Xin Ye
Job Title
Research Scientist
Employer
Arbutus Biopharma Inc.
Canadian Immigration Updates
Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
Overview
The UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a remarkable opportunity to study with numerous world renowned faculty and research programs. We are recognized as national and international leaders in both basic and clinical research. Experimental Pathology refers to research in any area of biomedical investigation that is relevant to human disease. Since it is necessary to understand the normal working of the system to fully define the changes associated with disease, the areas represented at UBC cover a wide range of fields and approaches. Work at all levels of biological organization is involved, from protein to lipoprotein biochemistry and molecular biology through cell and tumour biology, animal models for studies on pulmonary and cardiovascular pathophysiology and viral and bacterial infection processes, to clinical studies on human population and the AIDS epidemic.
We train students with varied backgrounds in science and medicine including: biochemistry, physiology, cell biology and microbiology/immunology.
We are committed to effective, cutting-edge, ethical research. The results of which will reach beyond the academic realm to effect positive change in the lives of our families, communities and, ultimately, our world.
Quick Facts
Program Components
Dissertation
Program Enquiries
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Contact the program
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Admission Information & Requirements
1) Check Eligibility
Minimum Academic Requirements
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.
English Language Test
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based
Overall score requirement: 100
Reading
22
Writing
21
Speaking
21
Listening
22
IELTS: International English Language Testing System
Overall score requirement: 7.0
Reading
6.5
Writing
6.5
Speaking
6.5
Listening
6.5
Other Test Scores
Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:
The GRE is required by some applicants. Please check the program website.
2) Meet Deadlines
September 2025 Intake
Application Open Date
03 September 2024Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 17 August 2025
Transcript Deadline: 25 August 2025
Referee Deadline: 25 August 2025
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 27 April 2025
Transcript Deadline: 05 May 2025
Referee Deadline: 05 May 2025
January 2026 Intake
Application Open Date
01 May 2025Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 December 2025
Transcript Deadline: 12 December 2025
Referee Deadline: 12 December 2025
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 September 2025
Transcript Deadline: 12 September 2025
Referee Deadline: 12 September 2025
May 2026 Intake
Application Open Date
01 September 2025Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 13 April 2026
Transcript Deadline: 24 April 2026
Referee Deadline: 24 April 2026
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 02 January 2026
Transcript Deadline: 09 January 2026
Referee Deadline: 09 January 2026
3) Prepare Application
Transcripts
All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.
Letters of Reference
A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.
Statement of Interest
Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
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 Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
All applicants need firm commitment from a supervisor prior to applying.
Citizenship Verification
Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.
4) Apply Online
All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.
Tuition & Financial Support
Tuition
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $116.25 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,875.34 | $3,294.66 |
| Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,626.02 | $9,883.98 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $1,144.10 (approx.) | |
| Costs of living | Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies. | |
* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Financial Support
Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
Program Funding Packages
All full-time students who begin a UBC-Vancouver PhD program in January 2023 or later will be provided with a funding package of at least $26,000 for each of the first five years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. In addition, the Program provides tuition funding of $2,000.00 per year for each of the first five years of the PhD. Please note that some graduate programs provide funding packages that are greater than $26,000 total per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.
Funding Statistics
Based on the criteria outlined below, 22 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $45,558 and a median of $42,485.
This results in a net balance (any funding provided to the student minus tuition and fees) mean of $38,667 and median of $36,409.
- 9 students received Teaching Assistantships. Median TA funding based on 9 students was $7,346.
- 18 students received Research Assistantships. Median RA funding based on 18 students was $15,683.
- 6 students received Academic Assistantships. Median AA funding based on 6 students was $1,739.
- 22 students received internal awards. Median internal award funding based on 22 students was $3,354.
- 14 students received external awards. Median external award funding based on 14 students was $27,500.
Study Period: Sep 2023 to Aug 2024 - funding for full-time PhD students enrolled in three terms per academic year in this program across years 1-4, the period covered by UBC's Minimum Funding Guarantee. Mean and median values might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
Review methodology
Review methodology
Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)
All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)
Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.
Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)
Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.
Financial aid (need-based funding)
Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.
All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.
Foreign government scholarships
Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.
Working while studying
The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.
International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.
A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.
Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals
Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.
Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.
Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.
Cost Estimator
Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.
Career Outcomes
85 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 1 graduate is seeking employment; for 8 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 76 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 (15)McGill University (2)
University of Oslo
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Langara College
Queensland Medical Research Institute
University Hospital of Geneva
Gulbenkian Institute of Science
University of North Dakota
Harvard University
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
STEMCELL Technologies (2)BC Centre for Disease Control (2)
NO
Dorsey & Whitney
Network Immunology Inc.
PROOF Centre of Excellence
Panagin Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Tekmire Pharmaceutical Corporation
Therapeutic Effectiveness and Policy Bureau
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Scientist (5)Senior Scientist (3)
Postdoctoral Fellow (2)
Medical Science Liaison (2)
Research Scientist (2)
Research Associate (2)
Research Specialist
Science Director
Researcher, Pathologist
Biomarker Program Manager
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
Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats
These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
ENROLMENT DATA
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 6 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 5 |
| Offers | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| New Enrolment | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Total Enrolment | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 35 |
Completion Rates & Times
This program has a graduation rate of 88% based on 37 students admitted between 2011 - 2014. Based on 7 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 5.12 years and the maximum time is 7.19 years with an average of 6.15 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.
Disclaimer
Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new enrolment for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.
Upcoming Doctoral Exams
Tuesday, 3 June 2025 - 9:00am - Room 203
Darcy Sutherland
Unlocking Antimicrobial Peptides as Therapeutics Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria
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 Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
All applicants need firm commitment from a supervisor prior to applying.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Schrader investigated the association between germline mutations in CDH1 and familial lobular breast cancer. She showed the utility of new sequencing technologies to identify disease susceptibility genes. Her work has implications for identification of novel cancer susceptibility genes which will benefit people at high-risk for familial cancers. |
| 2013 | Dr. Wiegand studied the genetic origins of ovarian cancers linked to endometriosis. Her work revealed a new tumour suppressor gene in ovarian cancer, which has substantially improved the understanding of this disease. Her work could lead to improvements in the management of ovarian and other cancer types. |
| 2013 | Dr. Hendel's research focussed on the role of Granzyme B in athero-sclerosis, the primary cause of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Hendel's work uncovered a novel mechanism by which Granzyme B disrupts new blood vessel formation during tissue repair. The results of his work are now published and also resulted in the filing of an international patent. |
| 2013 | Dr. Hollander designed novel methods for discovering biomarkers for heart health. Using these methods, she discovered biomarker panels that can predict and diagnose acute cardiac allograft rejection and diagnose recovered heart function. Her work may improve heart transplant and heart failure patient management. |
| 2013 | Dr. Hiebert studied age-related skin disorders. He showed that Granzyme B, an enzyme produced during chronic inflammation, contributes to skin aging and to the persistence of chronic wounds that do not heal. These findings help to explain age-related skin disorders like chronic wound healing, and may contribute to improved treatment. |
| 2013 | Dr. Potter investigated the reasons that transplants of insulin-producing cells fail. She revealed that those transplants undergo changes similar to those in type 2 diabetes, including the formation of toxic protein plaques. Her findings may contribute to new therapies to improve the function of insulin-producing cells in transplants and in type 2 diabetes. |
| 2012 | Dr. Boivin studied Granzyme B, an enzyme that breaks apart proteins, to determine its role in blood vessel and skin diseases. She identified proteins outside of cells, specifically broken down by Granzyme B, that contribute to those diseases. Dr. Boivin's work resulted in several articles being published in scientific journals, as well as patents licensed to a local biotechnology company. |
| 2012 | Dr. Lin identified and examined molecules in the blood of heart transplant patients. Those molecules can help indicate when patients are having acute and chronic immune rejection episodes. His work demonstrated the potential use of these molecules, known as biomarkers, in a clinical setting, as well as their value in helping us understand the biology behind transplant heart rejection. |
| 2012 | Dr. Heine conducted research into stem cells and the way blood vessels regenerate. She implanted a device, similar to a petri dish, which allows the study of cells within the living body. Her work revealed that there are subtle and complex relationships between cells under different conditions. The findings will contribute to advancements in stem cell research. |
| 2012 | Dr. Krentz's research on drinking water safety showed that some bacteria can act as early warning indicators of a system failure, and others can be used to trace contamination back to a particular source. These findings will contribute to the development of better water protection measures for small water systems. |
Pages
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Information
Specialization
Experimental Pathology refers to research in any area of biomedical investigation that is relevant to human disease. Since it is necessary to understand the normal working of the system to fully define the changes associated with disease, the areas represented at UBC cover a wide range of fields and approaches. Work at all levels of biological organization is involved, from protein to lipoprotein biochemistry and molecular biology through cell and tumour biology, animal models for studies on pulmonary and cardiovascular pathophysiology and viral and bacterial infection processes, to clinical studies on human population and the AIDS epidemic.
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
VGDPHD-TH
Classification
September 2025 Intake
Application Open Date
03 September 2024 Canadian Applicant Deadline
17 August 2025 International Applicant Deadline
27 April 2025 January 2026 Intake
Application Open Date
01 May 2025 Canadian Applicant Deadline
01 December 2025 International Applicant Deadline
01 September 2025 May 2026 Intake
Application Open Date
01 September 2025 Canadian Applicant Deadline
13 April 2026 International Applicant Deadline
02 January 2026 Program Enquiries
Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
Contact the program
Contact the program
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.
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