research studies ubc

• UBC Campuses /
• UBC Vancouver Campus /
• Institutes & Centres

UBC is affiliated with several research institutes, centres, organizations, and hospitals, many of which are located on the university’s Vancouver Campus.

• Advanced Studies, Peter Wall Institute for
• Applied Mathematics, Institute for (IAM)
• Asian Research, Institute of
• BC Cancer Research Institute
• BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR)
• Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
• Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI)
• Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems, Institute for (ICICS)
• Data Science Institute (DSI)
• English Language Institute (ELI)
• Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, Institute for (GRSJ)
• Global Issues, Liu Institute for
• Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, Institute for (IHLCDP)
• Life Sciences Institute
• Mathematical Sciences, Pacific Institute for the (PIMS)
• Mental Health, Institute of (IMH)
• Okanagan Sustainability Institute (OSI)
• Providence Health Care Research Institute
• Research Institutes & Centres
• Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services, Institute for (BRAES)
• Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI)
• Sustainable Development Research Institute (SDRI)
• Theoretical Physics, Pacific Institute of (PITP)
• Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
• Women’s Health Research Institute
• Advanced Wood Processing, Centre for
• Animal Welfare Program
• Asian Centre
• Asian Legal Studies, Centre for (CALS)
• Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre
• Brain Health, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for (DMCBH)
• Biodiversity Research, Centre for
• Blood Research, Centre for (CBR)
• UBC Botanical Garden
• Cardiovascular Research Group
• Cardiovascular Innovation, Centre for
• Chronic Disease Prevention & Management, Centre for
• Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC)
• Clinical Research, Northern Centre for
• Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, Centre for
• Dairy Education and Research Centre
• Democratic Institutions, Centre for the Study of (CSDI)
• Executive Education
• Excellence in Indigenous Health, Centre for
• European Studies, Centre for
• Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Centre for
• Government and Business, Phelps Centre for the Study of
• Health Education Scholarship, Centre for
• Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences, Centre for
• Health Services and Policy Research, Centre for (CHER)
• Health Services & Policy Research, Centre for
• Healthy Aging, Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for (ELCHA)
• Heart Lung Innovation, Centre for (HLI)
• Historical Consciousness, Centre for the Study of
• Hip Health and Mobility, Centre for
• Human Early Learning Partnership
• India & South Asia Research, Centre for (CISAR)
• Indigenous Fisheries, Centre for
• Intercultural Communication, Centre for (CIC)
• Intercultural Language Studies, Centre for (CILS)
• International Canadian Studies Centre (ICSC)
• Internationalization of Curriculum Studies, The Centre for the Study of the (CSICS)
• International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD)
• Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
• Japanese Research, Centre for (CJR)
• Korean Research, Centre for (CKR)
• Labour and Empirical Economic Research, Centre for (CLEER)
• Media and Graphic Interdisciplinary Centre (MAGIC)
• Metallurgical Process Engineering, Centre for (CMPE)
• Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, Centre for
• Operations Excellence, Centre for
• Psychological Services and Counselling Training Centre
• Pulp & Paper Centre
• Research on Personhood in Dementia, Centre for (CRPD)
• Social Innovation & Impact Investing, Centre for
• Social, Spatial and Economic Justice, Centre for (CSSEJ)
• Southeast Asia Research, Centre for
• Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC)
• Student Involvement & Careers, Centre for
• Substance Use, BC Centre on
• Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, Centre for
• Teacher Education, Centre for the Study of (CSTE)
• Teaching, Learning and Technology, Centre for (CTLT)
• Transportation Studies, Centre for
• UBC Centre for Disease Control
• Urban Economics and Real Estate, Centre for
• Vancouver Prostate Centre
• Wine Research Centre
• Workplace Accessibility, Centre for
• W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics
• W. Maurice Young Centre for Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Research

Interdisciplinary Organizations

• Advanced Materials & Process Engineering Laboratory (AMPEL)
• Michael Smith Laboratories
• Neglected Global Diseases Initiative
• Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF)

UBC-affiliated Hospitals

Clinical academic campuses.

• BC Cancer Agency
• BC Children’s Hospital & Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
• BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
• Kelowna General Hospital
• Royal Columbian Hospital
• Royal Jubilee Hospital
• St. Paul’s Hospital
• Surrey Memorial Hospital
• University Hospital of Northern British Columbia
• Vancouver General Hospital
• Victoria General Hospital

Affiliated Regional Centres

• Abbotsford Regional Hospital
• Campbell River & District General Hospital
• Chilliwack General Hospital
• Cowichan District Hospital
• Dawson Creek & District Hospital
• Fort St. John General Hospital
• Lions Gate Hospital
• Mills Memorial Hospital
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
• Penticton Regional Hospital
• Richmond Hospital
• Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops
• St. Joseph’s General Hospital
• Vernon Jubilee Hospital
• Carey Theological College
• Fragment Analysis DNA Sequencing Services (FADSS)
• Green College
• Regent College
• St. John’s College
• St. Mark’s College
• Vancouver School of Theology
• Youth Leadership Millennium

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UBC Vancouver Campus

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UBC Okanagan Campus

• Faculties & Schools at UBC’s Okanagan Campus

Graduate studies

Ranked among the world's top research universities, committed to diversity, and home to a broad range of industry training programs, UBC Science offers young scientists an unparalleled opportunity to advance their careers.

A diverse range of highly ranked programs

With access to master’s and doctoral degrees through nine departments and 350 research groups, our graduate students work with world-class faculty to explore the basic sciences, and to pursue interdisciplinary and applied research across departments and units. UBC’s research excellence in environmental science, math, physics, plant and animal science, computer science, geology and biology is consistently rated best in Canada by international and national ranking agencies.

Committed to outstanding graduate training

UBC Science is involved in a wide range of prestigious NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience and related industry programs: from ecological research and ecosystems services to plant cell wall biosynthesis, from quantum computing and blockchain research to leadership training in ocean conservation. The options for enriched graduate training in industry related fields are almost endless.

World-class research infrastructure

Our affiliated institutes and centres include UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories, Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Life Sciences Institute, Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, Mineral Deposit Research Unit, and TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics.

Top research talent

UBC Science boasts more than 50 Canada Research Chairs, 12 fellows of the Royal Society of London, and has been home to two Nobel Laureates. Our graduate students have won 15 prestigious Vanier Scholarships.

A diverse, supportive community of scholars

UBC Science is committed to excellence, collaboration and inclusion, and maintains a diverse graduate student population. Women account for 40% of graduate enrollments, and the percentage of international students has increased to 49% over the past decade.

• History of the GSC
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• Resources for Conducting Research
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Paid Participants Studies List

• UBC Psychology

The Paid Participant Studies List is hosted on the Psychology Graduate Student Council website. While most studies here are conducted in the Psychology Department, other departments recruiting participants are welcome to advertise. Anyone is welcome to sign up for the mailing list.

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Current Studies

We welcome both the general public and students, and please check the eligibility requirements for each study.

Last updated: April 10, 2024

Study Title: Genetic Architecture of Youth Anxiety (GAYA)

Researcher: Dr. S. Evelyn Stewart (PI)

Description: Anxiety disorders can significantly interfere with youth’s lives, so it is important to better understand how and why these disorders develop through mechanisms like genetics. To better understand the development of anxiety disorders among youth, we need to include larger samples of youth in current genetic research. Participants in the GAYA study will complete questionnaires online, provide a DNA saliva sample, and play two phone games on the GAYA app.You can complete this study entirely at home if you wish, and you will be able to complete the study in less than 45 minutes.

Eligibility:

– 10-19 years of age

– Speak English

– Able to use a smartphone

Location: Online or at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute 938 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating, please contact the study team at [email protected] .

Reimbursement/Time: What participants will be paid $15 after completing the study. The study would take approximately 45 minutes to complete

Study End Date: On going. Posted April 10 2024.

Study Title: Recognition of high-level visual form (In-person)

Researcher: Dr. Ipek Oruc (Principal Investigator); Caitlin Long (Graduate Research Assistant)

Description: In this study, we investigate how human observers recognize complex visual patterns and objects such as letters and faces. You are invited to participate in this study because we would like to understand how visual recognition is normally accomplished in healthy human observers. Participants will be seated comfortably in front of a computer screen where they will view displays of visual stimuli. Participants will then be asked if they recognize the stimuli.

Eligibility: Participants should have normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing.

Location: ICORD at Vancouver General Hospital; 818 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

Contact Information: Caitlin Long;  [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time: The study will take approximately 1 hour, and participants will be compensated $10.

Study End Date: June 9, 2024. Posted April 10, 2024.

