Conducting research and obtaining external funding often requires access to advanced infrastructure. UBC researchers can access shared research platforms, offered in partnership by the VPRI and various departments, or other shared research facilities.
Shared research platforms and facilities at UBC offer access to a variety of core facilities and tools including cutting-edge instruments, advanced technologies, and data processing and analysis.
Need to identify or locate a facility or service? Want to understand the capability of a specific instrument? Experts and research managers in the facilities listed below can provide the help you need.
For more information on shared research facilities at UBC or to enquire about listing your facility, please contact research.innovation@ubc.ca
For a list of Shared Research Platforms available specifically on the Okanagan Campus, please visit here.
For an inventory of CFI-Funded infrastructure available for use by researchers from UBC sites, other institutions, non-profits and industry, please visit the Database here.
UBC Shared platforms
Shared Research Platforms are facilities funded jointly by VPRI and Faculties and departments for the purpose of offering specialized research services to the UBC and external research community.
Research in greenhouses
and field plots
Plant Care Services offers coordinated access and services to two research greenhouses and field locations.
One greenhouse is located on the main campus at West Mall and Stores Road. The second greenhouse is on South Campus, near the Botanical Garden’s nursery at 3929 Wesbrook Mall.
Field services will be available at the Totem station on West Mall and near the South Campus greenhouse.
Contact Taylor Scriber for initial help to work in greenhouses or field locations.
RESEARCH WITH ANIMALS
The Animal Care and Use Program ensures humane animal care and researcher compliance to the mandatory guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. This university-wide program covers ethics approval, animal care and housing, breeding, veterinary care, facilities management, training and specialized procedures.
Contact Suzanne Richardson for ethical reviews.
View the Animal Care website resource for planning your research.
COMPUTING SERVICES FOR BIG DATA
Advanced Research Computing (ARC) offers free services to help researchers with computational needs that standard computing infrastructure cannot handle. Services include consultation for project planning, experimental design, data analysis, grant proposals, and access to high performance computing and data management infrastructure.
Initial contact information: arc.support@ubc.ca
Location: Gerald McGavin Building, 112A – 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
SEQUENCING AND BIOINFORMATICS
The Sequencing and Bioinformatics Consortium offers reagents and supplies, consultations, training and access to sequencing services (project planning, experimental design, sample and library preparation, sequencing and genotyping) and support in analyzing and understanding results. Next-Gen or high-throughput sequencing is executed using Illumina technology for genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling while Sanger sequencing is offered for small projects requiring long reads and genotyping for determining unique features of an individual’s DNA sequences.
Initial contact: Diane Miller
Location: Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, 3124 – 2405 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
finder: containment level 3 facility
The Facility for Infectious Disease and Epidemic Research (FINDER) at UBC Vancouver: a shared research platform for Containment Level 3 scientific experiments.
Contact: Bintou Ahidjo
Upright Open MRI
The Shared Platform in Upright Open MRI Research is a full-service facility for translational MRI research.
Our Upright Open MRI scanner is different from conventional MRI scanners as it allows the body to be imaged upright, in weight-bearing, and in a wide range of postures.
We welcome researchers new to or experienced with MRI. Our team of experts are here to support clinician-researchers and other researchers new to MRI to enable them to undertake research with this unique scanner.
Initial contact information: Amy Phillips
Location: Leon Judah Blackmore Pavilion, 899 W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
PACIFIC CENTRE FOR ISOTOPIC AND GEOCHEMICAL RESEARCH (PCIGR)
The Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research (PCIGR) is a shared research platform dedicated to excellence and innovation in geochemistry, providing analytical services to the research community.
PCGR provides end-to-end service for your research needs in the fields of geology, oceanography, environmental sciences, biology, engineering, and archaeology and is always interested in supporting research in new directions.
Initial contact information:
Director: Dominique Weis
Facility Manager: Corey Wall
UBC Bioimaging facility
The UBC Bioimaging Facility provides microscopy access, training and service to researchers across and beyond UBC.
- Optical microscope infrastructure for light/fluorescence, confocal, multi-photon,and live-cell imaging.
- Electron microscopy infrastructure and advanced sample preparation including cryo-preparation for electron microscopy, routine SEM and TEM, Cryo-SEM, Cryo-TEM, TEM tomography, Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM), and CryoFIB-SEM.
- Training and technical support for users from diverse research disciplines from life sciences to material sciences.
Initial contact information:
Research Manager: Miki Fujita
OTHER SHARED FACILITIES
Shared Facilities are available for use by UBC faculty. They are not affiliated with the VPRI.
BC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL –
CORE FACILITIES
IMAGING FOR MATERIALS AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
MASS SPECTOMETRY AND PROTEOMICS SERVICES
GREENING YOUR LAB
CLEAN ROOM FOR MICRO AND NANO ELECTRONICS
STATISTICAL SUPPORT FOR BIOLOGICAL,
GENOMIC AND HEALTH SCIENCES
MOLECULAR AND ADVANCED PATHOLOGY SERVICES (MAPcore)
HIGH RESOLUTION MACROMOLECULAR ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPY