Earth and related environmental sciences

Atmospheric scientists use principles of classical physics to study, explain, and predict atmospheric behavior on scales ranging from turbulent eddies through storm clouds to earth’s global circulation. We are motivated by weather-related big societal issues including climate change, air quality,...

Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD)

Our program delivers an interdisciplinary experience, combining principles of geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology and geology, to provide a versatile set of skills needed to solve a wide range of practical problems related to engineering interactions with the earth environment. Faculty members...

Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)

Geologists study the materials that make up the earth, the features and structures found on Earth as well as the processes by which these features and structures formed. Our department has a wide range of expertise in geological sciences, including field-based studies (e.g., mineral deposit...

Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)

Theoretically, experimentally, and observationally oriented Master of Science (M.Sc.), Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs are offered in a number of key areas of geophysics. Current interests include topics in observational and theoretical glaciology;...

Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)

Oceanographers investigate both fundamental and applied problems relating to the physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and geology of the sea, often working across traditional academic disciplines. Research carried out both independently and in collaboration with federal government laboratories...

Doctor of Philosophy in Oceans and Fisheries (PhD)

The Program is full-time, consisting of courses and research, designed to train marine and freshwater scientists in basic and applied research that will help foster healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems and sustainable resource use. The Program draws on the broad and extensive expertise of...

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)

The Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is a problem-focused and curiosity-driven interdisciplinary research institute and graduate program, with interest and expertise in a wide range of topics under the realm of environment...

Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD)

A collaboration between the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and Faculty of Forestry, the inter-faculty Soil Science Graduate Program offers opportunities for advanced study and research leading to MSc and PhD degrees. Students are registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies through either the...

Master of Applied Science in Geological Engineering (MASc)

Master of Applied Science in Geophysics (MASc)

Master of Arts in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (MA)

Master of Engineering in Geological Engineering (MEng)

The MEng program is a course-based Masters set up to provide students with a professional development experience that exposes them to new tools in Geological Engineering with an emphasis on the need to recognize and manage geological variability, uncertainty, and geo-risk in engineering design. The...

Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM)

The Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM) is a new 9-month, course-based master’s program that provides the geospatial skills and landscape ecology context required to tackle pressing environmental issues. It is a 9-month program which begins in August with a 3-week intensive and...

Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS)

Land and water are essential resources required to sustain human needs, including food security, maintenance of environmental goods and services, and all forms of useable energy. Managing land and water as an integrated system provides a framework to aid society to achieve the goals of an improved...

Master of Science in Atmospheric Science (MSc)

We engage in fundamental research in atmospheric science, both independently and in cooperation with federal and provincial laboratories and other research groups around the world. The emphasis of the research is on studies of processes and developing physical understanding of the atmosphere. The...

Master of Science in Geological Sciences (MSc)

Master of Science in Geophysics (MSc)

Master of Science in Oceanography (MSc)

Master of Science in Oceans and Fisheries (MSc)

The Program is designed to train marine and freshwater scientists to undertake basic and applied research that will help foster healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems and sustainable resource use. Students broaden their interdisciplinary expertise and acquire professional experience in areas...

Master of Science in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (MSc)

Master of Science in Soil Science (MSc)

A collaboration between the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and Faculty of Forestry, the inter-faculty Soil Science Graduate Program offers opportunities for advanced study and research leading to MSc and PhD degrees. Areas of study include biometeorology, forest nutrition and nutrient cycling,...

UBC Researchers conducting research in Earth and related environmental sciences

A

Adams, David

Faculty of Arts

Postdoctoral Fellow

Geomorphology; Fluvial geomorphology; Fluvial hydraulics; Debris flows

Allen, Susan

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric sciences; Oceanography; coastal oceanography; coupled bio-physics and chem-physics and all three models; forecast models; Oceans and Inland Waters; physical oceanography; Prediction and Climatic Modeling

Ameli, Ali

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Geology; Applied Hydro-geochemistry; Climate Changes and Impacts; Environmental Tracer; Ground Water and Water Tables; Groundwater Ecohydrology; Groundwater-Surfacewater & land Interaction; Hydro-geological Engineering; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Numerical analysis; Watershed Management

B

Barrett, Natasha

Faculty of Science

Postdoctoral Fellow

Igneous petrology; Geochronology; Planetary geology; Economic geology; Metamorphic petrology; Tectonics; Geology; Igneous Petrology; Isotope geochemistry; Planetary Science; Platinum group metals (PGMs); mass spectrometry; Thermodynamic Modeling; LA-ICP-MS; TIMS; economic geology; Olivine chemistry; Subduction systems; Xenoliths; Ophiolites; Mafic-ultramafic cumulates; Mantle peridotites; Lunar anorthosite mapping; Mafic Granulites; Zircon U–Pb, Lu–Hf; Re–Os system; Oxygen isotopes

Beck, Sara

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural environment sciences; Water quality; Innovative water treatment solutions; Ultraviolet disinfection mechanisms; Applications of UV LEDs (light emitting diodes); Water disinfection; Water reuse; Applied environmental microbiology

Beckie, Roger

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Other environmental engineering and related engineering; Hydrogeology; Mine drainage; physical hydrogeology; groundwater geochemistry; groundwater contamination

Bertram, Allan

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric sciences; Chemical sciences; Atmosphere (Including Chemical Aspects); Physical and analytical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols

Bradbury, Hal

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Chemical oceanography; Ocean biogeochemistry; Marine geology; Isotope geochemistry; Biogeochemistry; Paleoceanography; Chemical Oceanography; Reactive Transport Modelling; Carbon cycle; Marine Sedimentary Environments; Early Diagenesis; Biogeochemical Cycles

C

Cardinal-McTeague, Warren

Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Earth and related environmental sciences; Forestry sciences; plant biodiversity; Indigenous environmental management and food systems; monitoring of ecosystem health and function

Chan, Kai

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural environment sciences; Human Ecology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Social and Cultural Factors of Environmental Protection; Applied Ethics; Values and Lifestyles; Sustainable Development; conservation finance; Conservation science; cultural ecosystem services; Ecosystem services; environmental assessment; environmental values; incentive programs; payments for ecosystem services; resilience; social-ecological systems; sustainability science

Cornelis, Jean Thomas

Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Earth and related environmental sciences; Pedology; Biogeochemistry; Soil-Plant Interactions

d

d'Arcy, Mitch

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Earth and related environmental sciences; Geomorphology; Climate/palaeoclimate; Sedimentology; Geochronology; remote sensing

D

Dee, Derek

Food, Nutrition & Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Environment and natural resources economics; Food sciences (including food engineering); Natural resource management; Agri-food Transformation Products; aspartic proteases; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Biophysics; Enzymes and Proteins; food chemistry; food proteins; funtional amyloid; meat analogues; Nanomaterials; Nutriceuticals and Functional Foods; prions; protein aggregation; protein engineering; Protein Folding; protein nanofibrils; Proteins; psychrophilic enzymes

Donner, Simon

Department of Geography, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

E

Eskelson, Bianca

Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural resource management; Forest Biometrics; Forest Modelling; Disturbance Effects; Management Effects

Everhart, Avery

Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

G

Giang, Amanda

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

Groat, Lee

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Mineralogy and crystallography (except soil mineralogy and chemicals aspects of crystallography); Inorganic geochemistry; Economic geology; mineralogy; crystal chemistry; Geochemistry; economic geology; gem deposits; pegmatites

H

Hassan, Marwan

Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Other physical sciences, n.e.c.; Earth and related environmental sciences; Geological and Geomorphological Processes; Channel Stability,; Fluvial geomorphology; Landscape evolution; Sediment transport; Surface hydrology

Heagy, Lindsey

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Geoelectrics and geoelectromagnetics; Magnetism and paleomagnetism; Gravimetry; Environmental monitoring; Numerical computation; Machine learning; Geophysics; Inverse theory; data science; Machine Learning; Electromagnetics; Carbon sequestration; Groundwater; Environmental geophysics; Resource exploration

Hunt, Brian

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Marine ecology (including marine ichthyology); Biological oceanography; Biodiversity; Ecosystem function; Ecological impacts of climate change; Community ecology (except invasive species ecology); marine food webs; ecosystem oceanography; plankton dynamics; open ocean; Coastal Ecosystems; climate change impacts on the ocean; salmon ecology; food web nutrition; microplastics; stable isotopes; forage fish; zooplankton; Urban oceans; Thiamine defficiency; Stormwater

J

Johnson, Mark

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Geology; Natural environment sciences; Agriculture; Biogeochemistry; Carbon cycle; Climate Changes and Impacts; data science; Ecohydrology; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Fresh Water; Ground Water and Water Tables; Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs; Land and Soil; land use; Running Water Hydrosystem; Water and Sustainability

K

Kandlikar, Milind

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Climate change impacts and adaptation; Product life cycle; Environmental policy; Research, science and technology policy; Environmental impacts; Air Quality and Climate Change; Technological Risk; Technology and Development

Kremen, Claire

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural environment sciences; Zoology; agroecological farming systems; Reconciliation of agricultural land use with biodiversity conservation; sustainable landscapes

Krzic, Maja

Applied Biology, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Soil sciences; Soil health; Soil management; Soil science education

L

Laval, Bernard

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Civil engineering; Oceanography

Lerner, Jackie

Faculty of Science

Faculty (non-G+PS member)

Environmental impact assessment; Land use and environmental planning; cumulative effects assessment; gender-based analysis

Lukes, Laura

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Earth and related environmental sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences; Education; Geoscience Education Research (Discipline-Based Education Research); Self-regulated Learning; field-based experiential learning; learning in informal settings (e.g., museums, parks, science centers); crowdsourced and citizen science; teacher beliefs; motivation, emotion, and beliefs in learning; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM; learning engineering

M

Mayer, Ulrich

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Geology; groundwater contamination; groundwater remediation; hydrogeology; low-temperature geochemistry; mine waste management

McDougall, Scott

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Other earth and related environmental sciences, n.e.c.; Geotechnical engineering; Debris flows / floods; Geohazards; Landslide-generated waves; Landslides; Natural and man-made geological hazards; Rock avalanches; Shoreline erosion; Tailings dam breaches

Michaletz, Sean

Department of Botany, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Plant physiological ecology; Plant biology; Surface processes; Natural hazards; Ecophysiology; Ecosystem ecology; climate change; macroecology; Geophysics; Scaling; Fire

Moore, Alex

Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, Department of Botany, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Community ecology (except invasive species ecology); Plant-animal interactions; Global change biology; Ecological restoration (except bioremediation); Applied community and ecosystem ecology; impact of predator-prey interactions on the health and functioning of coastal wetland ecosystems; role of cultural values and knowledge in ecosystem restoration conservation; Global change impacts on coastal environments

O

Oberg, Gunilla

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

History and philosophy of science (including non-historical philosophy of science); Other earth and related environmental sciences, n.e.c.; Indigenous peoples environmental knowledge; All other social sciences, n.e.c.; Science and knowledge production; Scientific controversies surrounding the evaluation of chemical risk (epistemic and ontological); Indigenous data justice as related to chemicals regulation & management; Social and cultural factors of chemicals regulation & management; Vocabulary, Knowledge, Significance and Thought Building; environmental health; The challenge of teaching science as a process and not a deliverer of irrefutable facts; The role of deliberation in science

Orsi, Anais

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric measurement techniques; Physics of snow and ice; Cryosphere processes, n.e.c.; Isotope geochemistry; Geochronology; Environmental geochemistry; Quantitative methods for environmental sciences; Earth system sciences; Climate change impacts and adaptation; climate change; Polar climate; Data analysis, inverse modeling; Paleoclimate

P

Park, Keun

Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Smart city design and development and related analysis; Landscape studies (except architecture); Urban design and studies; Geographic information system (GIS and GPS) applications; Land transportation systems engineering, n.e.c.; Design of healthy, just, and resilient cities through urban nature; Environmental justice; Human behaviour; Landscape planning; Public health; urban design; urban forestry; Urban planning

Pratap-Singh, Anubhav

Food, Nutrition & Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Environment and natural resources economics; Food sciences (including food engineering); Natural resource management; Agri-food Transformation Products; cold plasma; food engineering; food processing; Functional Foods; heat transfer; high pressure; mass transfer; novel non-thermal processing; Nutriceuticals and Functional Foods; pasteurization; pulsed light; sterilization

R

Radic, Valentina

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric sciences; Geophysics; Climate Changes and Impacts; Climate Science; Glaciology; Meteorology

Ramankutty, Navin

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Faculty of Arts

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural environment sciences; Public administration; Public policy; Public security policy; Agriculture; Climate Changes and Impacts; Climate impacts; Environment and Society; Global food security; Land use change; Sustainable agriculture

S

Schoof, Christian

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

Scoates, James

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Igneous petrology; Geochronology; Economic geology; magmatic evolution; layered intrusions; flood basalts; large igneous provinces; Proterozoic anorthosites; magmatic ore deposits

Stull, Roland

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

Sunderland, Terence

Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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

Suttle, Curtis

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Botany, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Bioinformatics; Fisheries sciences; Immunology; Microbiology; Oceanography; Plant biology; Biological Oceanography; Environmental Virology; Marine Environment; Marine Microbiology; Microbial Diversity; Phage; Viral Discovery; Viruses

T

Tu, Qingshi

Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Forestry biomass and bioproducts; Earth and related environmental sciences; Systems engineering; Environmental engineering; Biomass (Energy); Sustainable Development; Modelization and Simulation; Biofuels and bioproducts; climate change; Computational modeling; Forest biorefineries; Industrial ecology; Life cycle assessment; Sustainable bioeconomy; Machine Learning

V

Vincent, Amanda

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

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; .

W

Waterman, Stephanie

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric sciences; Oceanography; Arctic oceanography; geophysical fluid dynamics; Jets, eddies & scale interactions; Ocean dynamics; Oceanic processes; Scale interactions; Southern ocean dynamics; Western boundary current jets

Weis, Dominique

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Isotope geochemistry; Environmental geochemistry; Earth Structure and Composition; Geodynamics; Chemical Pollutants; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; High-precision/sensitivity geochemical analyses; Indigenous studies; Oceanic islands and mantle plumes

White, Rachel

Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics; Climate modelling; Atmospheric dynamics; climate change; Extreme weather events; Climate impacts

Whiting, Brian

Faculty of Arts

Faculty (non-G+PS member)

Anthropology, n.e.c.; Geophysics, n.e.c.; Archaeology; Geophysics; GIS; Indigenous studies; Geoscience

Z

Zhao, Jiaying

Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science

Faculty (G+PS eligible/member)

Natural environment sciences; Psychology and cognitive sciences

Student & Alumni Stories in Earth and related environmental sciences