Title:  Sequency Learning Dyad Keypress (In-person)

Researcher:  Porter Trevisan (RA), Georgia Grieve, Dr. Matthew Scott and Dr. Nicola Hodges (PI; School of Kinesiology, UBC)

Description:  One-off research participant for research project in the School of Kinesiology (right-handed females only). You will be asked to come to the War Memorial Gym to take part in a study looking at the cognitive and behavioural processes involved in motor learning. We will study how people practice and learn various patterns of keystrokes across two days of practice. This study requires attendance of 2 sessions (1 session/day for 2 consecutive days). Day 1 will last approximately 1h 15 minutes. Day 2 will last approximately 30 minutes. Participants may, or may not, learn the task with another participant (depending on group allocation).

Eligibility:  In order to participate in this study, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Female adult (age 18-35)
• Right-hand dominant
• Normal vision or wear corrective lenses
• No injury to the right hand
• Must be English speaking
• Must be vaccinated against COVID-19
• No known neurological disorders
• No previous participation in a similar study (involving keystroke patterns) conducted by the Motor Skills Laboratory (if in doubt, please check with Aneesha, email:  [email protected] )

Location :  Room 24A (basement level) in the War Memorial Gym (6081 University Blvd;  http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428 ).

Contact Information:  If you meet the qualifications below, please email Aneesha to indicate interest (resume NOT required). In your email provide a UBC email (if applicable), a phone number and your availability over the coming weeks. Please include “ATTN: Keypress” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Reimbursement/Time:  The study is estimated to take up to 2 hours across the two days. Participants will be reimbursed $16.75 per hour.

Study End Date:  Ongoing. Posted Jan 28 2024.

Study Title: Using eye movements as a readout of audiovisual integration 

Researcher:  Jessica Chalissery, Skadi Gerkensmeier, & Miriam Spering (Principle Investigator)

Description:  We are looking for healthy young adults who will participate in two testing sessions lasting up to 60 minutes each (either two short sessions on separate days, or one long session with a 30-minute break in the middle). You will complete short assessments to test your vision and hearing to confirm eligibility, then view visual and auditory stimuli on a computer monitor while your eye movement data is recorded. There are no known risks associated with participating in this study beyond those of working on a computer in daily life.

Eligibility:  

• between ages 19 and 25
• ability to provide informed consent
• have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• have normal or corrected-to-normal hearing
• no history of hearing impairment
• no history of eye disease (such as strabismus or amblyopia, known as “lazy eye”)
• no history of brain injury or neurological disease (such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma to the head, including a concussion within 12 months of the study.)
• have no history of psychiatric disorders
• not taking any psychiatric medication

Location:  The BRANE Lab, room B28, 2194 Woodward (IRC), Health Sciences Mall, UBC campus

Contact Information:  You can contact Jessica Chalissery at [email protected]  if you are interested in participating in this study.

Reimbursement/Time: You will be paid $10/hr upon completion of this study, which can take up to 2 hours in total.

Study End Date: ongoing. Posted Apr 1 2024.

Study Title:   Substance Use and Gambling Behaviours Among Canadian University Students

Researchers: Daniel McGrath (Principal Investigator and supervisor, University of Calgary); Diandra Leslie (PhD student and co-investigator, University of Calgary); Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen (co-investigator, University of British Columbia)

Description: The Substance Use and Gambling Lab at the University of Calgary and the Healthy Families Lab at the University of British Columbia are running a study about substance use and gambling trends among university students across Canada.

Eligibility: All currently enrolled University of British Columbia students are eligible to participate. You can participate even if you don’t use drugs/substances or gamble.

Location: Online survey. Click this link to join the study https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_8ufcigA3cZq6lb8

Contact Information: For more information, send an email to [email protected] or visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/labs/gamblinglab/participate

Reimbursement/Time: The survey takes about 15 to 25 minutes to complete. Everyone who complete the survey can enter to win one of four $100 gift cards to a variety of stores such as Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Sephora, Skip the Dishes, Starbucks, Walmart, and more.

Study end date: Friday, April 5 at 10:59 pm PDT.

Study Title:  Famous Faces in Focus: Athlete Portraits and Motor Embodiment (in person)

Researcher: Liz Kalenteridis (student lead), Nicola Hodges (Principal Investigator)

Description:  Participants are needed for a UBC study to investigate the influences of perception on our own motor system. In this research study, we examine motor reactions to images of famous tennis and soccer players.

Eligibility: 

– Between ages 18-50 years old

– Identify as male

– Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

– No existing injury to the dominant hand and foot

– No known neurological disorders

– Must be able to understand and speak English

– Must be familiar with famous tennis and soccer players

Location: Room 300A, UBC War Memorial Gym. 6081 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1 ( http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428 ).

Contact Information: If you meet the requirements and are interested, please email [email protected] with “Famous Faces Study” in the email subject line. You will receive a pre-screen survey to complete prior to testing.

Reimbursement/Time:  It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 60 minutes. A $10 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Apr 1 2024.

• You are between 18 and 40 years old
• You have no known significant health problems
• You are not currently participating in a health intervention
• You do less than 1 day of weekly moderate exercise
• You are right-handed
• You have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Study Title: Normal Values for Cervical and Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP):  Comparison of air conducted (AC) and vibratory stimuli (bone conduction-BC). The study recommends in person attendance to the lab.

Researcher: Ph.D. student May Elbar under the supervision of Professor Navid Shahnaz, associate professor (School of Audiology and Speech Science).

Description:  In this study, we are investigating the influence of stimulus parameters on the lowest levels (threshold) that we could obtain these responses and the time it will take for each response wave to be produced (latency).  We hope that the normative data obtained using this relatively new method will help find a more reliable way of diagnosing balance issues. The following tests will be conducted in this study: Otoscopic examination (Small equipment that helps us to visualize the external part of your ear), Wideband tympanometry and middle ear muscle reflex (the first test, wideband tympanometry, is a safe test to assess your middle ear function.  In this test, a sound will be presented to your ear while the air pressure in the outer ear canal is changed within a safe range.  You don’t have to do anything.  The only things that you should not do during that test are speaking and/or swallowing.  It lasts for almost 1 minute), Automatic Audiometry (Bekesy Audiometry 250-16000 Hz) (the hearing assessment will be done in a specific testing sound booth and will require you to press a button when you hear beep sounds of varying quality and level that are presented through headphones), Otoacoustic emission: (Assessment of the hearing function through introduction of different tones at different frequencies through prob tip put in your ears), Ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential vestibular evoked myogenic potential: (We will place some surface electrodes on your head, neck, and around the eye, and small earphones will be inserted into your ears, then a vibrator will be put behind your ear.  In a part of the test, you will have to do a certain position with your neck.  In another part, you have to look at a specific target).

Eligibility criteria:

• Adults between the ages of 18 to 29
• Normal hearing thresholds: more than or equal 25 decibel Hearing level between 250Hz to 8000 Hertz.
• Normal balance function.
• Free of any history of severe head accidents, balance dysfunction, noise exposure, or ototoxic drug.
• No outer or middle ear defects were visible during the otoscopy.
• All participants should have normal middle ear function.
• All participants should be fluent in the English language as they should be able to follow instructions on test protocol during the test. English as a second language participant whose first language is Farsi or Arabic can be accommodated.

Location:  Testing will be completed in the Middle Ear Lab located on the UBC campus in the IRC building. Faculty of Medicine, 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T1Z3

Contact Information:   get in touch with the Middle Ear Lab through email at [email protected] to set up an appointment.

Reimbursement/Time:   There is no reimbursement for participation in this study. However, participants will have a complete hearing check-up and vestibular assessment by VEMP. In case of detecting any abnormality, we can refer the participant to the recommended medical specialist.it takes about one and a half hours to complete a clinical hearing test and other measures of middle ear function and vestibular system.

 Study End Date:   ongoing study.  Posted Mar 16 2024.

Study Title:  Career Development in Recovery Study

Researcher: Dr. Robinder Bedi

Description:  Eight in-person group counselling sessions involving discussions on career development for individuals with a history of problematic substance use.

• Participants will be adults, defined as being at least 19 years old.
• Participants must have previously experienced problematic substance use, but no severe problems with substances in the last year.

Location:  Online. Participants must be located in BC or Alberta.

Contact Information:  If you meet the requirements mentioned above, please email  [email protected]  to indicate interest. Alternatively, you can leave us a message at 604 822 8953 or complete this contact form: https://bit.ly/CareerStudyContact . A researcher will contact you to provide more information about the study and to obtain information to determine eligibility (takes approximately 20 minutes).

Reimbursement/Time:  Up to $160 upon completion of a set of questionnaires before, after, and at 3-months and 9-months after the groups.

Study End Date: Ongoing until July 2026. Posted Mar 16 2024.

Action Observation in Golf Putting

Researcher:  Carrie Peters, Dr. Nicola Hodges (PI)

Description: Participants are needed for a UBC study to investigate how watching someone else perform can help us learn and/or alert us to errors. We are interested in how watching actions of others impacts on processes related to performance and learning. In this research study, you will be asked to practice a golf putting action and will also watch videos of someone else also doing this task (ethics, H23-01790). This study is being run in the Motor Skills Lab in the School of Kinesiology by principal investigator Dr. Nicola Hodges.

