Research Projects

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
Robinson Wendy Other basic medicine and life sciences; Medical Genetics; Human Development; Placenta; Epigenetics; DNA methylation; Sex differences; Mosaicism; Fetal Growth 2023

Sex differences at the genetic/epigenetic level in early development. Epigenetic tools for improved diagnosis in the prenatal and neonatal periods. DNA methylation analysis of the placenta in response to stress and other exposures

 

Rodrigues Brian Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Diabetes; Cardiomyopathy; Heart Failure; Energy Metabolism; Cardiovascular metabolism; Endothelial cell - cardiomyocyte crosstalk; Vascular Endothelial Growth factors Any time / year round

The objective of our study is to examine the biology of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) during diabetes. To do this, we will use models of diabetes and various cellular approaches. Given the disturbing news that diabetes is rampant across the globe, and that its incidence will double in Canada by 2016, results from these studies will help in gaining more insight into the mechanism(s) by which cardiac... Read More

Ross Colin Genetic medicine; Genomics; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Biomedical Technologies; Drug Metabolism; Gene Therapy; Gene-based therapeutics; Pharmacogenomics; Precision Medicine; Transgenic Model Any time / year round

see http://colinrosslab.com/who-we-are/colin-ross/

Sadarangani Manish Immunology; Microbiology; Bacteria; Bacterial Vaccines; Childhood infections; Epidemiology; Immune System; Vaccine Development; Vaccine immunity Any time / year round

My research covers several independent, but related, areas of infectious diseases and vaccine research, including:

- Understanding vaccine-induced immunity, particular for bacterial vaccines including vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bordetella pertussis.

- Development of novel vaccines for pathogens of major public health importance... Read More

Sadatsafavi Mohsen Respiratory diseases; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Respiratory Research Any time / year round

My lab (Respiratory Evaluation Sciences Program - https://resp.core.ubc.ca/) is looking for a brilliant graduate student (MSc or PhD) for exciting projects in predictive analytics and decision modeling.

The project is part of the $2M The Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded IMPACT study (... Read More

Sakakibara Brodie Clinical medicine; Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy; Gerontology; rehabilitation; Physical Activity; Physical Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injury; Stroke Rehabilitation; Chronic disease self-management and prevention; Telehealth in people with stroke and cardiovascular disease; Complex behavioural intervention development; Clinical trial methodologies; Participatory and patient-oriented research Any time / year round

Chronic disease management

telehealth/rehabilitation

Stroke recovery

Chronic care

Schabas Margaret History and philosophy of economics; Social sciences; History and Philosophy of Economics; Philosophy, History and Comparative Studies; science studies Any time / year round

History and Philosophy of Economics; Philosophy of Nature; Environmental Philosophy; Early Modern Philosophy; British Nineteenth-Century Philosophy; Science and Technology Studies

Schaeffer David Clinical oncology; Pathology (except oral pathology); Bioinformatics; cancer genetics; Cancer biology; Genomic rearrangements; genomics; Pancreas; Pathology; patient derived models Any time / year round

We conduct translational cancer research and have various ongoing projects focusing on Pancreatic Cancer. We are looking for students interested in a bioinformatics and bench top project studying genomic alterations and rearrangements and students interested in the development and use of patient deterived organoid models for translational research including drug screening, metabolism, and... Read More

Schmidt Julia Occupational therapy; Trauma / Injuries; cognition; Neurological diseases; Cognitive impairment; neuroscience; rehabilitation; Self-awareness; Self-identity; Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Schmidt's research investigates the alteration in a person’s life and brain after traumatic brain injury. Specifically, she is interested in self-awareness and self-identity changes after injury and neurological underpinnings of injury and recovery. Additionally, she aims to determine effective rehabilitation strategies and mechanisms of recovery for people with brain impairment.

Schoof Christian Geophysics; Ice and Snow; Transformation and Evolution of the Earth Surface; Fluid mechanics; Hydraulic; Asymptotic and Classical Applied Analysis; Differential Equation; applied mathematics; glacier hydrology; Glaciology; ice sheet dynamics Any time / year round

Glacier surging, glacier and ice sheet hydrology, modelling ice sheet dynamics

Scott Douglas Astronomical and space sciences; Physical sciences; Cosmology; Science and Knowledge Any time / year round

A wide range of topics within observational and theoretical cosmology

Shadgan Babak Medical biotechnology diagnostics (including biosensors); Biomedical instrumentation (including diagnostics); Orthopedics; Sports medicine; Bone, skin and cartilage science; Central nervous system; Implantable Biosensing; sensor and system design, clinical application development; Wearable Biosensors; design and application development in health care and exercise sciences; Musculoskeletal, Sports & Exercise Medicine; Bone Fracture Healing; Spinal Cord Injuries 2022

Implantable biosensors for monitoring organ health and function,

Spinal cord hemodynamics monitoring,

Bone healing research,

 

 

Shan Hongxia Other education, n.e.c.; Immigration and adult education and learning; Lifelong learning; Gender and work; Prof. learning

Migration and adult education and learning; Lifelong learning in Asia; Work and learning; 

Sheel William Animal physiology, exercise; Kinesiology; airways, exercise, hypoxia, pulmonary physiology, respiratory muscle 2023

Sex differences in airway anatomy and fatigue of the diaphragm.

Effects of healthy ageing on the biology of exercise.

Respiratory influences on neurovascular control.

Other research projects that are of interest to trainees can often be developed in consultation with Dr. Sheel

Silberman Lior Mathematics and statistics; Mathematics; Analysis on manifolds; Automorphic forms; Group Theory; Homogenous dynamics; Metric geometry; Number theory; Representation Theory; Topology

Mathematics, almost any field

Sin Nancy Psychology and cognitive sciences; social determinants of health; stress; Social Aspects of Aging; Health Promotion; Lifestyle Determinants and Health; Adult development and aging; cardiovascular disease; depression; Emotions; Health behaviours; Stress processes; Well-being

Stress processes and stress-buffering in daily life; Role of daily positive experiences in adult development and aging; Biological and behavioural pathways linking daily experiences to health outcomes; Day-to-day dynamics of psychosocial well-being and health behaviours (e.g., sleep); Biopsychosocial determinants of risk and outcomes for cardiovascular disease

Sinnamon Luanne Silvia Archival, repository and related studies; Library science and information studies; human information interaction; Information Systems; information retrieval; New Technology and Social Impacts 2023

Design and use of Internet search engines; online information interaction and information design

Song Weihong Alzheimer's Disease; Molecular Genetics; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Cell Signaling; Cognition; Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases; Neuropharmacology; Transgenic Model; Down Syndrome; mental health; Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease; Down syndrome; neuropsychiatric disorders; Neurogenesis.

Speller Camilla Anthropology; Archeological Data Analysis; Molecular Genetics; Ancient DNA Analysis (paleogenetics); Ancient proteins (paleoproteomics); Animal Domestication; Bioarchaeology; Environmental Archaeology; Marine Ecosystems Any time / year round
  • Genetic diversity of past Pacific Herring populations
  • Genetic diversity and stock identification of ancient Pacific Salmon
  • Changes in marine biogeography relating to past climate change
Spering Miriam Biological sciences; vision; movement; perception and action; eye movements; hand movements; eye-hand coordination; sport vision; Parkinson's disease 2024
  • Development of eye-movement based diagnostic tools for neurological disease
  • Visual function and expertise in sport
  • Perception and action, eye-hand coordination
  • Serial dependencies in vision and movement
Stefanska Barbara Nutrition and Cancer; Breast Cancer; Hepatic Diseases; Gene Regulation and Expression; Epigenetics, Cancer epigenetics, Nutritional epigenomics Any time / year round

Epigenetics refers to the molecular events controlling gene expression that are independent of changes in the underlying DNA sequence. These events include DNA methylation, covalent histone modifications, and non-coding RNA-related mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications of DNA, namely DNA methylation, have been shown to contribute to the etiology of chronic diseases with cancer at the forefront... Read More

Stephens Christopher Philosophy; philosophy of biology; philosophy of science; rationality; scientific philosophy; Why be rational? Any time / year round

philosophical debates about evolutionary biology, topics in philosophy of science concerning the nature of evidence, the nature and justification of rationality. Evolutionary approaches to philosophical topics.

Stull Roland Meteorology and weather; weather; Meteorology; atmospheric science; numerical weather prediction; clean energy meteorology; storms; transportation weather; forest fire weather; weather disasters; atmospheric boundary layers; aviation meteorology Any time / year round

Weather forecasting for clean energy (wind, hydro, solar).

Weather forecasting for transportation (shipping, highways, railroads)

Weather forecasting for forest fires (fire-atmosphere interaction, smoke dispersion)

Forecasting for other weather-related disasters (landslides, debris flows, floods, avalanches, windstorms, air pollution, etc.)

