Our research strengths and capacity on both campuses span engineering, materials and digital technologies, health and biotechnology, natural resources, and public policy and democracy. Through these domains, UBC research can help develop defence and dual-use technologies, as well as the policies and institutions that underpin a resilient society.
Autonomous & Aerial Systems
UBC's research teams and partners specialize in innovating and developing all elements of the rapidly evolving aerial domain—from rapid prototyping to AI system development to advanced software and hardware testing and deployment.
How we can work together
Our researchers have specific expertise in counter-drone defence, autonomous mesh networks and airborne sensing. UBC boasts a wide array of research capabilities, including the development of antennae for wireless communication and sensing, intelligent control and sensor fusion for uncrewed systems, advanced materials and developing tools for infrastructure digitalization (digital twins) and remote sensing data analytics.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Aerospace · Digital Systems · Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems · In-Service Support
UBC research capacity in action
- Marine, Aerospace & Subsea Innovation (MASI)
- UBC STAR - Collaboration Facility
- Airborne Sensing laboratory (ASL)
- Radio Science Lab (RSL)
- Customizable drone solutions improve climate resiliency against flooding (CLEAR)
- Seaspan ULC Chair in Robotics for Marine Vessels
- TerraSense and UBC collaboration propelling artificial intelligence to new heights
- Campus as a Living 5G Lab - Canada's First 5G Drone
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Arctic Operations
UBC’s Arctic research spans infrastructure resilience, community-driven climate adaptation, and technology solutions in harsh environments. This includes shipping and maritime engineering, sustainable energy systems, data security and human health solutions for remote communities
How we can work together
UBC researchers have extensive expertise in secure data communication strategies, development of ice-detection-enabled radar and surveillance systems, polar climate modelling and climate reconstruction, anthropogenic warning prediction systems, as well as resilient infrastructure.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Sensors · Space · Digital Systems · Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems · In-Service Support
UBC research capacity in action
- Marine, Aerospace & Subsea Innovation (MASI)
- UBC Radio Science Lab (RSL)
- OMEGA Lab (Okanagan Microelectronics and Gigahertz Applications), UBC Okanagan
- Arctic Research and Development
- Wireless INtegration (WIN) Program
- Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC)
- Climate Change Health Effects, Adaptation, and ResiLience (HEAL)
- Battery Innovation Research Excellence Cluster
- TerraSense and UBC collaboration propelling artificial intelligence to new heights
- Sodium Battery Systems Built for Extreme Temperature Environments (Narval Energy)
- UBC Engineering researchers hope to prevent catastrophes with next-generation sensors
- Trusted and Secure Air to Sea Communication System (TKMS CDDE Pilot)
- Campus as a Living 5G Lab - Canada's First 5G Drone
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Biodefence & Health Security
UBC is a national hub for translational bioengineering that directly supports priorities around pandemic preparedness and rapid biodefence.
How we can work together
Our researchers explore vaccine and antibody biomanufacturing, point-of-care diagnostics and biosensors, wearable human-performance monitoring, advanced prosthetics and neural interfaces for rehabilitation, antimicrobial resistance, concussion research, and trauma/critical-care research for battlefield medicine.
UBC hosts Canada's Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub, which advances next-generation immune-based therapeutics, biomanufacturing capabilities and medical countermeasure readiness to strengthen Canada’s health security. UBC is also home to Canada’s first purpose-built school for biomedical engineering. UBC researchers are advancing platforms for next-generation vaccines and therapeutics to address emerging infectious diseases and illnesses related to environmental disturbances. This includes a reputation as a Canadian centre for mRNA platform development.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
In-Service Support · Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems · Training and Simulation · Sensors · Specialized Manufacturing
UBC research capacity in action
- Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing Facility (ATMF)
- Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub
- RNA and Formulation Core (RFC)
- Advanced Manufacturing Processes Laboratory (AMP)
- PROGENITER
- AVENGER
- UBC Advanced Nanofabrication Facility (ANF)
- Development and supply-chain capacity for next-gen biothreat detection technologies
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Marine & Subsea Systems
Across the surface and subsea marine domain, UBC's research teams and partners are at work. Our marine transportation and shipbuilding research is notable for integrating theoretical innovation with applied test platforms and interdisciplinary collaboration.
How we can work together
UBC is cultivating capability and leadership in marine sector advancements—vital to both industrial and national strategic imperatives. We're advancing clean vessel design, ship system optimization, polar ice-breaker design, net-zero marine vessels, digital transformation of marine industries, sensing, marine robotics and underwater drones, intelligent control and sensor fusion for uncrewed systems, communication systems, and structural modeling and ship building process optimization.
UBC is the only Canadian institution approved by the Royal Canadian Navy for officer training in naval architecture and marine engineering.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
In-Service Support · Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems · Training and Simulation · Sensors · Specialized Manufacturing
UBC research capacity in action
- Marine, Aerospace & Subsea Innovation (MASI)
- Seaspan ULC Chair in Robotics for Marine Vessels
- Pacific Rim Initiative for Sustainable Marine Systems (PRISMS)
- Rosenblatt Professorship in Marine Engineering
- Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME)
- Intelligent and Green Marine Vessels Research Program
- Computational Multiphysics Lab Digital Twins for Marine Vessels
- Trusted and Secure Air to Sea Communication System (TKMS CDDE Pilot)
Partner with UBC
Cybersecurity & AI
UBC researchers are advancing artificial intelligence and its applications in responsible ways across a variety of domains.