Eligibility: A  resume is not required to partake in the study, we simply ask that participants meet all the qualifications listed.  We are looking for individuals who are/have: 1) Between ages 18-60 years old, 2) Right-hand dominant for putting, 3) Experienced golfers (golfed ≥ 10 times in the past 5 years) OR participants with no past golf experience (golfed ≤ 5 times in the past 5 years), 4) Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, 5) No known physical or neurological disorders or injuries that impede a putting action, 6) Must be able to understand and speak English

Location:  Room 300,  War Memorial Gym (6081 University Blvd;  http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428 ).

Contact Information: If you meet these qualifications, please email [email protected] and include “Golf observation” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email address (if available), a phone number, and your availability over the next 2 weeks.

Reimbursement/Time: It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 120-150 minutes. Experienced golfers will only complete the first testing session and participants without golf experience will be asked to return the next day to complete a follow-up testing session that will take ~15 minutes to complete. An honorarium at the rate of $15/hour will be provided upon completion of the study.

Study End Date:  Ongoing.

Study Title:  Relative Contribution in Mandarin-English Bilinguals’ Speech Processing [In Person]

Researcher:  Suyuan Liu (Co-Investigator, UBC Department of Linguistics), Dr. Molly Babel (PI, UBC Department of Linguistics)

Description:  The purpose of this study is to investigate what are some factors that affect one’s perceptual accuracy of others’ speech, with a focus on Mandarin and English. Eligible participants will be asked to will be asked to complete in total of four to five studies. In the first study, you will participate in two 30-minute informal interviews, one in Mandarin and one in English. You will be recorded during these interviews. The interview will consist of focusing on your experience with Mandarin, Mandarin accents, learning English, and English accents. In addition to the interview, we will ask for some personal information, such as, “What languages do you speak?” and “Where have you lived in your life?”. In a period after the completion of the interviews, you will be invited back for another three 30-minute perception studies. In the perception studies, you will be asked to make some judgements on the sound files you heard. After the perception studies, we might invite you back for a 1-hour electroencephalogram (EEG) study. For this study, we will use EEG to measure your brain activity while you make judgements of the sound files you hear. There is no known harm of the EEG. Your participation may involve up to 2.5-3.5 hours of your time total, over four to five sessions (1 hour for session 1, 30 minutes for sessions 2-4, and 1 hour for session 5 if invited). You will be compensated $20/hour for your participation (rounded up to the nearest half hour). If you are interested,  please fill out the eligibility survey with this link ( https://tinyurl.com/mandarin-english-project ) or email Suyuan Liu at suyuan.liu[at]ubc.ca.

Eligibility:  Participants who live in Metro Vancouver, speak Mandarin and English, born and raised in mainland China, have taken the TOEFL exam and attended university in an English-speaking country may be eligible to participate.

Location:  In Lab at Stores Road Annex (6368 Stores Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B4)

Contact Information:  Molly Babel at molly.babel[at]ubc.ca or Suyuan Liu at suyuan.liu[at]ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time:  $20 CAD/hour, 2.5-3.5 hours

Study End Date:  Ongoing

Study Title : Cognition Under Tension:  A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Being In & Out of Control

Researcher : Laura Bickel (Graduate Student Investigator) and Dr. Rebecca Todd (Principal Investigator; Motivated Cognition Lab, UBC)

Description :

We invite you to participate in our study investigating “what it is like” to feel in control and out of control around food, focusing on those attentional processes and emotions that are likely to generate and motivate restrictive eating and compulsive patterns of overeating. The participation involves keeping a diary via What’s App and journaling to open-ended questions over three weeks.  You will also engage in three interview sessions that will be held at the end of each week.

Eligibility:  In order to be eligible to take part in the study, you must meet the following criteria:

– Must be over 19 years of age

– Must be fluent in English

– Must be located in Metro Vancouver

– Must have access to a smartphone or laptop

– Must have What’s App installed on your mobile phone or laptop and commit to using it at least three times a day

– Must be comfortable with being voice recorded in interview sessions

– Must be willing to share your What’s App diary notes

– Must be able to commit approximately 3 hours per week for 3 weeks (a total of 9 hours) and a 30 minute pre-study meeting

– Must experience at least one binge eating episode per week

The journaling may take place on UBC campus, at participant’s home or in the field. The interview sessions will take place either on UBC campus, via Zoom, or at participant’s home.

Contact Information:

For more information, please email Laura Bickel at [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time:

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to dedicate approximately 9 hours of your time for journaling activities and interview sessions taking place across three weeks (3 hours per week). Participants will receive a gift card (28$) for one yoga session at YYoga or for the book store Indigo.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 28, 2024

Study Title:  Investigation of the Biological Markers of Major Depression (OPTIMUM-D) (In-person)

Researcher:  Research coordinators, Dr. Raymond Lam

Description:  This study involves standard treatment for depression and randomization into placebo groups. Patients will be treated by a psychiatrist for 12 weeks with an antidepressant medication approved to treat depression. The study will involve a total of 5 in-person visits, 3 remote visits over 12 weeks.

Throughout the visits, the study will involve 3 x Collection of blood (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Stool Sample Collection (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Urine Collection (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Electroencephalography (EEG) (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 1 x Electrocardiography (ECG) (Week 1) 2 clinical assessments done by a psychiatrist over the phone (Week 4, 10).

Eligibility:  Are between 18-60 years of age. Have been diagnosed with depression or suspect you may have depression, and are currently feeling depressed. in activities, change in appetite, poor sleep, fatigue, low self-esteem, and poor concentration. Are willing to take a standard antidepressant medication as treatment for your depression. Are willing to undergo blood/lab tests and brain scans.

Location:  UBC Mood Disorders Centre (2nd floor), 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3

Contact Information:  Research coordinator, [email protected] /604-822-7804,  https://app.reachbc.ca/project/study/356

Reimbursement/Time:  To be discussed/12 weeks

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 21 2024.

Feasibility study of long-term light and ion therapy for maintenance treatment in depression (LIMIT-D) (In-person)

Researcher: Dr. Raymond Lam, Department of Psychiatry

Description: The UBC Mood Disorders Centre at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health is now recruiting for a feasibility study exploring the use of two separate non-medication treatments, light therapy and ion therapy, as maintenance treatment in major depression. We are interested in exploring factors affecting the two treatments as maintenance treatments (to help prevent the return of symptoms) instead of medications in people with Major Depressive Disorders who wish to stop their antidepressant treatment.

Participation would include daily use of a bright light device or ion device provided by our clinic for 6 months, as well as regularly completing self-rated scales and meeting the study doctor for assessments. However, half of the treatment devices have been modified so that they are inactive (placebo). You have a 1 in 2 chance (like flipping a coin) of receiving an active or an inactive device.

Eligibility: We are looking for people who:

• are 19-65 years old;
• meet criteria for major depressive disorder (not bipolar disorder) and have had two or more episodes of depression;
• are currently taking an antidepressant for depression, and have taken it continuously for at least 3 months and no more than 12 months, with no dose change in the past month
• are interested in or are considering stopping your antidepressant
• are feeling well (no longer depressed) and in remission, according to a clinical interview
• do not have a seasonal pattern of depressive episodes (seasonal affective disorder)
• have no other major medical conditions or psychiatric conditions (except for major depressive disorder);
• do not have a problem with substance use currently or within the past 6 months.

Location: UBC Mood Disorders Centre, at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

Contact information: Tina Chen [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time: $15 per visit (1-2 hours)

Study End Date: Sep 2024

Study Title:  Effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) on spontaneous thought (In Person)

Researcher: Dr. Lawrence Ward and Aakanksha Sahu

Description:

We are looking for volunteers to participate in a study of the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) on spontaneous thought. It will involve viewing and responding to stimuli presented on a computer screen while you receive weak electrical stimulation on the scalp.

We are studying spontaneous thought. We are specifically interested in how people’s thoughts progress when they are not thinking about anything in particular. In this study you will engage in a task that requires you to spend some time thinking spontaneously and then rating those thoughts on two scales. Occasionally you will be asked to explain your ratings.

The experiment will consist of two 2-hour sessions, and you will receive $10 for each hour of participation.

To be eligible to participate you must NOT:

– Have magnetizable metal in your brain/skull

– Have cochlear implants

– Have an implanted neurostimulator

– Have a history of seizures (epilepsy)

– Be suffering from a neurological or psychiatric disorder

– Be suffering from a skin disease

– Be allergic to lidocaine (topical anesthetic)

– Be pregnant

– Be taking psychotropic medicines

Location:  Douglas Kenny Building, Room 3014, 2136 West Mall, V6T 1Z4

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact [email protected] .

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 21, 2024

Study Title:   Alcohol Use in Emerging Adulthood: A Virtual Daily Diary Study

Researcher:

Student Principal Investigator: Jasmin Katz, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate, Clinical and Counselling Psychology Graduate Student, Psychology of Emerging Adulthood Research Lab Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/University of Toronto

Faculty Supervisor:

Abby Goldstein, Ph.D., C. Psych., Associate Professor Director, Psychology of Emerging Adulthood Research Lab Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/University of Toronto

• The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between depression and problematic alcohol use among emerging adults
• We are interested exploring potential psychological factors that contribute to problematic alcohol use
• We hope this information will provide us with a better understanding of alcohol use in emerging adulthood and give us insight into treatment targets for emerging adults struggling with depressive symptoms and alcohol use
• We hope that a total of 50 emerging adults will participate in this study

What will you be asked to do? This study involves two phases, each described below.

• Complete initial baseline assessment in a virtual video meeting
• Provide 14 days of daily self-report data on REDCap through accessing a link sent to smartphone

You may participate in this study if you:

• Reside in North America
• Are between the ages of 18 and 29
• Own a smartphone
• Are fluent in written English
• Use alcohol regularly (2+ times/week)
• Experience depressive symptoms (CES-D-10 score of > 10)

Location:  Virtual

Contact Information:   Please contact: [email protected] if you are interested in participating.

Other questions: Jasmin Katz, M.A. Ph.D. Candidate Email: [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time:  This study requires you to take approximately 30 minutes for the baseline assessment appointment (20 minutes for the online survey and 5-10 minutes for training on the daily diary survey), and then 5-10 minutes each day for 14 days. We want to be sure you are compensated for the time you are putting into the study. You will be compensated $for filling out the online baseline survey. As a thank you for your ongoing efforts, you will be paid $15 for each week you complete the survey. We will also give you a bonus $10 for completing 80% of the surveys (34 out of 42 surveys). In total, you have the opportunity to receive $60 for participating in the study. Payment will be in PayPal e-transfer, or Amazon.ca gift card at the end of the study.

Study End Date: Estimated end date is May 2024

Study Title:  Social networks of adults 50 years and older in BC

Researcher:  Primary Investigator- Dr. Carolyn Szostak

Directed Studies Student- Siu Lin Rodriguez

Description:  Researchers from UBC Okanagan are interested in learning more about the social networks of adults 50 years and older. We hope to gain insight into the social connections that make up the social networks to help us better understand how to improve the quality of these relationships and, hopefully, enhance people’s well-being.

Eligibility: – 

If you answered  yes  to these questions, you are eligible to participate.

Location : To participate, please click on the following link:   https://bit.ly/SocialNetworks2023

Contact Information:  If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact: Harshita Gupta ( [email protected] )

Reimbursement/Time:  Survey participants will have the opportunity to enter a draw for a chance to win one of five prizes! Most people are able to complete the survey in about 1.5 hours. The exact time will depend upon how many people are in your social network.

Sensorimotor Control and Adaptation of Voluntary Movement (In-person)

Researcher: Gregg Eschelmuller, Annika Szarka, Nick Butler, Tim Inglis (Co-I), Hyosub Kim (Co-I), Romeo Chua (PI)

Description: We are conducting studies to examine the use of vision and limb position sense in movement control. We are interested in how we prepare, control, and adapt our voluntary movements.  In this study, you will be asked to make reaching movements in response to visual targets. Your primary goal will be to make target-directed reaches under a variety of sensory conditions. A computer-controlled motion analysis system will be used to monitor eye and hand movements. Visual and position sense stimuli will be presented via visual displays and muscle vibration.

Eligibility: You may be able to participate if:

• Have normal or corrected vision
• No known neurological disorder

Location: Room 202, Osborne Ctr Unit 2, 6108 Thunderbird Blvd, UBC Vancouver Campus

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating, please send an email to [email protected] . We will be in touch with further study information and scheduling.

Reimbursement/Time: The study consists of one session of testing, approximately 60-75 minutes. Participants will receive a $10 honorarium for participation.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 3 2024.

Designing cognitively accessible financial technology to support people as they age (in-person interviews)

Dr Jiamin (Carrie) Dai, Postdoctoral Fellow, Co-Investigator,

Dr Joanna McGrenere, Professor, Principal Investigator,

Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia

Description:  We are conducting a study to help design future financial technologies that are easier to use for older adults. We will conduct interviews to discuss fictional user profiles (personas) and what could help such users with online banking and digital payment scenarios. The interview will be audio-recorded. You will be asked to fill in a short background questionnaire at the end.

Pairs including an older adult (aged 65+) and a family member (spouse or adult child) who helps with technology or banking

– Both have used online banking or digital payment at least once in the past year

– Both are able to read, write, and communicate verbally in English

We particularly welcome older adults:

– who are experiencing confusion or memory loss with aging

– who have been diagnosed by a medical professional with mild cognitive impairment or early-middle stage dementia

Location: The study will be conducted in person at a place of mutual convenience in Vancouver (e.g., your home, a community centre, or a UBC research lab).

Contact Information: Dr Jiamin (Carrie) Dai, [email protected] , 514-756-4580

Reimbursement/Time: $20 cash honorarium per person for a 1-hour interview with both of you.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Nov 7 2023.

Cannabidiol Adjunctive Therapy for Acute Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial (in-person study)

Researcher:  Lakshmi Yatham (Principal Investigator), Shannon Reid (Research Coordinator)

Description:  This study is examining whether cannabidiol (also known as CBD) is effective in treating episodes of depression in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder when added to their regular medications for 6 weeks. Participants visit the clinic for a screening visit and a baseline visit, as well as visits at week 2, 4, and 6 to complete clinical assessments with a study doctor, laboratory tests, and answer questionnaires. Eligible participants will receive either placebo (i.e. an inactive substance) or 200-600mg of CBD to take daily for 6 weeks. The assignment to placebo vs CBD group is random, and neither the participant nor the study staff will know to which treatment group the participant has been assigned.

Eligibility:  Individuals who meet the following criteria are eligible to participate:

·         Aged 19-70 years

·         Diagnosed with bipolar disorder

·         Currently experiencing depression

·         Currently taking medication for mood stabilization (e.g. lithium, epival/valproate, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and/or lamotrigine)

Individuals meeting any of the following criteria are not eligible to participate in this trial:

·         Current or past month daily use of CBD/cannabis

·         Have met criteria for an alcohol/substance use disorder within the past 6 months

·         Are pregnant or lactating

Location:  Mood Disorders Centre (2 nd floor of UBC Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health), 2215 Wesbrook Mall

Contact Information:  Please email or call the study coordinator at [email protected] or (604) 822-8045

Reimbursement/Time:  The total time commitment required for the study is approximately 7-8 hours over 8-10 weeks, and participants will be compensated for their time and travel expenses.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Oct 31 2023.

Researcher: Dr. Connor Kerns (PI), Dr. Daniela Palombo (Co-PI), Dr. Jason Rights (Co-PI), Dr. Veronica Dudarev (Collaborator)

Description: We would like to invite autistic and non-autistic young adults to help us better understand the relationship between social and emotional processing and well-being in young adulthood. This is a three-part study that includes one in-person visit at UBC (1-2 hours) and two online sessions (45 minutes each).

• Part 1: Approximately 5 days prior to your scheduled in-person visit (study part 2), you will be asked to complete some online questionnaires at home.
• Part 2: The second part of the study will involve a testing session at our lab. During this session, you will complete an online questionnaire about your emotions and some cognitive tasks, including one that involves a computer-based eye tracker. Please note that one of the cognitive tasks will involve some images that may be disturbing or upsetting.
• Part 3: For the third part of the study, you will be asked to complete some computer-based cognitive tasks at home.

Approximately, 5 days prior to your scheduled visit, we will send you a link to the sample images in the welcome email.

Identifies as a man; 18-30 yrs old; fluent in English; and does not have/meet any of the following conditions:

• colour blindness
• documented intellectual disability
• psychotic disorder
• history of psychosis
• seizure, epilepsy, and/or head injury (last 6 months)
• eye movement abnormalities
• wears glasses with more than one power
• Parts 1 and 3 of the study are completed online (45 mins each).
• Part 2 is a 1-2 hour in-person lab visit at: Room 4207, Douglas T. Kenny Building (2136 West Mall, Vancouver BC, V6T1Z4)

Contact Information: If you’re interested, please complete a brief screening survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0k4rlcA33CLdZKm . If eligible, we will email you a link to Part 1 of the study and schedule you for Part 2 (in-person visit) of the study.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like to view the consent form prior to signing up for the study or if you have any questions regarding the study.

Reimbursement/Time: You will receive $15 per hour as an Amazon gift card. The study will take approximately 2.5 hours (for non-autistic participants) or 3.5 hours (for autistic participants).

Study End Date: Ongoing (until 2026). Posted Oct 30 2023.