Special projects (e.g.,... Read More

Sunderland Terence Earth and related environmental sciences; Social and economic geography; biodiversity; Communications; Communities and Livelihoods; conservation; Conservation Biology; Ecosystem services; Environmental communication; Forest policy; Land-use Change; Landscape ecology; Natural Resource Management; social science; sustainability; Tropical Landscapes and Livelihoods; Developing countries; Forest management 2021, 2022

Forests and food security; sustainable landscape management; biodiversity; rural livelihoods and markets; ecosystem services; non-timber forest products

Suttle Curtis Bioinformatics; Fisheries sciences; Immunology; Microbiology; Oceanography; Plant biology; Biological Oceanography; Environmental Virology; Marine Environment; Marine Microbiology; Microbial Diversity; Phage; Viral Discovery; Viruses Any time / year round

post-doctoral scholars will normally need fellowship support

Taubert Stefan Genetic medicine; Health counselling; Aging; beta cells; C. elegans; Diabetes; Gene Regulation and Expression; Gene regulation; Genetics of Aging; genomics; Hypoxia; Metabolism; Molecular Genetics; Mouse; stress; Stress and Cancer; Stress responses; Toxin and Toxicant Metabolism; Transcription Any time / year round

We study how cells, tissues, and organisms adapt to stresses such as hypoxia, oxidative stress, starvation, heavy metal exposure, and others. We investigate these stresses and stress responses because they contribute to or even cause human pathologies, including cancers, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, we are especially interested in gene regulation by the Mediator... Read More

Tessier Anne-Michelle Linguistics; Constraint-based grammars; L2 production and perception in childhood; Language Acquisition; Lexical avoidance; Phonology; Prosodic processing with cochlear implants; Shitgibbons; U-shaped development Any time / year round

Constraint-based approaches to phonological development

Phonological learnability

L1 morpho-phonological learning

Todesco Marco Plant biology; Quantitative genetics (including disease and trait mapping genetics); Biological adaptation; Developmental genetics (including sex determination); Genomics; Population, ecological and evolutionary genetics; Paleogenomics; Genetics engineering; Plant-animal interactions; Genetic and molecular basis of adaptation; Plant genomics; Chromosomal structural variation; Crop improvement and bioengineering; Wild sunflowers ecology and evolution; Cannabis diversity and domestication Any time / year round

Genetic basis of adaptation in wild sunflower species

Characterization of adaptation genes/haploblocks

Cannabis genetics and genomics

Use of wild relatives for crop improvement

Development of genomics techniques

 

 

Traboulsee Tony Neurology; Central nervous system; Biomedical signal processing; Machine learning; Imaging; magnetic resonance imaging; multiple sclerosis; neuromyelitls optica (NMO) 2023

Image analysis related:

- Brain and spinal cord MRI image analysis of conventional and advanced MRI sequences related to multiple sclerosis

- Involvement in multicentre repository of advanced MRI data for machine learning and other applications

Clinical sciences in multiple sclerosis and rare diseases (NMOSD, MOGAD)

- clinical and MRI studies on progression and... Read More

Tseng Michelle Population ecology; Community ecology (except invasive species ecology); Evolutionary impacts of climate change; Biological adaptation; Ecological impacts of climate change; Insect & plankton ecology; Community and evolutionary ecology; Community responses to warming 2023

I am accepting 1-2 students for fall 2023 to investigate (a) plankton responses to warming, (b)  relationships between tree traits and insect diversity, or (c) mosquito ecology and evolution in urban or arctic communities. Please email me for more information. Prospective students must be eligible to apply for external funding. More information about the lab can be found on our Botany or... Read More

Turvey Stuart Immunology; Microbiology; Asthma; Immune System; Immunodeficiencies; Microbiome cohort studies; Precision Medicine; Primary Immune Deficiencies Any time / year round

Genetics of Susceptibility to Childhood Infection Until very recently, clinical immunologists have focused most attention on patients with a ‘noisy clinical phenotype’—multiple, severe and recurrent infections. Indeed, the origin of primary immunodeficiencies is generally attributed to Bruton’s 1952 description of X-linked agammaglobulinemia in a boy whose repeated pneumococcal infections... Read More

Upham David Chester Chemical engineering; Energy Transformation and Energy Using; catalysis; Energy; Greenhouse gas mitigation Any time / year round

CO2-free conversion of greenhouse gases into chemicals, fuels, and products

 

I am looking for one postdoc to start on an industrially funded project approximetaly January 1 2021. 

 

I am also considering a highly qualified PhD student to work on liquid heterogeneous catalysis.

 

Please include the position you are applying to in your application.

Van de Panne Michiel Computer Science and Statistics; Computer Sciences and Mathematical Tools; Robotics and Automation; simulation of human movement; computer animation; Robotics; deep reinforcement learning; motor control; computer graphics Any time / year round

simulation of agile human motion, robotics, motion planning, sensorimotor control, dexterous manipulation, computer animation, machine learning, computer graphics, novel interfaces

Van Petegem Filip Biochemistry; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Genetic Diseases; Calcium signaling; Cardiac arrhythmia; electrical signaling; electrophysiology; Epilepsy; Ion channels; Structural Biology Any time / year round

1) Muscle excitation-contraction coupling: How does an electrical signal in a muscle cell get transmitted into contraction? We investigate the membrane proteins involved in this process (L-type calcium channels, Ryanodine Receptors), as well as the various proteins that modulate these channels. Projects include solving crystal and cryo-EM structures of these channels in complex with the... Read More

Van Raamsdonk Catherine Genetic medicine; Health counselling; cancer genetics; Developmental Genetics; Human Cancer Genetics; Melanocytes; Melanoma; Molecular Genetics; Mouse Genetics and Transgenesis; Oncogenesis; Pigmentation

Cancer cell metastasis. Neural crest cell development. Molecular analysis of melanocytes and melanoma cells from mouse models: transcriptomics, bioinformatics, proteomics. Primary cell culture, FACS, Immunohistochemistry/Immunofluorescence. Therapeutics and signaling pathways in melanoma.

Vedam Saraswathi Gestation / Parturition; Human Rights and Liberties, Collective Rights; Right and Access to Information; Home Care Services; Law and Health; Social Contract and Social Justice; Community Health / Public Health; Breast Feeding and Infant Nutrition; Family and Child Services; Home Birth; Place of Birth; Provider Attitudes; Respectful Maternity Care; Midwifery; Interprofessional relationships; Person-Centered Care; Patient Autonomy; Institutional Racism in Maternity Care; Maternal and Newborn Outcomes; Maternity care for diverse populations; Transdisciplinary engagement in health care; Mistreatment Any time / year round

Active analysis and knowledge translation projects: qualitative and quantitative data generated by participatory maternity care research: Changing Childbirth in BC, Giving Voice to Mothers - US (participatory research on experiences of maternity care and disparities), Access and Integration Maternity Care Mapping study (links between regulatory frameworks and disparities), Giving Voice to... Read More

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 Any time / year round

Metabolites directly reflect genetic, physiological, and environmental changes and can provide a reliable readout for therapeutic effectiveness. Pharmacometabolomics refers to the study of measuring metabolite changes in response to drug therapy. In the assessment of cancer, metabolites excreted from tumors can be measured by routine non-invasive sampling of plasma and urine. Projects in the... Read More

Victoriano Ramon Antonio Caribbean literatures; Latin American literatures; Contemporary literatures; Hispanic Caribbean Literatures and Cultures; Latin American Contemporary Novel and Short Story; Caribbean Literatures Any time / year round

Blackness in the Hispanic Caribbean.

Cultural History of Hispanic Caribbean printed media. 

Vincent Amanda Ecological applications, n.e.c.; Marine ecology (including marine ichthyology); Biodiversity; Natural environment sustainability studies; Natural resource management; Wildlife and habitat management; marine conservation; threatened marine species, especially seahorses and their relatives; bottom trawling and other nonselective fisheries; wildlife trade; marine protected areas; Small-scale fisheries; community-based conservation; citizen/community science; multilateral environmental agreements; . 2023
  • India: costs and benefits of trawl fisheries
  • Southeast Asia: emergence of biomass trawling
  • IndoPacific: ecology and conservation of seahorses
  • Mexico: seahorse biology, fisheries and trade
  • Global: CITES and marine conservation
  • and other projects compatible with my group's priority interests (see www.... Read More
Wachs Anthony Fluidization and fluid mechanics; Process control and simulation in chemical engineering; Numerical computation; Fluid mechanics; Particle-laden flows; Non Newtonian flows; Heat and mass transfer; Numerical simulation; High performance computing; Multi-scale modelling Any time / year round
  • Development of massively parallel codes for granular and particle-laden flow simulation
  • Multi-scale modeling of particle-laden flows
  • Shape effect in granular and particle-laden flows
  • Heat and mass transfer in fluidized beds
  • Blood flow and application to targeted drug delivery
Wang Fei Educational administration, management and leadership; Educational policy; Specialized studies in education; Educational administration and leadership; Leadership; the role of the school principals; social justice and diversity; comparative policy studies; Education and Training Management; Ideology and Social Policy; Social Contract and Social Justice; Offshore school and its leadership Any time / year round

My research lies in the areas of educational leadership and administration, social justice and diversity, “subversive” leadership, leadership in cross-cultural settings, and educational policy studies. I explore how principals negotiate policies and practices that they consider socially unjust to students and how they “creatively” cope with conflicts between moral and ethical obligations and... Read More

Wasserman Wyeth Medical, health and life sciences; Medical and biomedical engineering; Creation of computational methods for the analysis of genome sequences (bioinformatics); Study of cis-regulatory elements controlling gene transcription; Applied analyses of genome sequences (genomics); Indigenous genomics Any time / year round

Gene Regulation

Amongst the most important challenges of this era of life science research is understanding the regulation of gene expression, a process that allows an incredible diversity of cells to be produced from the same genome sequence. During development and across physiological conditions, a set of proteins, called Transcription Factors (TFs), interact with the... Read More

Wasteneys Geoff Plant biology; Cell signaling; Hormones and Growth Factors; Molecular Genetics; Cellulose Biosynthesis; Microtubule Dynamics and Organization; Plant Cell Walls in Cell Shape and Tissue Function; Plant Growth and Development; Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress; Trafficking of Membrane Receptors and Transporters Any time / year round
  1. Coordination of Microtubule Assembly Dynamics by the Microtubule Polymerase MOR1 and the ARK Catastrophe Factors
  2. The Function of the GPI-anchored Protein COBRA in Plant Cell Wall Construction and Modification
  3. Hormone Signalling and Microtubule Array Organization During Meristem Development
  4. The Function of Microtubule Dynamics in Plant Resilience to Environmental... Read More
Webb P. Taylor Education systems; Philosophy; Education governance and education politics; Michel Foucault; Gilles Deleuze; Neoliberalism; Governmentality; Micropolitics; Biopolitics; Subjectivity 2023
  • Globalisation and inter-national policy influence (e.g., International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Bank, etc.);
  • Neoliberal education governance (e.g., homo economicus, financializations), and advanced-liberal education policy (populist... Read More
Weber Alexander Neurocognitive patterns and neural networks; Central nervous system; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); Quantitative MRI; Brain Disorders; resting state functional MRI; myelin water imaging; Arterial Spin Labelling; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Fractal based analysis; Concussion; Diagnostic Imaging; Epilepsy; Seizures; Traumatic Brain Injury; open science; Biomedical Engineering; Rett Syndrome Any time / year round

Neonatal Brain Imaging

Rett Syndrome

Fractal Analysis of fMRI Signals

Cerebrovascular Health

Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Oxygen (CMRO2) Mapping by Combining Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and Quantitative Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent Imaging (qBOLD)

Concussions / Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries

Using Advanced MRI Techniques FLAIR2 and QSM... Read More

Wei Juncheng Differential equations and integral equations in pure mathematics; Partial and ordinary differential equations; Mathematics; Geometric analysis; Mathematical biology; Nonlinear partial differential equations; reaction-diffusion systems; singular perturbations and concentration phenomena; singularity formations in fluids; Nonlinear Analysis Any time / year round

De Giorgi conjectures, fractional equations, blow-ups in nonlinear parabolic and elliptic equations

Weidberg Hilla Other basic medicine and life sciences; Cell Biology; Genetics; Biochemistry; molecular biology; Organelle biology; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial stress; Protein quality control; Metabolism; Neurodegenerative diseases Any time / year round

 

 

Weijs Steven Civil engineering; Water; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Drinking Water; Fresh Water; Information; Hydroelectricity; Ice and Snow; control of water systems; droughts; experimental hydrology; floods; Hydrological Prediction; Hydrology; information theory; mountain hydrology; sensors; uncertainty; water resources management Any time / year round

Projects regarding new measurement techniques for catchment hydrology
Projects working on uncertainty analysis / quantification for hydrological prediction
Projects on optimal monitoring network layout / optimal expermental design
Projects on applications of information theory in hydrology and water resources

West Christopher Systems physiology; Animal physiology, circulation; Integrative physiology; Spinal cord injury; Animal models 2023

Sympathetic control of the circulation (Basic NSERC-funded stream)

Interventions to promote beneficial spinal plasticity following spinal cord injury (Health stream)

Acute hemodynamic management of spinal cord injury

Williams Ben Topology; Algebra; Algebraic topology; Motivic homotopy theory; A1 homotopy theory

The A1- and classical homotopy theory of algebraic groups, and their applications to algebra.

Pages