How we can work together
UBC faculty have a range of world-leading expertise in AI foundations and applications, including game theory, probabilistic programming, reinforcement learning, natural language processing, machine learning optimization, quantum machine learning, security and privacy, systems for AI, robotics, computer vision, persuasive and trustworthy AI, human-computer interaction and more.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Digital Systems · Sensors · Specialized Manufacturing · In-Service Support
UBC research capacity in action
- Centre for AI Decision-making and Action (CAIDA)
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS)
- Dependable Systems Lab (DSL)
- UBC Security and Privacy Group (SPG)
- UBC Advanced Nanofabrication Facility (ANF)
- Intelligent Sensing, Diagnostics and Prognostics Research Lab (ISDPRL), UBC Okanagan
- Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions
- TerraSense and UBC collaboration propelling artificial intelligence to new heights
- UBC Engineering researchers hope to prevent catastrophes with next-generation sensors
- Trusted and Secure Air to Sea Communication System (TKMS CDDE Pilot)
Partner with UBC
Advanced Manufacturing & Materials
UBC maintains broad, multidisciplinary strengths in advanced materials and manufacturing, such as lightweight and high-strength composites, polymer chemistry, additive and digital manufacturing for rapid part production, corrosion-resistant coatings, electro-magnetic shielding and scalable manufacturing processes that improve supply-chain resilience and sovereignty.
How we can work together
UBC materials and manufacturing research has the potential to extend equipment life in marine and harsh environments and to defend electronics from electromagnetic interference. UBC researchers also have extensive expertise in light, hydrophobic, ice-phobic composite materials, enabling a new generation of light-weight and resilient UAVs.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Specialized Manufacturing · Aerospace · Digital Systems
UBC research capacity in action
- Composites Research Network
- Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Labs, UBC Okanagan
- Asymmetric Last Line (ALL)
- Marine, Aerospace & Subsea Innovation (MASI)
- Composites Knowledge Network (CKN)
- AMPEL High Head Laboratory
- Advanced Manufacturing Processes Laboratory (AMP)
- UBC Advanced Nanofabrication Facility (ANF)
- Machining of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP)
- UBC & Canmora Vacuum Electron-Beam AM Platform Build
- Tool-Chip Interaction in the Machining of Advanced Metal Alloys
- Quantum Manufacturing Infrastructure for Innovation and Defence Readiness
- UBC Engineering researchers hope to prevent catastrophes with next-generation sensors
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Critical Minerals
The province of BC hosts more than 1,000 mining, junior mining and mineral exploration companies and several organizations working towards responsible mineral resource utilization. UBC has built deep relationships, across this provincial sector, and with national and international partners over the last century.
How we can work together
UBC’s research in critical minerals and mining ranges from mine economics to ore body knowledge, safe mining and reliable production, mineral processing and recovery and water, closure and reclamation to social performance and Indigenous engagement. UBCs interdisciplinary and internationally recognized expertise, infrastructure and capacity include mineral and materials engineering, applied earth sciences, mine heat recovery and sustainable energy systems, synthetic biology, genomics, bioinformatics and advanced computing and understanding the social, economic and legal aspects of the resource sector.
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Specialized Manufacturing · Aerospace · Digital Systems
UBC research capacity in action
- Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM)
- Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials
- Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU)
- Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI)
- The Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering
- The Hydrometallurgy Group
- Electron Microbeam/X-ray Diffraction Facility (EMXDF)
- Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research (PCIGR)
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)
- Geophysical Inversion Facility
- UBC BioBank: sample hub for the Mining Microbiome Analytics Platform
- Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC)
- Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element REsearch (FiLTER)
- International Caving Research Network (ICaRN)
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Quantum
Quantum research at the University of British Columbia (UBC) spans quantum computing, quantum materials, quantum sensing, quantum photonics, optoelectronics and secure communications.
How we can work together
UBC researchers combine theoretical and computational modelling with advanced materials synthesis, characterization, and device development to discover and engineer materials with properties suited to emerging technologies. These capabilities support advances in highly sensitive sensors, secure communication systems, and next-generation computing and electronics.
One example is UBC's collaboration with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), an international scientific effort to detect gravitational waves. UBC researchers are developing and evaluating advanced thin-film mirror coatings designed to reduce thermal noise and improve the sensitivity of future gravitational-wave detectors. This work demonstrates UBC's ability to combine materials theory, precision fabrication, and advanced measurement techniques to address exceptionally demanding scientific and technological challenges.
UBC research capacity in action
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (Blusson QMI)
- UBC Advanced Nanofabrication Facility (ANF)
- Quantum Manufacturing Infrastructure for Innovation and Defence Readiness
Advancing Canada’s key sovereign capabilities
Digital Systems · Sensors
Partner with UBC
Democratic Resilience
UBC researchers have developed rich findings and policy advice about how our rapidly changing information ecosystem is affecting democracy. This has included interdisciplinary work on online harassment, information integrity, and media.
How we can work together
Scholars have conducted broad examinations of how to regulate online platforms, social media, and generative artificial intelligence in Canada and globally as well as the risks of artificial intelligence technologies for Canada’s elections and the constitutional rights of Canadian citizens. Beyond questions around information, UBC researchers are examining human security and sovereignty in an unstable contemporary geopolitical context.
UBC research capacity in action
- Sovereignty in a Fractious Age Research Excellence Cluster
- Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions
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