• 19-45 years of age
• Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Visuomotor Learning (in-person)

• 6-10 years of age

Clairvoyant – Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (In-person)

Study Title : Clairvoyant – Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (In-person)

Eligibility:  Participants must meet the following criteria in order to participate. Additional criteria may apply.

• Individuals between 19 and 70 years of age.
• Generally healthy with no unstable health conditions. 
• Have alcohol dependence and/or use alcohol almost daily and in large amounts.

Location : UBC Hospital – Detwiller Pavilion ( 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC)

Study end date:  March, 31st, 2024

The vocational experience of autistic adults: A self-deterministic perspective (Online Study)

Researcher:  Talia Vacca, Dr. Charles Chen (PI) 

Description:  We are conducting a research study on vocational experiences in autism. The purpose of this study is to better understand the career experiences of individuals with a confirmed autism diagnosis. We are looking to conduct virtual interviews with a total of 15 individuals who would like to share their work experience, with the ultimate goal of understanding how their diagnosis, motivations and meaning, influence their career outcomes and work experience.  

• Between 18 and 25 years of age 
• Have a confirmed diagnosis from a psychiatrist or psychologist
• Have worked for a minimum of 2 consecutive months within the last 5 years
• Fluent in English , as interviews will be conducted in English

Location:  Online (Microsoft Teams) 

Contact Information :  I ndividuals who are interested in participating can contact the researcher by email at  [email protected]  to learn more about the study.  

Reimbursement/Time : The interview will last approximately 1 hour. Participants will receive $10 for their time. 

Study End Date : Ongoing.  

Exploring multi-modal expression of programming intent (In-person)

Researcher : Anika Sayara, Dongwook Yoon (PI)

Description : During the study, you will watch a series of videos in Virtual Reality (VR) showcasing various game logics and interactions. Following each video, you will be immersed in a virtual environment resembling the scenarios depicted in the videos, complete with 3D models. Your task will be to instruct an AI to code the same game logics and interactions demonstrated in the videos. This process is similar to interacting with ChatGPT, but in a VR setting and unlike ChatGPT that only takes text as input, the AI you will be interacting with is capable of understanding all natural input such as voice, hand, head movement, etc. Afterwards, you will participate in a brief interview session where you will be asked to share your thoughts and experiences regarding the activities you performed during the study. The entire study will be completed in a single session of 60 minutes.

Eligibility : ● Be of age 19 years or older ● able-bodied with sound vision and hearing capabilities to use the VR headset ● Have actively engaged in coding VR experiences [optional]

Location : Room 306A, Department of Computer Science (2366 Main Mall #201, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4)

Contact Information : If you are interested in participating, please fill out the survey here: bit.ly/screener_survey Any queries should be directed to Anika Sayara at [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time : Participants with VR programming experience will receive $100 and those without will receive $30 as honorarium.

Study End Date : ongoing

DaNI – Daily Nature Interactions (online)

Researcher: Johanna Bock (PhD student), Dr. Lorien Nesbitt (PI)

Description: The aim of this study is to understand how people living in cities use nature in their day-to-day life to support their mental health. We are asking you as a resident of Metro Vancouver to share your experiences with us in order to learn about the diverse interests and perceptions of the many different people living in this city. For this study, we send you a survey link every night for a week with a quick survey about your day, how you are feeling and how much time you spent engaging with nature, doing different activities, and in different places.

Eligibility: Individuals between 18 and 65 years of age, living in Metro Vancouver, without physical impairments that affect their use or enjoyment of natural environments.

Location: Online survey (compatible with phone, tablet, computer). This is the link to the first survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Sa0qiCvO62fPeK , please fill it out at the end of the day.

Contact Information: If you have any questions, contact Johanna Bock, [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time: The study will take about 40 minutes in total over seven days (Ten minutes on day one, five minutes for the following six days). All participants will be entered into a draw to win $100.

Study End Date: September 30, 2023

Disruptive Technologies and Negative Heritage: Evaluating the Social and Economic Impacts of the 3D printed Triumphal Arch of Palmyra (In-person Study)

Researcher : Dr. Lindsay Der (PI); Pamela Zamora Quesada (RA), Rachel Thibeault (RA).

Description : We are looking for Syrian citizens for a research study on Syrian cultural heritage. Eligible participants will be invited to attend in-person focus group sessions for up to two hours and/or in-person individual interviews for up to three hours (interviews may be divided into different sessions if it is convenient for participants). In the focus groups, participants will be asked their views and thoughts on cultural heritage, the impact of the Syrian civil war on cultural heritage and any work done to mitigate such destruction. In the interview, participants will be asked more in-depth questions about the 3D-printed Triumphal Arch of Palmyra, cultural heritage and cultural diplomacy.

Eligibility :

Adults, 19 years old or older.

Self-identified Syrian nationals.

Fluent in English and/or Arabic.

Location : Focus groups will primarily take place ace in Vancouver and Surrey. Interviews will take place in Metro Vancouver.

Contact Information : Dr. Lindsay Der, [email protected].

Reimbursement/Time : Selected participants will be compensated $16.75 per hour.

Study End Date : Ongoing.

Psychoeducation for Bipolar Risk (Online)

Researcher:  PI: Kamyar Keramatian; Research Assistant: Heeva Chavoshi

Description:  The purpose of this study is to test a novel intervention for individuals at high risk for bipolar disorder (BD) to reduce the delay in its accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment initiation. First, a screening and baseline visit is completed. After, the intervention begins, which will consist of 8 weekly group sessions, each 60 minutes in duration and will be conducted using Zoom. After each session, participants will be asked to complete a brief survey about their views on the content and process of the session and their suggestions for improvements. After the final session, four additional surveys will be completed and a focus group will be conducted to obtain feedback from participants.

You may be eligible to participate in this study if you:

– are between the ages of 15 and 24 years old

– are able to understand and communicate in English

– have a family history of bipolar disorder or are having challenges with problematic mood changes

You are not eligible to participate in this study if you:

– have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder

– have significant alcohol or substance use disorder

– are currently severely depressed or actively suicidal

Location:  Online study (over Zoom).

Contact Information:  [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time:  The study’s intervention consists of 60 minute weekly sessions for 8 weeks. You will receive the total of $40 for completing the screening and baseline visits, $15 for completing each psychoeducation session, and an additional $30 for participating in the post-intervention group feedback session.

An Exploration of Parents with ADHD and Their Experiences of Raising Children with ADHD (online)

Researcher:  Bethany Ee (PhD Candidate) & Dr. Laurie Ford (PI)

Description: This study aims to explore and describe the lived experiences of mothers with ADHD while they raise a child with ADHD. While there is a lot of research documenting the difficulties that families with ADHD experience, we hope to explore the potential strengths that mothers with ADHD have when it comes to parenting their child with ADHD. The study will require participating in a Zoom interview (60mins) and completing four short journal entries (5-10mins).

Eligibility: Mothers with ADHD, who have a biological child with ADHD between the ages of 6 to 12 years old.

Location: online

Contact Information: [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time: Participants will receive an honorarium in the form of a $25 Amazon gift card

Study End Date: Ongoing

Visual Anticipation in Volleyball

Researcher: Ellie Saplywy (RA), Ryan Jinn (RA), Matt Krueger, Dr. Matthew Scott, and Dr. Nicola Hodges (PI; School of Kinesiology, UBC)

Description: This study will require participants to come to the War Memorial Gym for a testing session taking up to 1 hour. In this experiment, participants will be shown various videos of offensive volleyball plays that will be occluded (edited) at various points in time to prevent information about ball flight. Participants will be asked to respond on force plates (pressure sensitive mats) about the direction of the ball (left, right, centre/straight-up).

Participants will be reimbursed $15 minimum for participation in 1 testing session (or $15.65/hr whichever is more depending on time).

No resume is required, we simply as that you meet all the listed qualifications. If you meet these qualifications, please email  [email protected]  with the subject line “ Volleyball anticipation “. In your email, please include your ubc email if applicable, a phone number and your availability over the coming weeks.  Thank you for your interest!

Eligibility: In order to participate in this study, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• Males and females between ages 19-35 years
• Must have some experience playing volleyball. We are looking for individuals of two different experience types. You may participate if you have NOT played post-secondary/competitive volleyball (i.e., only played recreationally). Alternatively, you can partake if you are have played at the Collegiate or USport level in Canada (high level of experience).
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• No existing injury to lower limbs and no known neurological disorder
• Good understanding of English instructions

Location: 300A in the War Memorial Gym (6081 University Blvd;  http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428 ).

Contact Information:  If you meet the eligibility criteria, please email  [email protected] and include “Volleyball” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email (if available), a phone number, your gender and availability over the next two weeks.

Reimbursement/Time: The study is estimated to take up to 1 hour across one visit. Participants will be reimbursed $15.65 per hour.

