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Overview

You're ready to work at the forefront of pharmaceutical sciences advancement. Take your education to the next level with a PhD at UBC Pharm Sci. It's where you'll work shoulder to shoulder with other leading experts in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, contributing knowledge, developing solutions, and shaping the future of health care. Come to work every day at one of the world's most inspiring campuses, where you will find exceptional mentors and supervisors, and state-of-the-art facilities.

What makes the program unique?

At UBC Pharm Sci, our research has shaped our outstanding international reputation. This is the place to collaborate with some of the world's foremost pharmaceutical experts, generating relevant, evidence-based and industry-focused research that makes a positive impact on broader society.

As a PhD student, you will embark upon a journey of academic discovery by working alongside renowned researchers who are at the top of their fields. Right from the onset of the program, you will be welcomed by a vibrant collegial community, receive individualized guidance to shape your customized study plan, and receive mentorship from senior researchers. During the program, you will enrich your knowledge and build your skills set to prepare for careers in academia or industry, while exploring research frontiers in world-class facilities. Our graduates are often highly sought after by the pharmaceutical industry for their expertise in drug discovery and development.

Our PhD program attracts some of the brightest and most curious scientific minds, so you can expect to work alongside some of the best scholars to inspire you. Our student body is diverse both in terms of educational backgrounds and global talent. More than half of our graduate students join us from countries outside of Canada, bringing various perspectives to share. We offer orientation events to help new students integrate into life here in Vancouver, at UBC and within the Faculty. And our Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Student Society (PharGS) will help support you through your educational journey and make you feel right at home.

 

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Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
Contact the program

Admission Information & Requirements

Program Instructions

To be considered for admission to the Pharm Sci PhD program, a complete application must be submitted by January 15th. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For International students: This includes the submission of a copy of the OFFICIAL IELTS or TOEFL transcript (directly from the Testing Agency).

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

22

Speaking

22

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 not required.

2) Meet Deadlines

September 2025 Intake

Application Open Date
01 October 2024
Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 January 2024
Transcript Deadline: 15 January 2025
Referee Deadline: 29 January 2025
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 January 2025
Transcript Deadline: 15 January 2025
Referee Deadline: 29 January 2025

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 Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)
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.

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.

Research Information

Research Highlights

If you're passionate about health sciences research that makes a difference in patients' lives, then UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences is your place. Innovative, collaborative, impactful and widely recognized, our groundbreaking research is relevant to today's problems.

Some examples of our research include work in the following areas:

Research Focus

A PhD in pharmaceutical sciences is the entry point to countless research opportunities in drug discovery and development. Whether it’s genomics and individualized therapy, nanomedicine, chemical biology, pharmacology, or epidemiology, we offer options for you to explore and collaborate. Our research themes include:

Molecular & Systems Pharmacology is comprised of areas such as drug metabolism, pharmacokinetic modeling, cancer biology/pharmacology, diabetes, cardiovascular pharmacology, neuroscience/neuropharmacology, receptor pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics. This highly interdisciplinary theme embodies research directed at the interactions of drugs with therapeutic targets, and covers fundamental questions of the molecular and cellular basis of individual variations in response to drugs, mechanisms of drug action and the pathogenesis of diseases. These studies are used to inform and optimize the development and delivery of drug intervention regimes for clinical practice.

Nanomedicine & Chemical Biology applies our expertise in the chemical biology of the fabrication and handling of nanoscopic materials to drug discovery and delivery. Sensing and screening technologies are also an important focus.

Epidemiology and Health Outcomes covers our activities in epidemiological analysis, health outcomes and health economics research seeking solutions for the predictive enhancement of intervention strategies for practical and preventive healthcare. The impact of this work is used to shape policy to optimize the allocation of health care resources as well as defining the efficacy of healthcare interventions and strategy.

Research Facilities

Opened in 2012, the award-winning Pharmaceutical Sciences building is a quarter-million-square-foot, state-of-the-art learning and research facility in the heart of the UBC campus. Functional, striking and always thrumming with activity, the building is home to cutting-edge equipment, laboratories and research spaces that we make available for use by the scientific public. Our building houses modern, modular labs designed specifically for the type of research intended for the space. Among an array of state-of-the-art scientific equipment, the Faculty houses a modern mass spectrometer facility for pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism studies, and a Sequenom Mass-ARRAY system for genetic studies.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

FeesCanadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / DiplomatInternational
Application Fee$116.25$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year33
Tuition per installment$1,838.57$3,230.06
Tuition per year
(plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)
$5,515.71$9,690.18
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) $3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)$1,116.60 (approx.)
Costs of livingEstimate 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.

