Research Projects

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Currently Open Research Projects

This list of possible research projects is non-exhaustive. It only shows positions that are specifically advertised in the G+PS website.

Position Title Supervisor(s) Faculty Research Classification
Postdoc Fellow in Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Research UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Medical, health and life sciences
Postdoctoral position (clinical research) with ICORD's autonomic laboratory Andrei Krassioukov Faculty of Medicine Rehabilitation medicine
Postdoctoral position (basic science research) with ICORD's autonomic laboratory Andrei Krassioukov Faculty of Medicine Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects
Funded MASc Position in Data-driven Control of Energy Systems Dominic Liao-McPherson Faculty of Applied Science Systems control and automation
Funded PhD Position in Data-driven Control of Energy Systems Dominic Liao-McPherson Faculty of Applied Science Systems control and automation
Funded MASc position in Autonomous Medical Drones Dominic Liao-McPherson Faculty of Applied Science Engineering and technology
Funded PhD Position in Autonomous Medical Drones Dominic Liao-McPherson Faculty of Applied Science Engineering and technology
Research project in scientific computing Carl Ollivier-Gooch Faculty of Applied Science Aerodynamics (except hypersonic aerodynamics), Computational fluid mechanics, Numerical computation
Research project in scientific computing Carl Ollivier-Gooch Faculty of Applied Science Aerodynamics (except hypersonic aerodynamics), Computational fluid mechanics, Numerical computation
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Drug Safety and Surveillance Faculty of Medicine Clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice

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Faculty Members Recruiting Students

This list shows a selection of faculty members who are currently looking for new graduate students. They may have specified particular projects they wish to fill. Please ensure to review the departmental profile of each faculty member to learn more about their research interests and to ensure a good fit to your intended studies at UBC.

Last namesort descending First name Research Interests Desired start dates: Project areas
Chrostowski Lukas Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Optics and Photonics; Micro and Nanoelectronics; Nanotechnologies; Manufacturing Processes; biophotonics; biosensors; optics; optoelectronics; photonics; quantum computing; semiconductor lasers; silicon photonics Any time / year round

silicon photonic device and circuit design, nanofabrication, quantum computing, single photon devices

Ciocca Valter Auditory System; Perception and Representation; Recognition of Speech; Speech and Language Development Disorders; Auditory grouping of speech and non-speech sounds, also known as "auditory scene analysis"; perception and production of normal and disordered speech Any time / year round

Auditory scene analysis; perception and production of disordered speech

Conklin Annalijn Public health nutrition policy; Other basic medicine and life sciences; Social Determinants of Dietary and Metabolic Disorders; social nutritional epidemiology; Gender Epidemiology; women's health; Health Equity; Chronic Diseases in Elderly; Obesity; CVD risk factors; healthy ageing; food and nutrition policy; Indigenous health; Community Health / Public Health; disease management evaluation; healthcare quality improvement; Professional Practices; ethics of research and public health 2025

Gender differences in symptoms and outcomes of patients living with COPD;

Gender, social determinants and metabolic outcomes

Cookson Tara Public policy; Development; Social protection; Care work; Gender equality Any time / year round

Gender and development; social protection; care economy

Coops Nicholas Charles Forestry sciences; Telemetry (Remote Sensing, Radar); Space Techniques; Forestry Technology and Equipment; Plants and Forests Any time / year round

Application of remote sensing technologies to forest productivity and conservation issues

Cornelis Jean Thomas Earth and related environmental sciences; Pedology; Biogeochemistry; Soil-Plant Interactions 2022

- determine the extent to which changes in soil processes controlling carbon storage and (micro)nutrient supply are driven by land use

- understand soil abiotic controls on microbial and root nutrient-acquisition strategies and their role in agroecosystem resilience and food quality

- determine agroecosystem adaptation to climate change via bio-weathering processes induced by... Read More

Cretu Edmond Nano-technology; Electronics; Medical and biomedical engineering; microsystems and nanotechnology; sensor clusters and networks; Signal processing and control; Ultrasound Imaging; Microinstrumentation; Inertial measurement units; wearable systems Any time / year round

- Polymer-based transducer arrays for ultrasound imaging - applications in biomedical imaging, or for non-destructive testing of materials and structures

- Advanced microsystems for inertial navigation 

- Sensor microinstrumentation systems

- Signal processing and modern control applied to MEMS transducers

- Wearable body sensor systems

Cronk Quentin Charles Plant biology; botany; taxonomy; systematics; genomics 2026

Molecular basis of dioecy and monoecy in flowering plants

Taxonomy, systematics and evolution of tropical plant genera

Taxonomy, systematics and evolution of plant genera in the Pacific Northwest

Cui Wei International trade law; Tax law; Tax law and policy; Carbon pricing and climate policy; industrial policy; Taxation and international trade; Chinese legislative system; Clean energy subsidies; Law and political economy; tax and development; Geo-economics Any time / year round

The history of international taxation in light of the evolution of international trade

Compare redistributive policies in democratic v. authoritarian countries

Carbon pricing

Geo-economics

d'Arcy Mitch Earth and related environmental sciences; Geomorphology; Climate/palaeoclimate; Sedimentology; Geochronology; remote sensing Any time / year round, 2021

Projects could involve field work, geochronology, geochemistry, modelling and remote sensing depending on what the student finds exciting and interesting. I’m particularly seeking students interested in working on these topics (but I’m open to other suggestions, too):

  • Orbital climate changes and their effects on erosion and sedimentation
  • Recovering palaeoclimate signals... Read More
Daley Denise Bioinformatics; Asthma; Complex Trait Genetics; Epigenetics; gene-gene and gene-environment interactions; Genetic Diseases; genetic epidemiology; Genetics of Aging; statistical genetics; Susceptibility Genes Any time / year round

Genetics and epigenetics of common complex diseases including peanut allergy, food allergy, asthma, atopy, healthy aging, aortic valve stenosis. Longitudinal analyses of childhood birth cohorts. The lab is currently initiating several targeted whole genome bisulfate sequencing projects and we plan on integrating data from a variety of omics approaches. We are also developing genetic risk... Read More

Damascelli Andrea Electronic and magnetic properties of condensed matter and supraconductivity; Electronic Structure of Quantum Materials Any time / year round
  • Quantum Materials by Design
  • Quantum Materials in the Time Domain
  • Designing Quantum Phases in Monolayer Graphene
  • Creating 2-Dimensional Superconducting Electron Gases
  • Probing Condensate's Coherence: from Superconductors to Excitonic Insulators
Daniels Megan Classical religion; Archaeology of Greece and the broader eastern Mediterranean; Late Bronze Age to Hellenistic Period; Ancient religion, sanctuaries, votive objects; Cross-cultural interaction; Ancient economies and trade; Divine kingship; Digital/data science approaches to the ancient world, particularly ancient religion; Migration and mobility across Eurasia; Phoenician culture; Ceramic analysis

Ancient Mediterranean, 3000-100 BCE; ancient Greek religion; ancient economies, trade, and exchange; migration and mobility in the ancient Mediterranean; cross-cultural interaction in antiquity; archaeological ceramics; diversity and inclusion in teaching ancient history and archaeology

Dao Duc Khanh Genomics; Mathematical biology; Neurocognitive patterns and neural networks; Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling; combine mathematical,computational and statistical tools to study fundamental biological processes; regulation and determinants of gene expression and translation; Machine Learning for Biological Imaging and Microscopy; Database development and management; Biological and Artificial Neural Networks for geometric representation 2023, 2024

Learning Spatial Representation from Brain recordings, in collaboration with Manu Madhav's lab at UBC

Darvin Ron ESL, TESOL, LOTE and sign language curriculum, pedagogy and didactics; identity and investment in language learning; critical applied linguistics; race, ethnicity, and social class; Digital Literacies; generative AI 2025, 2026, 2027

issues of power and inequality confronted by L2 speakers, racialized migrants, diasporic communities and under-resourced students; critical digital literacies; generative AI; critical pedagogy

Dee Derek Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Proteomics; Nanofabrication, growth and self-assembly; Food chemistry (including fermentation); Protein Folding; protein stability; protein aggregation; protein engineering; funtional amyloid; bacterial amyloid; protein nanofibrils; food proteins; legume proteins; aspartic proteases; psychrophilic enzymes; precision fermentation; Biophysics; food chemistry; alternative food proteins; optical tweezers; single molecule force spectroscopy; cryoEM Any time / year round

1. bacterial biofilm amyloid: assembly mechanism and drug targeting

2. functional and engineered amyloid from plant (legume) proteins

3. protein (enzyme) engineering to control stability

Dennis Jessica Bioinformatics; Genetic medicine; Complex Trait Genetics; genetic epidemiology; statistical genetics; Psychiatric conditions; neurodegenerative disease; Precision Health; Administrative health data; Electronic health records; Machine Learning Any time / year round

The last decade has seen an unprecedented explosion of data. In medicine, data are increasingly being generated and linked across electronic health records, administrative databases, and biobanked samples. These resources hold tremendous promise for improving human health and achieving precision medicine, which will only be realized by thoughtful study designs and innovative analyses. 