Study End Date:  Ongoing. Posted Apr 12, 2023

Efficacy of Lurasidone in Improving Cognitive Functioning in Euthymic patients with Bipolar I Disorder (ELICE BD- H20-00129; In-person )

Researcher : Lakshmi Yatham (Principal Investigator); Jayasree Basivireddy (Primary Study Coordinator)

Description:  The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of Lurasidone in improving cognition in bipolar type-1 and type-2 participants.  Some people with bipolar disorder have problems with memory, concentration, and decision making skills even after their mood symptoms have improved.  Such cognitive deficits are associated with impairments in everyday functioning and quality of life. This study has 4 (screen, baseline, week-3, week-6) clinic visits and 4 phone appointments. At screen visit neurocognitive testing (paper and pencil tests of memory, problem solving etc) is completed. Only participants with cognitive impairment will complete clinical assessments, physical examination and laboratory tests. At baseline visit, eligible participant are randomized to receive either cariprazine or Placebo over 6 weeks. Neurocognitive testing, blood sample collection and clinical assessments are completed at all clinic visits.

Eligibility:   Individuals who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to participate

• You are between the ages of 19 and 65 inclusive
• You must be diagnosed with Bipolar disorder
• You are not stable on your current medication
• You are not in a manic or depressive episode currently

No changes will be made to your current medications

Location:  Mood Disorders Centre (2 nd  floor of Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health), 2215 Wesbrook Mall

Contact Information:  Please email or call the study coordinator at  [email protected]  or (604) 822-3769

Reimbursement/Time:   The study will take approximately 11-13 hours of your time over 10-12weeks.  You will receive $25 at screen and week-3 visits.  $50 at baseline and week 6 visits. In addition, your transportation / parking expenses will be covered for the clinic visits.

Study end date :  31 Dec 2025

Efficacy of Cariprazine in Improving Cognitive Functioning in Euthymic patients with Bipolar I Disorder ( CARPZ-01 :H20-01293; in-person study)

Description:  The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of cariprazine in improving cognition in bipolar type-1 participants.  Some people with bipolar disorder have problems with memory, concentration, and decision making skills even after their mood symptoms have improved.  Such cognitive deficits are associated with impairments in everyday functioning and quality of life. This study has 4 (screen, baseline, week-3, week-6) clinic visits and 4 phone appointments. At screen visit neurocognitive testing (paper and pencil tests of memory, problem solving etc) is completed. Only participants with cognitive impairment will complete clinical assessments, physical examination and laboratory tests. At baseline visit, eligible participant are randomized to receive either cariprazine or Placebo over 6 weeks. Neurocognitive testing, blood sample collection and clinical assessments are completed at all clinic visits.

Reimbursement/Time:   The study will take approximately 11-13 hours of your time over 10-12weeks.  You will receive $25 at screen and week-3 visits.  $50 at baseline and week 6 visits. In addition, your transportation / parking expenses will be covered for the clinic visits.

Study end date :  30 Sept 2026

Recovery Transitions Research Study

Researcher : Dr. Robinder Bedi

Description : Eight in-person group counselling sessions involving discussions on the life transitions that occur after achieving abstinence from alcohol use or successful controlled drinking following past problematic alcohol use.

• Participants must have a previously experienced problematic alcohol use, but no major problems with alcohol in the last year.

Location : Groups running in Vancouver and Surrey

Contact Information : If you meet the requirements mentioned above, please email [email protected] to indicate interest. Alternatively, you can leave us a message at 604-822-8953. A researcher will contact you to provide more information about the study and to obtain information to determine eligibility (takes approximately 20 minutes).

Reimbursement/Time : Up to $120 upon completion of a set of questionnaires before and after the group sessions.

Gambling PET/MR Imaging Study (In-person)

• A gambling task during the PET & MRI brain imaging scans
• Uses a small amount of radiation (4.63mSv) attached to a known chemical compound to help the scanner image chemicals in your brain
• 90 minutes to complete
• Uses a large magnet inside the scanner to take pictures of your brain and measure
• Done at the same time as the PET scan in the same scanner
• Total time requirement is 3 hours
• Healthy male and female volunteers age 19-50
• Normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing
• Fluent English

Study End Date: Ongoing, posted March 29, 2023.

Fostering Empathy through Intergenerational Storytelling in Embodied Virtual Reality

Researcher: Chenxinran Elise Shen (MSC student), Joanna McGrenere, Dongwook Yoon

Description: 

The study involves using our experimental VR system to switch bodies and discuss life events in different points of views. We will ask the participants to do the following:

(1) Participants are required to complete an online screening survey to confirm their eligibility.

(2) A 20-minute Zoom meeting will be scheduled with the older adult participant to share information about their memorable life events and relevant photos.

(3) Participants will be invited to attend a 30-minute VR session at the UBC lab, where the older adult participant will share their life event in a designed VR space to the younger participant.

(4) After the VR session, participants will be interviewed for 20 minutes about their experience in a semi-structured format.

• Participants must have at least one generational gap (e.g. parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, uncle and niece)
• Both participants must be 18 years or older and able to effectively communicate in English.
• The older family member will share life stories and provide relevant photos. Participants will also need to provide photo(s) of their front face for VR avatar modeling

Location: Room x521, Department of Computer Science (2366 Main Mall #201, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4)

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact  Chenxinran Shen at [email protected] or text me at 4379730599.

Reimbursement/Time: You and your family member will receive $80 in total via e-transfer for your commitment to the project, at a prorated amount. We will cover the transportation expense with a cap at $50.

Normal Values for Cervical and Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP): Comparison of air conducted (AC) and vibratory stimuli (bone conduction-BC) (In-person)

Study End Date:   ongoing. Posted 2023 march 1

Emerging Adults’ Experience of Caring for Parents with Advanced Disease (Online Study)

Researcher: Eryn Tong, Dr. Abby Goldstein (PI)

Description: We are currently conducting a study to better understand the experience of emerging adults caring for parents living with an incurable, terminal illness. This study is being conducted at the University of Toronto. Interested individuals will be invited to participate in a one-to-one interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. We are hoping to recruit a range of individuals with diverse experiences.

• Between 18 and 29 years of age
• Currently providing unpaid support to a parent living with an incurable, terminal medical condition
• Living in Canada
• Fluent in English

Location:  Online (Microsoft Teams)

Contact Information : Please include “Caregiving Study” in the subject line; Eryn Tong [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time : The interview will last approximately 1 hour. Participants will receive a $20 gift card for their time.

Study End Date : Ongoing. Posted 2023 Feb 7

Study title: Synapse-BD: Assessing neurite density and neuroinflammation in bipolar disorder (in-person study)

Researcher : Lakshmi Yatham (Principal Investigator); Shannon Reid (Research Assistant)

Description: The purpose of this study is to determine if there are differences between individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy individuals in the position and density of nerve cells in the brain, and if they are related to inflammation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) will be used to obtain this information. Participants will come to the clinic for a screening visit to answer questionnaires, provide saliva and blood samples, and talk to a study psychiatrists. Participants who are found to be eligible after the screening visit will be scheduled to come in for a subsequent 90 minute PET/MRI scan as well as a cognitive test and a second blood sample.

Eligibility: Participants are either people who have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type I for 5 years or more, or people who are healthy controls with no personal or family history of any mood and/or psychotic disorders. You may be able to participate if:

• You are between the ages of 19 and 50
• You have a good working English language ability
• You have no history of any major medical illnesses or head injury
• Your body mass index is between 18.0 and 29.9
• Those who can get pregnant must be using contraception

Location: Mood Disorders Centre (2 nd floor of Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health), 2215 Wesbrook Mall

Contact Information: Please email or call the study coordinator at [email protected] or (604) 822-8045

Reimbursement/Time:   The study will take approximately 6 hours of your time, and time and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Study end date : Ongoing. Posted 2023 Feb 7

Effect of Audiovisual Multisensory Integration on Manual Interception (in-person)

Researcher: Dr Miriam Spering (Principal investigator), Abibat Akande, Philipp Kreyenmeier (Graduate students)

Description: We are looking for healthy volunteers to take part in a study on audiovisual multisensory integration on manual interception. If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to look at a moving object on a screen and follow its motion with your eyes. You will also be asked to intercept it by hitting it on the screen with your finger. You can collect points during the experiment based on your performance.

Eligibility:   To participate, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• be between 19-49 years old.
• have normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity.
• do not have hard contact lenses.
• have no history of neurological disease (such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma to the head, including a concussion within 12 months of the study).
• have no history of eye disease (such as strabismus or amblyopia, known a “lazy eye”)
• do not have an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator.
• have no history of psychiatric disease (such as schizophrenia or depression).

Location: The study location is 2366 Main Mall, Computer Science building, ICICS Room X715, UBC campus.

Contact Information: Please email Abibat: [email protected]

Reimbursement/Time: The experiment consists of a single session lasting up to 90 minutes. You will be compensated $10/hour in cash upon completion of this study. In addition to this, you will be paid out your winnings based on the number of points you collected during the experiment.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 10, 2023

Join the Mailing List

If you would like to receive regular emails listing the paid surveys available at UBC, join the paid participant studies mailing list! Emails are typically sent out on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (depending on whether there are new studies available).

To join the list, please sign up at http://www.tinyletter.com/PaidParticipants . You may unsubscribe yourself at any time.

Advertise on the List

If you have paid studies you want to list on the mailing list/listserv, please send an email to Melanie Butt [[email protected]] with the following information. Please send your listing plain-text in an email with 1) ethics approval attachment; 2)  “Paid study posting” in the email subject to ensure your email does not get lost.

Study Title: A unique title used to identify your study (Indicate if this is an online study or not)

Researcher: The grad student(s) and the primary investigator

Description: A few sentences or a short paragraph about what participants will do. You can use the Human Subjects Pool style as a guide.

Eligibility: Any restrictions, such as if you only want students, psych majors, a certain age, etc.

Location: Where the participant will take part in the study (e.g., Kenny building, UBC campus, Vancouver General Hospital, online). Please note that not all readers of the list are UBC students, and so if your location is a building on campus, we recommend you include a street address so participants can look up the location of the building.

Contact Information: A name, email address/phone number, a scheduling link (if eligible) so participants can organize a time to participate

Reimbursement/Time: What participants will be paid and how long will the study take

Study End Date: When the study will be removed from the list. Studies labelled ongoing will remain on the list for one year or until you contact Melanie to remove them.

Please note: This list is a posting service only. All studies affiliated with UBC involving human participants are required to have a research ethics certificate before using this service and the use of this site needs to be specifically outlined in the research ethics application. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure proper ethics guidelines are being followed in using this list as an advertising space. For information on UBC Research Ethics, consult the Office of Research Ethics website . This list is hosted online by, but not affiliated with, the Psychology Graduate Student Council.

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Most Faculty research is conducted under the auspices of the centres and institutes that are part of UBC or affiliated with it, in collaboration with our health partners.

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BC Cancer Research Institute

Conducting a wide variety of cancer research from traditional research based in the laboratory to looking at how we provide counselling and support.

BC Centre on Substance Use

A provincially networked organization with a mandate to develop, help implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction.

BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

The largest research institute of its kind in Western Canada, spanning a wide range of children’s and women’s health concerns.

Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes

Advancing Health (formerly known as CHÉOS) produces high-quality evidence to make informed changes to the health care system.

Centre for Blood Research

The CBR applies emerging biotechnology to the study of blood and blood processing in an integrated, interdisciplinary manner.

Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation

CCI provides services to enhance the research capacity of its member investigators and to facilitate national and international cardiovascular clinical trials.

Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

Progressing research in the prevention and management of chronic diseases.

Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health

Advancing the health of Indigenous people through innovative thinking, research, and education.

Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity

CGSHE has a strategic mandate to advance gender equity and sexual health for all in BC, Canada, and globally.

Centre for Health Education Scholarship

Committed to shaping the theories and activities of learning in the health professions.

Centre for Health Services & Policy Research

Conducting independent, policy-relevant research in the delivery of health care, along with data compilation and graduate training.

Centre for Heart Lung Innovation

Advancing pulmonary, cardiovascular and critical care medicine.

Centre for Hip Health & Mobility

Committed to lessening the burden of arthritis and fall-related fractures through a focus on prevention, detection, and improved treatment of bone and joint diseases.

Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

Exploring the genetic basis of disease, with the goal of developing diagnostic methods and treatments for both common and rare disorders.

Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

Uniting research and clinical expertise in neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology.

Bringing together researchers across disciplines to harness the science of healthy aging to help people stay healthy, happy, and active longer into old age.

Human Early Learning Partnership

Addressing early child development issues from “cell to society,” encompassing everything from how early experience affects the development of the brain, to children’s development over time, to family policy.

Institute of Mental Health

Seeking new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of some of the most challenging issues in modern medicine.

International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)

A multi-disciplinary effort, encompassing basic sciences, social sciences, surgery, rehabilitation, engineering, kinesiology, education and the humanities to find relevant solutions for people with spinal cord injury.

Life Sciences Institute

Dedicated to discovering the fundamental biological mechanisms underlying health and disease in an environment designed to catalyze research ideas and interests.

Northern Centre for Clinical Research

Fostering collaborative clinical and medical life sciences research across the north.

Providence Health Care Research Institute

Research expertise includes laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological research in the fields of HIV/AIDS, heart disease, renal disease, gastro-intestinal diseases, psychiatry, and geriatrics.

UBC Centre for Disease Control

Providing analytical and policy support to all levels of government and health authorities in the understanding, management and prevention of communicable diseases.

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute

Focusing on innovation and discoveries that improve patient health; transform health systems; create technology transfer jobs; and foster a new generation of knowledge and innovation leaders.

Vancouver Prostate Centre

Seeking the reasons for treatment resistance in advanced prostate cancer and translating that into new products and treatments to improve longevity and quality of life.

W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics

Advancing research and teaching in science and technology ethics and policy, organizational ethics, animal welfare, health, the environment, and research ethics.

Women’s Health Research Institute

Devoted to improving the health and health care of girls and women through knowledge generation.

UBC Senate-approved and/or Faculty of Medicine-approved research centres and institutes in the Faculty of Medicine.

Learn more about the many additional research groups and programs affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine.

• Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre
• BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
• MRI Research Centre
• National Core for Neuroethics
• OVCARE (BC’s Ovarian Cancer Research Team)
• Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre
• PC-TRiADD (Prostate Centre’s Translational Research Initiative for Accelerated Discovery and Development)
• PRIME Centre (Perinatal Research Imaging and Evaluation Centre)
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• Vancouver Stroke Program

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Research Studies

The ubc mood disorders centre research program.

We conduct a number of research studies on the causes of, and treatments for, SAD.  All of our studies are approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Board of the University of BC.  Please see our Published Papers page for results of these studies. Some current and previous research studies include:

• Light therapy as a substitute for antidepressants in maintenance treatment for NON-SEASONAL depression.
• Light therapy and negative ion therapy, combined with antidepressant medication, for NON-SEASONAL depression (the LIFE study). This study is now published.  You can read the full article now: Efficacy of Bright Light Treatment, Fluoxetine, and the Combination in Patients With Nonseasonal Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
• New light devices for SAD, including light “glasses”
• Genetic studies in SAD, examining specific dopamine and serotonin genes (with Dr. Robert Levitan, University of Toronto)

More information about other depression studies can be found at www.WorkingWithDepression.ca . If you live in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, North Shore, Tri-Cities, Surrey), you can find out more about participating in research studies at our Mood Disorders Centre web site .

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UBC Sexual Health Research focuses on clinical and behavioural research in women’s sexual health, including sexual difficulties, discrepancies, and distress. Our research aims to develop and test psychological interventions for the management of genital pain and low sexual desire causing significant personal distress.

We also examine different aspects of sexual orientation, including asexuality. Dr. Lori Brotto and colleagues have published landmark studies differentiating asexuality from sexual dysfunction. This and our current line of research are aimed at exploring the neural and biological correlates of asexuality as a unique sexual orientation.

Sexuality is an integral aspect of well-being and strongly influences relationship happiness. However, too often individual, relational, environmental, political, cultural, and medical factors get in the way of healthy sexuality. Our driving goal is to identify and mitigate these forces so as to cultivate each woman’s own human sexual potential.

To view our past and present studies, click the down-arrow on the studies tab to view by category.

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Support UBC research and make some extra cash

Share this post

Do you have long breaks between classes? Want to make some extra cash? Participate in research studies on campus and get gift cards or money.

What are the studies like?

It really depends on what you sign up for. Different labs run different types of studies, all researching various topics. Usually, you can receive at least $10 for 1 hour of your time.

Some I’ve done include:

• Washing a cup of chocolate syrup with as little water as possible
• Maintaining eye contact with a stranger for 10 minutes
• Locating an unknown building on campus without a phone

Sounds interesting, right? Here’s a list of studies to get you started!

Paid Psychology Studies

These studies are open to the general public, so make sure you review the eligibility requirements before signing up. Usually, you'll receive cash for your time.

View studies

Visual Cognitive Lab

Get $10 cash for 1 hour of participation. These studies focus mostly on visual intelligence—how the human visual system works to create perceptual experiences—so you may be evaluating dots or lines on screens.

Browse opportunities

Marketing Studies

Sauder offers paid studies for UBC students from time to time. An example study could be to provide feedback about a retail company’s online interactions with its customers.

Request an account

Motor Skills Lab

UBC Kinesiology researchers run studies investigating human motor learning or movement. Past studies have featured dart-throwing and balance tests.

Find studies

CareersOnline

Sometimes research units promote their studies via the online job board. Search keywords including “ research study ”, “ participant ”, or “ paid research study ” to browse available studies. Make sure that you’re signing up for UBC research.

