Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics - Mathematical Biology

Welcome to the website for the Mathematical Biology Group at UBC. We do interdisciplinary research applying mathematics in a wide range of biological fields including immunology, epidemiology, cell biology, electrophysiology, ecology, game theory and evolution. Our group, consisting of eight core faculty, many affiliated faculty in mathematics and elsewhere, and a good number of postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, is one of the best-established and largest in the field. We recruit from many different backgrounds, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, bioinformatics, engineering and the biological sciences. We often supervise undergraduate thesis projects (for instance, from the Biophysics and Integrated Science programs) and take on summer research undergraduate students.

Admission to a doctoral program normally requires the applicant to hold a Master's degree in Mathematics or an equivalent qualification. Thus, most recent Bachelor's graduates, including those who seek a doctorate, are admitted to a Master's program at first.University regulations allow students without a Master's degree (or equivalent) to enter the Ph.D. program directly only if they are nominated by a Department and hold a Bachelor's degree with First Class honours, or hold a Bachelor's degree and have completed one year of study in a Master's program, earning at least 12 credits with at least 9 credits of first class standing and at least 9 credits at the 500-level or above, and show clear evidence of research ability. (Transfer directly into a Doctoral program is not permitted after the completion of the second year of a Master's program.)Students who earn a Master's degree at UBC are not guaranteed a place in our PhD program. A formal application for PhD studies is required. Students with a satisfied Master's supervisor, a source of financial support, and a willing doctoral supervisor (all of whom may be the same faculty member) have a high probability of success.The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B plus range (76% at UBC).