 13651609
Volume: 174
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Expanding the Interaction Repertoire of a Social Drone: Physically Expressive Possibilities of a Perched BiRDe
Publication: International Journal of Social Robotics
UBC Author(s): Karon MacLean (Computer Science / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 18754791
Volume: 16
Page Range: 257-280
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Improved production of the antidiabetic metabolite montbretin A in Nicotiana benthamiana: discovery, characterization, and use of Crocosmia shikimate shunt genes
Publication: Plant Journal
UBC Author(s): Carl Bohlmann (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09607412
Volume: 117
Page Range: 766-785
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
The Green Bank North Celestial Cap Survey. IX. Timing Follow-up for 128 Pulsars
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
UBC Author(s): Ingrid Stairs (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0004637X
Volume: 962
Publication Date: 1 February 2024

View Publication
Landscape use by large grazers in a grassland is restructured by wildfire
Publication: PLoS ONE
UBC Author(s): Rachel Germain (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 19
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Kaufman and Falconer Estimates for Radial Projections and a Continuum Version of Beck’s Theorem
Publication: Geometric and Functional Analysis
UBC Author(s): Pablo Shmerkin (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 1016443X
Volume: 34
Page Range: 164-201
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Measuring differentialfitnesscosts and interactions between genetic cassettes using fluorescentspectrophotometry
Publication: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
UBC Author(s): Nobuhiko Tokuriki (Michael Smith Labs / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00992240
Volume: 90
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Arithmetic progressions in squarefull numbers
Publication: International Journal of Number Theory
UBC Author(s): Michael Bennett (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 17930421
Volume: 20
Page Range: 19-45
Publication Date: 1 February 2024

View Publication
Oxygen extraction efficiency of the tidally-ventilated rectal gills of dragonfly nymphs
Publication: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
UBC Author(s): Philip Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 291
Page Range: 20231699
Publication Date: 31 January 2024

View Publication
Characteristics of a gill resection – Regeneration model in freshwater laboratory-reared Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Publication: Aquaculture
UBC Author(s): Colin Brauner (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00448486
Volume: 579
Publication Date: 30 January 2024

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
2023 Dr. Aina developed new computer-based methods for engineering vaccines to treat brain diseases. He showed that the methods are effective for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease in computer models, making them valuable in drug development. His findings benefit those with brain diseases, as well as researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Lawrence unified elements from reinforcement learning and control theory to solve industrially relevant problems. His framework enables learning stable control policies directly from data. This ensures that maintaining controllers in an industrial setting is efficient, safe, and automated. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Rowell studied explosive volcanic eruptions that interact with glaciers, lakes, and oceans, using both computer models and machine learning analysis of ash plumes in thermal camera imagery. He predicted how the behaviour, hazards, and climate impacts of eruptions evolve as they interact with increasingly greater volumes of water and ice. Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Mowbray developed materials for electrochemical reactors that convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into chemicals and fuels. His thesis informs how to design and fabricate reactor materials that improve the efficiency of converting carbon dioxide into commodity chemicals using electricity. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 Dr. Zhuang developed the first inhibitors of tubulin glycylation initiase and elongase and developed inhibitors of type I isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase. These inhibitors will be very useful tools in studying the structure and mechanism of these enzymes. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 Dr. Yan's research focuses on a quantum computer architecture built upon photonic and spin qubits in silicon. Dr. Yan has developed a universal fault-tolerant architecture with practical implementation, as well as specific operational procedures that increase the quantum information fault-tolerant threshold. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Christensen developed autonomous, self-optimizing robotic systems to guide chemical process optimization in high experimental throughput. These robotic systems were applied to the human intervention-free optimization of processes for the chemical syntheses of two pharmaceutically relevant compounds. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 Dr. Ren investigated heterogeneous ice nucleation by computational simulations and laboratory experiments. Her work demonstrated how atmospherically relevant ice nucleating particles can be influenced by ions and pH conditions. These results improve our understanding of how environmental conditions affect ice formation in the atmosphere. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 Dr. Zhang investigated fundamental steps in Platinum catalyzed reactions. He focused on mechanism understandings and new reaction discoveries. A better understanding of fundamental steps in catalytic cycles helps scientists develop efficient and inexpensive industrial processes. Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)
2023 The simulation of frictional contact is a challenging problem in computer graphics. Dr. Larionov developed methods to accurately simulate friction between objects with smooth surfaces and showed where current methods fail. This work pushed the boundaries of acceptable friction behaviour in graphics, and opened promising avenues for future research. Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)

Pages

 

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...

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How art can help us talk about the green transition

Elders, researchers and musicians are using art to get people talking about the challenges and opportunities of a transition to renewable...

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UBC adding 778 student spaces across technology and life sciences programs thanks to provincial investment

B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, the Honourable Brenda Bailey, was on site at UBC’s Vancouver campus Friday to...

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Tropical coral-infecting parasites discovered in cold marine ecosystems

Parasites thought only to infect tropical coral reefs have been discovered in a large variety of creatures in cold marine ecosystems along...

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New gravitational wave signal helps fill the ‘mass gap’ between neutron stars and black holes

A collaboration of researchers including UBC scientists have observed gravitational waves from the collision of what is most likely a...

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With the planet facing a 'polycrisis', biodiversity researchers uncover major knowledge gaps

A scientific review has found almost no research studying the interconnections across three major threats to planetary health, despite UN...

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