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

Thesis-based PhD students in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences are eligible to receive a stipend, provided they are in good standing and maintain their eligibility as a UBC graduate student. The stipend package normally includes a graduate teaching assistantship, a graduate research assistantship, and/or a scholarship.

The minimum stipend starting in the 2023-2024 academic year will be:

Domestic PhD student: $30,555 to $31,215 per annum, which includes a President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award (Years 1-3: $1,215 per year; Year 4 and later: $555 per year)

International PhD student: $34,625 per annum, which includes an International Tuition Award ($3,200) and a President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award ($1,425 to each student whose tuition is not paid by an external sponsor).

Please be aware that due to the higher cost of living in Vancouver, students should plan to draw on their personal funds in addition to the stipend.

 

 

Average Funding
Based on the criteria outlined below, 27 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 averaging $39,107.
  • 13 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 13 students was $11,734.
  • 23 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 23 students was $15,578.
  • 1 student received Academic Assistantships valued at $2,003.
  • 27 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 27 students was $11,552.
  • 9 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 9 students was $25,685.

Study Period: Sep 2022 to Aug 2023 - average 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. Averages might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
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 20 hours a week.

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

48 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 42 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):


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 (5)
Roosevelt University (2)
University of Antwerp
University of Aberdeen
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Georgia
University of Alabama
University of California - Los Angeles
Dalhousie University
Simon Fraser University
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services (2)
DynaLIFE
STEMCELL Technologies
Ember Therapeutics
Roche
Walmart Pharmacy
Rexall
Pfizer Canada Inc.
Sanofi Pasteur
Ipsen Biopharmaceutical, Inc.
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Scientist (3)
Manager (2)
Principal Scientist
Pharmacist
Clinical Chemist
Project Leader
Pharmacy Manager
Director
Medical Scientist
CNS Medical Affairs
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.
Career Options

With a tailored PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, the door is open to numerous research career options in drug discovery and development. Our graduates have gone on to create R&D companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, and developed and commercialized therapeutic products in the treatment of various diseases. While a number of our PhD graduates opt for careers in academia or government, the majority of our alumni thrive in industry.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

 20232022202120202019
Applications7649565647
Offers109847
New Registrations67546
Total Enrolment4440423635

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 84% based on 39 students admitted between 2011 - 2014. Based on 15 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 3.29 years and the maximum time is 8.2 years with an average of 5.22 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.
Disclaimer
Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants 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, 10 December 2024 - 12:30pm - Room 200

Niki Oveisi
Impact of Cancer on Sexual and Reproductive Health among Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA): Epidemiologic Studies and Patients' Perspectives

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 Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)
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.

  • Schummers, Laura (Pediatrics and reproductive medicine; Health Services; Health Policy; women’s reproductive and perinatal health)
  • Soja, Peter (how synaptic transmission through identified ascending spinal sensory pathways and motoneuron pools differs during distinct behavioral states such as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep, or general anesthesia vs. wakefulness)
  • Turgeon, Ricky (Cardiology and circulatory sciences (including cardiovascular disease); Health care effectiveness and outcomes; Knowledge translation and implementation science in health; Heart failure pharmacotherapy; Acute coronary syndromes / myocardial infarction; Cardiovascular risk reduction (lipid-lowering therapy, antiplatelet therapy); Cardiovascular safety of medications; Drug Effectiveness; Evidence-based practice; Shared decision making; Point-of-care decision aids / decision support tools; Knowledge translation / implementation; Risk calculators / clinical prediction tools; Pharmacist scope of practice)
  • Velenosi, Thomas (Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, n.e.c.; Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Cancer molecular targets; Metabolomics; Lipid biology (including lipidomics); Pharmacometabolomics; Pharmacology; Lipidomics; mass spectrometry; Cancer; Stable isotope tracing; Bioinformatics)
  • Vu, Ly (Post-transcriptional and translational regulation during normal and malignant hematopoiesis)
  • Wilbur, Kerry (Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Professional Practices; Education Systems; culture and health professional education; interprofessional education; patient and medication safety; public health roles of pharmacists; workplace-based learning)
  • Williams, Karla (Cancer progression and metastasis; Intracellular signaling, signal transduction, receptor and membrane biology; Cancer biology; Metastasis; Tumor and plasma biomarkers; Therapeutic target identification and validation; tumor microenvironment)
  • Wisnovsky, Simon (Cancer genetics; Tumour immunology; Cellular immunology; Glycomics and glycobiology; Chemical genetics; Systems biology; Cellular interactions (including adhesion, matrix and cell wall); Genomics; Cancer molecular targets; glycobiology; carbohydrates; Tumor immunology; Functional genomics; CRISPR screening; Glycomics; Biochemistry; Molecular Genetics; Cell Biology; Cancer)
  • Wong, Judy (Cancer genetics; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Nucleic acids studies; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Cancer biology; Aging; Genome Instability; Nucleic Acid Structures; Pharmacology; Genetics and Genomics)
  • Wong, Harvey (applications of translational modeling and simulation techniques to optimize drug dose and regimen for new therapeutics, and to better understand emergence of cancer tumor drug resistance)
  • Zed, Peter (Pharmacotherapy,  cardiovascular disease,  infectious disease,  airway pharmacology,  sedation and analgesia,  evidence-based medicine,  adverse drug events, Pharmacotherapy best practice in emergency medicine and patient safety, particularly adverse drug events)
  • Zhang, Wei (Public and population health; Health Policies; Pharmacoeconomics; Economic evaluation; Health economics)

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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
2023 Dr. Lin built a mathematical model describing the unique oral absorption of an anti-cancer drug in order to understand the responsible mechanisms. This model can inform drug research and development by predicting oral absorption of new drug candidates and determine dose and regimen of drugs showing similar absorption characteristics.
2023 Dr. Esposito used nuclear imaging techniques to study the pharmacokinetics of native and nano-formulated cationic host defense peptides (CHDPs), naturally occurring compounds that direct kill bacteria and bolster the immune system to better fight infections. Important insights were gained in this work that are expected to help advance the development of CHDPs and their formulations toward clinical use.
2022 Dr. Javed has developed breast cancer models to target primary and metastatic tumors at distant sites. She also explored the role of finger like projections-invadopodia in helping tumor cells movement through the lymphatic system. The findings from these studies will be helpful in providing an in-depth insight into targeting tumor metastasis.
2022 Dr. Khatri examined the health and economic impact of introduction of 13-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in infant immunization program in British Columbia, Canada. This research illuminates the value of PCV13 vaccine in preventing pneumococcal disease.
2022 Dr. Price investigated the processes of inflammation, antioxidant defense, and steroidogenesis within the placenta. These studies assist us in understanding the higher rates of pregnancy complications associated with assisted reproduction technologies.
2022 Dr. Al Fayez worked on improving the effectiveness of currently available liver treatments. Her research focused on developing novel lipid-based nanoparticles for hepatocytes targeting. Dr. ALFayez believes these nanoparticles can be used as a platform to enhance the treatment of many terminal liver diseases including chronic hepatitis B infection.
2022 Dr. Nguyen developed a method to make chemical modifications to drugs that enable formation into nanoparticles for improved drug delivery and efficacy. This research will benefit a spectrum of drugs and identify new formulations that will offer safer and effective therapies for patients battling diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
2022 Dr. Benbow developed a pre-clinical model of migraine headache using monosodium glutamate (MSG). He subsequently applied his model to identify and validate a novel drug target that may be leveraged to treat and prevent migraines in people.
2021 Dr. Salmasi measured medication taking in atrial fibrillation patients in BC. She revealed that patients exhibit distinct patterns of medication taking over time. Study findings can inform the design of interventions to improve medication taking, and ultimately avoid preventable strokes and deaths in patients with atrial fibrillation.
2021 Dr. Nosrati developed a novel drug delivery system that targets and treats rheumatoid arthritis. Her work resulted in concentrating toxic drugs in inflamed joints more effectively with less side effects, reducing inflammation more strongly and for longer periods of time. Patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis will benefit from her findings.

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Sample Thesis Submissions

Further Information

Specialization

Pharmaceutical Sciences covers research areas of nanomedicine, drug delivery; drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and toxicology; pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics; diabetes, cardiovascular and molecular pharmacology; neuropharmacology; cancer pharmacology; pharmaceutical health outcomes and pharmacotherapeutics; and pharmaceutical education.

Program Identifier

VGDPHD-TU
 

Apply Now

If you don't have a UBC Campus-Wide Login (CWL) please create an account first.
 

September 2025 Intake

Application Open Date
01 October 2024
Canadian Applicant Deadline
15 January 2024
International Applicant Deadline
15 January 2025
 
Supervisor Search
 

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