... Read More

Diamond Adele executive functions; prefrontal cortex; dopamine; working memory; self-control; self-regulation; cognition; COMT gene; Sex differences; stress; ACEs (adverse childhood experiences); ELS (early life stress); resilience; social determinants of health; ADHD; depression; PTSD; Physical Activity; the arts; mindfulness

In traumatized youth, can prefrontal cortex communication with the amygdala be restored by a stress-reduction program (e.g., Niroga’s yoga-based mindfulness program)? Are the benefits of music for improving executive functions (EFs), mood, and quality of life greater when the experience of listening to the music is socially shared? Can the benefits of listening to the spoken word be as great... Read More

Dollinger Stefan English language; Language Contact and Linguistic Changes; Linguistic Variation and Society; Lexicography and Dictionaries; Language Interactions; Language Rights and Policies; Bilingualism and Multilingualism

Projects revolving around the recently completed www.dchp.ca/dchp2, possibly towards a third edition.

For my work, see https://ubc.academia.edu/StefanDollinger for a nearly complete list and downloadable books/papers/squibs/reviews.

Dong Xuesen Cancer progression and metastasis; Gene and molecular therapy; Prostate Cancer; Drug development; RNA splicing and Gene Regulation; Hormone Dependent Cancers; Endocrine Regulation Any time / year round
  1. neuroendocrine prostate cancer;
  2. AR driven castrate-resistant prostate cancer
  3. computer aided drug design 
  4. cell free nucleotide biomarkers from liquid biopsy
Donner Simon Atmospheric sciences; Oceanography; Other media and communication; Climate Science; climate change impacts; Climate policy; Coastal Ecosystems; Marine Environment; Climate modelling and prediction; Science communication; Net-zero emissions; Coral reefs Any time / year round, 2023, 2024, 2025

I am a climate scientist focused on helping the world prevent and prepare for climate change. I serve as a member Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which advises the Canadian government on climate change solutions, and was a lead author on the most recent assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments.

My research program lies primarily at the intersection... Read More

Douglas Jennifer Personal recordkeeping and archives; Community archives; Person-centred archival theory and practices; Grief and recordkeeping and archives; Emotions and recordkeeping and archives; Archival arrangement and description Any time / year round

Personal and/or community archives and recordkeeping; grief and recordkeeping and archives; archival creation; archival representation. 

Dutta Souradeep Reinforcement learning; Cyber-physical systems; Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning Any time / year round, 2025, 2026

Reinforcement learing, robotics, formal methods, cyber-physical systems

Effros Bonnie Humanities and the arts; History of archaeology; Antiquarianism and collecting in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; Late antique and early medieval history and archaeology; Gender history and archaeology Any time / year round

history of archaeology, history of collecting and museums, medievalism, early medieval history and archaeology, early medieval gender

Elliott Alison Other health sciences; rare disease; genomics; Congenital Malformations; Skeletal and limb anomalies; Genetic Counselling; Health services implementation science

Genetic counselling

Birth defects

Health Implementation Science

Ellis Jason Canadian history; Specialized studies in education; Educational policy; Education policy; history of education Any time / year round

Projects related to my current research: history of education and social mobility, opportunity; education and housing markets; political economy of metropolitan schooling; policy; space and historical GIS mapping; history of immigration and education; history of educational finance and taxation. Or any project in the history of education; education policy.

Eltis Lindsay Biochemistry; Genomics; Immunology; Microbiology; Bacterial catabolism of steroids and lignin; biocatalyst development; Enzymes and Proteins; Metabolism (Living Organisms); Mycobacterium tuberculosis Any time / year round

Understanding the degradation of cholesterol catabolism by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its role in pathogenesis. Developing new therapeutics that target cholesterol catabolism. Understanding the bacterial degradation of lignin and developing biocatalysts to upgrade lignin.

