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...
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 |
---|---|---|
2008 | Dr. Bishop showed that susceptibility to Salmonella infections, which kill over 500,000 people each year, is controlled partly by SHIP, an immune cell regulatory enzyme. Her work highlights the potential for immune cell regulators to be targeted by therapies designed to combat infectious diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Eisenberg formulated a new class of computer program editors that give programs control over their own presentation. He showed how these kinds of editors can lead to more expressive programs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Martin studied the activation mechanism of the hepatitis C virus enzyme, non-structural 3 protease. Her work identified crucial parts of the protease that can now be targeted for anti-hepatitis C drug development. During this work, she invented a new cell-based technique for studying proteases that can be applied to other fields of research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Gilbert explored mechanisms that allow species to coexist, or conversely, that drive some species extinct. Understanding these mechanisms is important for preserving biodiversity. He tested these theories using mathematical and computer models, and field-tested them in ecosystems in northern Canada and Costa Rica. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Schiffrin investigated the self-assembly of biomolecules on metal surfaces with scanning tunneling microscopy. His research employed the inherent functionalities of amino acids to design low-dimensional nanostructures, demonstrating exquisite control on the morphological, chemical and electronic properties of matter at the atomic scale. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2008 | Dr Winter investigated the geological setting of a series of large copper- and zinc-rich mineral deposits in 100 million year old rocks in Peru. This research helps in the understanding of the geological evolution of the Andes and also provides a better understanding of the genesis of such mineral deposits | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Akhtar studied environmentally benign coatings applied on aluminum alloys to improve corrosion resistance. She found that alloy structure has a significant effect on the protective overlayers formed. This research will enable a more focused approach in designing new coating treatments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Buschhaus explored the reactivity of tungsten and molybdenum nitrosyl complexes with cyclic olefins, and developed a comprehensive explanation for the observed catalytic chemistry. This explanation contributes to the broader understanding of catalytic olefin polymerization and to the more effective utilization of our natural chemical resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Beyers studied the distribution and abundance of elephants and other mammals in Central Africa and found that these are largely determined by human activity. The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused major declines in populations of elephants, poached for ivory and forest antilopes, hunted for bushmeat. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
2008 | Dr. Leung's dissertation was on the synthesis and study of metal-containing polymers. His doctoral work examined methods to combine metals with organic plastics to make flexible materials that can conduct electricity and emit light. The results of his thesis could lead to improved materials for flat panel displays. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |