About UBC Science

Home to science at one of the world's top-ranked public universities

Ranked among the world’s top 40 universities, UBC research prowess in environmental science, math, physics, plant and animal science, computer science, oceanography, geology and biology is consistently rated best in Canada by international and national rankings.

A North American leader in transforming science and technology education

UBC Science is a key incubator of educational innovations at UBC and beyond. Led by the Faculty's teaching and learning initiatives, we've transformed more than 200 science courses, improving the classroom experience of 16,000 UBC undergraduates every year.

Committed to research excellence within, and across, disciplines

Our faculty conduct top-tier research in the life, physical, earth and computational sciences, helping to build our understanding of natural laws—driving insights into sustainability, biodiversity, human health, new materials, probability, AI, exoplanets and beyond.

UBC Science Directory

Visit our campus and connect with our people! UBC Science is home to a wide range of top-tier departments and units, and a leadership team committed to advancing excellence, collaboration and inclusion across the Faculty.

A record of engaged innovation

2020
AbCellera, co-founded by UBC researcher Carl Hansen, undertakes the largest initial public stock offering in Canadian biotechnology history.

2010
UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Centre opens--a $50 million complex housing some of the best biodiversity researchers in the world, and a two-million specimen natural history collection.

2007
Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman joins UBC to lead the Faculty’s efforts to improve undergraduate science education. The initiative goes on to transform more than 200 courses.

2003
Canada's first space telescope, the Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars telescope, is built by a team led by UBC astronomer Jaymie Matthews.

2000
UBC spin out QLT begins sales of Visudyne—based on the work of chemist David Dolphin and immunologist Julia Levy. The drug saves the vision of at least 500,000 people.

1987

UBC IT manager John Demco conceives the dot-ca domain and oversees registrations until 2000.

1976

Vortek—UBC’s first spin off company—is founded by UBC physicists.

1962

UBC's Neil Bartlett demonstrates the first reaction of a noble gas—key to our understanding of chemical bonds.

More Historic Milestones

UBC Science at a glance

10,023 undergraduate students

2,261 international undergrads

149 Indigenous undergrads

1,692 undergrad degrees conferred

3,381 annual co-op placements

1,715 graduate students

497 faculty and 647 staff

$176 million annual budget

50,000+ alumni

$116 million annual research funding across 1,411 projects

$32 million annual industry and non-profit funding

2 Nobel Laureates

3 Canada Excellence Research Chairs

75 spin-off companies

6 industrial research training programs

UBC Science