Enfield Katey Cancer progression and metastasis; Tumour immunology; Cancer genetics; Lung cancer; tumour microenvironment; B cell responses in cancer; Lung cancer genomics; cancer immunology; Spatial biology Any time / year round, 2025

Spatial organisation of the lung tumour microenvironment and associations with clinical outcomes.

B cell responses to lung cancer, including mechanisms underlying their associations with lung cancer initiation, disease progression, and immunotherapy response.

Etminan Mahyar Eye and Visual System Diseases; Pharmacoepidemiology; Epidemiology; Oular Epidemiology; Drug Safety; Epidemiologist Study Design; Causal Inference; Cancer Epidemiology

Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Drug Safety (all therapeutics areas)

Etxabe Julen Law and society; Literature and critical theory; History and philosophy of law and justice; Law and humanities; Legal Theory and Jurisprudence; Human Rights; Political Theory; Law and literature; Cultural Studies Any time / year round
  • Law and Humanities
  • Law and Literature
  • Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
  • Critical Theory
  • Poilitical Theory
  • Cultural Studies and Legal History
  • International Human Rights
Everhart Avery Health geography; Population geography; Geographic information system (GIS and GPS) applications; Health and community services; Bioinformatics, n.e.c.; Social and cultural geography; Sex and gender-based analysis; Ethical, legal, and social issues in health, health systems and health research; Gender and health relationship; Health information systems (including surveillance); Geographic Information Science; Medical Geography; Demography & Population Studies; Critical Data Studies, Critical GIS & Digital Geographies; Transgender Studies; Intersectionality in Empirical Social Science; Health Services Research & Access to Healthcare; Community-Based Participatory Research; Feminist & Queer Theories; Measuring & Combatting STructural Racism 2024, 2025

Geographic access to gender-affirming care (in multiple countries) through surveys, quantiative analysis and GIS

Applying intersectionality theories to empirical social scientific and health sciences research

Medical geography involving field work and community-based participatory or participatory action research

Fast Danya Social sciences; Substance Use; Substance Use Care; Adolescents and Young Adults; urban health; Urban Poverty; Medical Anthropology; Canada; East Africa Any time / year round

I am currently recruiting incoming PhD students with strong backgrounds in qualitative, community-based participatory action, and/or anthropological methods who are passionate about doing research broadly focused on youth, substance use and care. Students will carve out an independent project as part of one of the following studies:

(1) The Treatment Trajectories Study explores young... Read More

Faulkner Guy Kinesiology; Community Health / Public Health; behavioral medicine; Exercise Psychology; mental health; physical activity and public health; physical activity interventions Any time / year round

Physical activity and public health - intervention development and evaluation

Fels S Sidney Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; Human Computer Interaction; biomechanical modeling of human anatomy; Machine Learning; new interfaces for musical expression; speech synthesis 2025, 2026, 2027

see my lab website: hct.ece.ubc.ca

Feng Haibo Building construction engineering; Concrete, cementitious materials and other architectural and construction materials; BIM; Construction; LCA; sustainability; Wood Products; Zero energy / caron building Any time / year round

Zero carbon building solutions

Urban planning for carbon emissions

Fisher Kevin Prehistoric archaeology; Anthropology; Archaeological theory; Archaeometry; Archeological Data Analysis; Archeological Excavation Methods and Techniques; architecture; built environments; digital archaeology; Dynamics of Social Transformations; Mediterranean archaeology; Near Eastern archaeology; power; Social Life / Societal Life; social interaction; Urban Spaces and Urbanity; urbanism Any time / year round

Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments (KAMBE) Project: http://kambe.cnrs.ubc.ca/

Computational Research on the Ancient Near East (CRANE) Project: https://www.crane.utoronto.ca/

Flynn Alexandra Law and society; Municipal Law; Local Governance; property law; Administrative Law; Experiential legal education; Socio-Legal Studies; Law & Cities 2027
  • Urban law and governance
  • Housing law and homelessness
Folk Joshua Physical sciences; 2D materials and Vanderwaals heterostructures; Quantum electronics; Thermodynamics of quantum systems; Strongly correlated phenomena; Topological phenomena; Quantum transport Any time / year round

Vanderwaals heterostructures; Entropy of quantum systems; Thermodynamic probes of 2D materials; Fractional quantum Hall effect

Forbes Connor Urology; Other basic medicine and life sciences; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Endourology; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Kidney stones; Translational research 2024

Dr Connor Forbes graduated from UBC Medicine and completed his residency in Urology at UBC. His fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre was a combined research and clinical fellowship including subspecialty training in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH), Kidney Stones, and advanced minimally invasive surgical approaches to upper and lower tract urologic diseases. 

Dr Forbes'... Read More

Ford Nancy Medical physics; Medical biotechnology diagnostics (including biosensors); Dental materials and equipment; micro-computed tomography; physiological gating; contrast agents; models of respiratory disease; image-based measurements; dental imaging; x-ray imaging 2026, 2027

Effects of e-cigarettes on respiratory and oral health

Contrast-enhanced micro-CT using novel targeted contrast agents

Dual-energy cone-beam CT

Dental radiography

Frank Erica Health sciences; Public and population health; Other education; Free education; Preventive Medicine; Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Architecture; Holocaust studies; Exile Reintegration; Democratization; Intervention Research Any time / year round

My primary research is on my invention, NextGenU.org, uniquely providing free education from first grade to PhD.  Starting with a focus in the health sciences, NextGenU.org's accredited courses are being used every country, including through half of US medical schools.

Founded/invented by me in 2001 (predating MOOCs by 7 years), we globally launched our first full course in March 2012.... Read More

Frankel Adam Other basic medicine and life sciences; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Protein Biochemistry; arginine methylation; Histones; Nucleosomes; post-translational modifications; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Organic Molecules and Biomolecules; Bioactive Molecules; Proteins; Chemical Biology; drug discovery; Target Engagement; yeast; Amino acids 2024

"Methylation Dynamics in Cellular Processes" in the Frankel lab. 

"Overcoming Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitor Resistance Using Pyrimethamine-inspired Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras" with Drs. Brent Page and Karla Williams.

Friedman Jan Marshall Other clinical medicine; Genetic medicine; Genomics; Health counselling; Application of whole genome sequencing to diagnose genetic disease; Birth defects epidemiology; Clinical genomics; Developmental Genetics; Genetics and Heredity; Neurofibromatosis Any time / year round
  • Improving the sensitivity of whole genome sequencing as a clinical test for genetic causes of intellectual disability
  • Use of advanced genomic and bioinformatic methods to find mutations that cause genetic disease but that are missed by standard genome sequencing
  • Clinical genetics/genomics health services research 
Friedman Joel Computer and information sciences; Algebraic Graph Theory; Combinatorics; Computer Science Theory Any time / year round

Computer Science Theory, Graph Theory, Combinatorics, Algebraic Topology applied to Combinatorics

Frostad John Chemical engineering; Food sciences (including food engineering); Emulsions; Physics of Soft Matter; Agricultural Sprays; Food Physics; Interfacial Rheology; Novel Instrumentation; Foams; Fluid mechanics Any time / year round

For more information, please see: http://food.chbe.ubc.ca/opportunities/

Fundelius Erika Special education and disability; Self-determination within and beyond the Expanded core curriculum; Professional development including pre-service and in-service teacher preparation 2026, 2027

Self-determination; Teacher preparation; Disabilities; Sexuality health education; State of Canadian specialized education and inclusion

Gaertner David Indigenous literatures; Media, visual and digital culture; Critical identity, ethnic and race studies; Indigenous Literature; Digital storytelling; Digital Humanities; Speculative fiction; Reconciliation; New Media; Indigenous Cyberspace

Indigenous new media theory and design via CEDaR (Centre for Engaged Documentation and Research) the Indigneous new media lab I co-operate with Daisy Rosenblum. 

Gantois Joséphine Environment and natural resources economics; Ecological applications; Sociology; Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation; environmental economics; Applied Ecology; Rural Sociology; Causal inference; Applied Deep Learning 2025

Deep Learning and Ecology

Giammarino Ronald Financial management; corporate theory; bank regulation; real options Any time / year round

Municipal corporate finance

Giang Amanda Atmospheric sciences; Mechanical engineering; Natural environment sciences; Atmospheric Pollutants; Chemical Pollutants; Climate Changes and Impacts; Public Policies; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection

modelling the impact of technology and policy on the long range transport of global pollutants; developing tools and processes to support community-based environmental monitoring; understanding the role of scientific assessment in environmental governance, from global to local scales

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