Peter Caravan
Job Title
Co-Director, Institute for Innovation in Imaging and Associate Professor of Radiology
Employer
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Overview
In the Chemistry department Faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduates and staff members work cooperatively in a collegial environment to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems related to energy, health and sustainability.
Research areas in the department cover a wide range of subject matter, including applied chemistry, chemical synthesis, biological chemistry, environmental chemistry, chemical analysis, materials chemistry, chemical physics and theoretical chemistry.
NEW *Applications Close December 01 2025 for our top scholarships and to be eligible for an in-person visit of our department.
For all applicants, applications must be submitted by February 15 and all supporting documentation* received by March 15. International students are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible to allow sufficient time for the study permit application process.
*Includes receipt of official English language test results sent directly from the testing center (if applicable)
Note: To be eligible for our top scholarships, domestic and international applications must be complete by December 01 2025 11:59 pm Vancouver time (Pacific Time). Top applicants based in Canada or the U.S. may also be eligible for an in-person visit of our department if they complete their application by December 01 2025 11:59 pm Vancouver time (Pacific Time).
What makes the program unique?
All students admitted into our graduate program will receive a competitive stipend. Tuition fees are paid for all qualifying PhD students, as part of complete multi-year funding packages that also include funding via Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA).
Outstanding facilities and resources accommodate more than 500 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty that call the Department of Chemistry home. The Department has one of the most comfortable and up-to-date research spaces in North America.
Quick Facts
Program Components Dissertation
Career Outcomes
192 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 3 graduates are seeking employment; 5 are in non-salaried situations; for 31 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 153 graduates:
RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)
Sample Employers in Higher Education
University of British Columbia (9)Harvard University (4)
University of Saskatchewan (2)
University of the Fraser Valley (2)
Simon Fraser University (2)
University of Oklahoma
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NUST)
University of South Australia
Kyushu University
University of Prince Edward Island
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
Gilead Sciences (3)Zymeworks Inc. (2)
Scripps Research Institute (2)
Sciex (2)
Agensys Inc. (2)
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (2)
Theravance Biopharma Inc. (2)
GlaxoSmithKline (2)
PACEAS Technologies
Clinical Research Institute of Montreal
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Scientist (8)Research Scientist (7)
Research Associate (3)
Principal Scientist (2)
Director (2)
Lawyer (2)
Investigator (2)
Research Scientist II (2)
Senior Research Scientist (2)
Senior Chemist
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.Disclaimer
These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.Alumni on Success
Research Supervisors
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program
Applicants should browse faculty profiles and indicate in their application who they are interested in working with. No commitment from a supervisor prior to applying is necessary, but contacting faculty members is encouraged.
Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
- Algar, Russ (Luminescent Materials; Bio/Chemical Sensing; Materials synthesis and biofunctionalization; Understanding the nanoparticle interface; New energy transfer configurations for sensing and imaging; Point-of-care diagnostic devices; Intracellular sensing)
- Andersen, Raymond (Chemicals produced by marine organisms)
- Berlinguette, Curtis (CO2 conversion and utilization; clean energy; advanced solar cells; electrochromic windows; dynamic windows; hydrogen fuels production; catalysis; robotics and automation; machine learning / artificial intelligence; Advanced solar cells, CO2 conversion and utilization, Catalysis, Clean energy, Combinatorial Chemistry, Dynamic windows, Electrochromic windows, Hydrogen fuels production, Machine learning / artificial intelligence, Robotics and automation)
- Bertram, Allan (Atmosphere (Including Chemical Aspects); Physical and analytical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols; Atmosphere (Including Chemical Aspects), Physical and analytical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols)
- Bizzotto, Dan (Electrochemical Systems; Surface Characterization; Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Layers; Sensors and Devices; Electrochemical and Fuel Cells; biosensors; electrocatalysis; Electrochemistry; fluorescence microscopy; interfacial analysis; self assembled monolayers; spectroelectrochemistry; Electrochemical Systems, Surface Characterization, Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Layers, Sensors and Devices, Electrochemical and Fuel Cells, Biosensors, Electrocatalysis, Electrochemistry, Fluorescence microscopy, Interfacial analysis, Self assembled monolayers, Spectroelectrochemistry)
- Borduas-Dedekind, Nadine (atmospheric chemistry; chemical mechanisms; atmospheric ice nucleation; Biogeochemistry; mass spectrometry; Photochemistry; indoor chemistry; atmospheric aerosols; singlet oxygen; atmospheric chemistry, chemical mechanisms, atmospheric ice nucleation, biogeochemistry, mass spectrometry, photochemistry, indoor chemistry, atmospheric aerosols, singlet oxygen)
- Brumer, Harry (Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; biomass; carbohydrates; cellulose; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Enzymes; microbiota; plant cell walls; polysaccharides; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms, Biomass, Carbohydrates, Cellulose, Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis, Enzymes, Microbiota, Plant cell walls, Polysaccharides)
- Burke, Sarah (Scanning probe microscopy, organic materials, nanoscale materials, surface physics, photovoltaics)
- Chen, David (Instrumentation)
- Chou, Keng Chang (Chemical physics)
- Cooke, Ilsa (Role of icy dust grains in interstellar chemistry; Constraining aromatic and carbon chemistry during star formation; Observational Astronomy; Role of icy dust grains in interstellar chemistry, Constraining aromatic and carbon chemistry during star formation, Observational Astronomy)
- Dake, Gregory (Organic, bioactive, metal as catalyist)
- Gates, Derek (Inorganic chemistry, materials science, polymer chemistry, catalysis)
- Grant, Edward (Spectroscopy, molecular electronic structure, Chemical physics)
- Hariri, Amani (Biological chemistry, Integrated Biosensors, Ultrasensitive sensor platforms for low abundance molecular detection, Aptamer switches for multifunctional stimulus-responsive Nano-systems)
- Hein, Jason (discovery, design and study of new organometallic and organocatalytic reactions; investigating complex systems where multiple pathways compete, partitioning the active catalyst among many possible pathways)
- Huan, Tao (Metabolomics; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Machine Learning; Bioinformatics; Metabolomics, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Machine learning, Bioinformatics)
- Hudson, Zachary (Luminescent materials; Organic electronics; Polymer chemistry; Organic chemistry; Organic light-emitting diodes; Luminescent materials, Organic electronics, Polymer chemistry, Organic chemistry, Organic light-emitting diodes)
- Jetter, Reinhard (Analytical Chemistry; Biological Chemistry; Molecular Genetics; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Ecophysiology; Analytical Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Molecular Genetics, Plant Biochemistry, Plant Ecophysiology)
- Krems, Roman (Theoretical chemistry, Molecular Spectroscopy, Dynamics of few- and many-body molecular systems in electromagnetic fields)
- Li, Hongbin (Biophysical chemistry, biomaterials, single molecule studies, biological, atomic force, polymer chemistry)
- MacFarlane, Andrew (Chemical physics, Electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline solids, especially strongly correlated materials such as the cuprate high temperature superconductors)
- MacLachlan, Mark (Supramolecular Chemistry; Nanomaterials; Biomaterials; Cellulose nanocrystals; Chitin; Materials Chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry; Supramolecular Chemistry, Nanomaterials, Biomaterials, Cellulose nanocrystals, Chitin, Materials Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry)
- Mehrkhodavandi, Parisa (Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds; Polymers; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Bio-based polymers; Bioproducts; catalysis; Green Chemistry; Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry; Polymer Chemistry and Characterization; Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds, Polymers, Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis, Bio-based polymers, Bioproducts, Catalysis, Green Chemistry, Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry and Characterization)
- Momose, Takamasa (Spectroscopy, Chemical physics)
Intake
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Canadian Applicant Deadline
International Applicant Deadline
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The city and the sea
Take a break from studying with opportunities at your fingertips. Whether you want to settle down in a café or take your research outdoors, we have a place for you.