Visit CareersOnline

Answer questions about your student experience, or do quick tests for the students.ubc.ca website to get a gift card. Join the mailing list to be notified for in-person or online tests.

• Studies aren’t always available. Sign up for notifications.
• Some studies aren’t just for UBC students. Check eligibility requirements.
• Spots fill up fast! Once you’re notified of a study, sign up ASAP.
• Know what you signed up for—read the study description in detail.
• Don’t book a study too close to your class time!
• Arrive at least 10 minutes early to the study.
• Give your honest opinion and feedback.
• If you feel uncomfortable during any part of a research study, you can stop at any time.

Good luck maximizing your break time—and feel good knowing you’re contributing to UBC research!

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Research Stories

Recent research stories from across ubc.

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Celebrating Excellence: UBC's Royal Society of Canada 2022 Inductees Speak about their Research

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UBC researchers discover ‘weak spot’ across major COVID-19 variants

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New UBC partnerships supported by France Canada Research Fund

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Study finds using machine learning can hire better teachers

Applying Artificial Intelligence to Generate a Diverse Range of Impacts

Dr. Kenneth Miller appointed Edith Lando Professor in Counselling for Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Families

Dr. Pieter Cullis named 2022 Canada Gairdner Award laureate

New Advanced Research Computing Services to Enhance Cloud Computing and Data Transfer

Reclaiming the narrative: How UBC students helped decolonize MOA’s African collections

How racism holds Black women back from leadership positions

Artificial intelligence helps to make composite materials stronger, more reliable

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Celebrating Excellence: UBC Royal Society 2021 Fellows speak about their research

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Spending time in nature promotes early childhood development

No apparent shortage of prey for southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters during summer

Planned home birth presents little risk where midwifery is well-integrated

Cancer chemotherapy drug reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

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Coral reefs are 50% less able to provide food, jobs, and climate protection than in 1950, putting millions at risk

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Up to 85 per cent of historical salmon habitat lost in lower Fraser region

Get involved in Neuroscience research during your undergraduate degree through courses, volunteering, awards, or paid positions. Browse the UBC Neuroscience research areas below.

Our faculty, nsci courses.

• Co-Operative Education Program in Neuroscience

Undergraduate Research Funding

5 steps to getting involved in research.

Over 100 faculty members have been identified at UBC with specialisations in neuroscience, and conduct research in 10 different sub-categories. Explore these categories below.

Students in the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience have the opportunity to get involved in these research labs, both as part of the Neuroscience Program and as part of extra-curricular activities such as Summer Research Awards or Research Assistant Positions.

Cognitive neuroscience explores how our brains have a role in our mental processes. It involves studying neural circuits involved in cognitive processes like memory, attention and language. Cognitive neuroscience is interdisciplinary, combining the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and computational modelling. Researchers use imaging techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and positron emission tomography (PET) to analyse neural data. View Faculty

Developmental neuroscience studies how the brain develops; from embryonic stages to adolescence to adulthood. Developmental neuroscience explores normal neural development, as well as disrupted development to uncover more information about brain dysfunction and improve therapies. Finally, developmental neuroscience gives insight to critical periods in brain development and development of brain region connectivity. View Faculty

Computational neuroscience combines neuroscience, math, and computer science to develop mathematical models and abstractions to study neurological processes. Computational neuroscientists use these models to understand the physiology, structure and function of the nervous system. View Faculty

Neuroscientists researching motivation, emotion and arousal study the function of neurotransmitters and brain circuits to identify how behaviours are influenced. Researchers in this field may use a range of techniques including behavioural studies, imaging data and molecular studies to collect their data. View Faculty

Motor neuroscience looks at how the brain processes and produces movement, as well as how it integrates sensory feedback. It involves the study of brain motor regions, the spinal cord, and the muscles in order to understand how these systems integrate together to produce movement. View Faculty

Researchers in this field study the morphology and function of non-neuronal cells within the brain. Researchers collect data on how glia affect brain health, as well as the mechanisms involved in cell-to-cell communication. View Faculty

Neuroendocrinology is the study of how the brain interacts with hormones and controls their release throughout the body. Researchers study the interactions between the brain and target organs, employing a variety of behavioural and molecular techniques. View Faculty

In this field, researchers study the effects of neural injury on the brain and nervous system to develop better treatments and restore function. Researchers look at the brain on a cellular and molecular level but also study the impact of brain damage on behaviour. View Faculty

Researchers study the biological basis of psychiatric disorders, combining the fields of psychology and psychiatry with neuroscience. Researchers look at genetics, injury, neurotransmitter imbalances and brain circuit dysfunction to better their understanding of psychiatric disorders. View Faculty

In this field, researchers aim to understand how sensory systems, such as smell, taste, and hearing help us integrate and perceive information from the environment. View Faculty

NSCI 400 Neuroscience Capstone

Course Description: A capstone course to provide students with a rigorous neuroscience research experience under the supervision of one or more faculty members. Integrated support and feedback is provided by peers and faculty.

This course is taken by all Neuroscience Majors in their fourth year. Students submit a project proposal for approval before starting their project. Project proposals will indicate a statement related to: (1) the relevance of their project to neuroscience; and (2) the relevance of the project to the students' curriculum and career plan. These proposals should be written in collaboration with the proposed faculty supervisor.

Note that although most NSCI 400 projects will be carried out within a traditional lab setting, this is not a requirement and other projects are possible with NSCI 400 instructor approval. Moreover, with NSCI 400 instructor approval, a project may be carried out without faculty member supervision.

Examples of potential NSCI 400 project proposals (note that these would need to be approved by the NSCI 400 instructor):

• Write a graphic novel about simultagnosia (the inability to see more than one object at a time).

• Conduct an in-lab experiment on the mechanisms of memory in a fruit fly.

• Conduct a neuroimaging experiment with human participants who live with Alzheimer’s disease.

• Write a review paper on recent advances in the study of mice models of epilepsy.

• Study the neural mechanisms of language acquisition in toddlers.

Application Procedures: More information will be added to this page in advance of the first offering of NSCI 400 (Winter 2024).

Students should plan to search for faculty supervisors no later than the summer before the start of NSCI 400.

NSCI 448 Directed Studies in Neuroscience

Course Description : Directed investigation of a neuroscience research question requiring a report of the findings.

Prerequisite : at least a 70% average in the preceding 30 credits, permission of the supervisor, and permission of the director of the neuroscience specialization. This course can be taken in years 2 - 4 of a student's degree.

NSCI 448 is only available to students in the Neuroscience Major.

Application Procedure :

• Arrange supervision with a UBC faculty member doing neuroscience research. The Graduate Program in Neuroscience faculty list is a good starting point for your search for a supervisor.
• Submit a NSCI 448 Directed Studies Application Form .
• Receive approval of your project from the Course Coordinator.
• Register in NSCI 448.

NSCI 448 Directed Studies courses are either 3 credits (single term, available in Summer and Winter semesters) or 6 credits (Term 1 and Term 2 during a Winter semester). Students are expected to work 9 hours per week on an NSCI 448 Directed Studies project.

For a Term 1 start, the application must be submitted by September 8th, 2023. For a Term 2 start, the application must be submitted by January 12th, 2024.

Co-operative Education Program in Neuroscience

Co-operative education integrates academic study with work experience during a student's degree. Students in Neuroscience may take part in this optional program. The Co-operative Education Program in Neuroscience consists of 16 months of work placement (4 terms) and is designed to prepare students for careers in governmental, industrial and academic positions. These work terms are normally taken consecutively following the summer after third year, and students apply in year 3. Students must complete all four work terms to receive a Co-op designation.

Admission to the program is based on academic performance as well as resumé and interview. Enrolment is determined based on availability of placements. Additional information can be found on the Co-op website .

This year's due date for the Neuroscience Co-op Program is October 3rd, 2023.

1. Learn more about the neuroscience research happening at UBC.

• Browse through the  neuroscience faculty  directory to learn more about the labs at UBC.

• Attend on-campus talks such as the  Neuroscience Research Colloquium .

• Go to events like the journal club hosted by the  Neuroscience Club .

• Go to office hours to ask your professors about the research they do.

• Attend conferences such as  NURC  or  MURC .

• Take part in opportunities like the  Research Experience Program .

2. Shortlist some labs you find interesting.

• Go to the lab's website to learn more about the research they do and read recently published papers by this lab.

3. Reach out to professors and their graduate students.

• Email professors or graduate students directly to see if they are looking for research assistants. It is best to keep your email short and to the point.

• Prepare a resumé to attach in your email. Note that some labs may request your transcript and an interview. Browse through  resumé  and  interview  tips.

4. Complete the necessary training for your research position. Note that many of these research positions will likely be volunteer positions at first.

• Your lab will provide you with more information about specific training courses you may have to take.

5. Apply for undergraduate research awards or Directed Studies courses.

• Once you have settled into the lab, you can turn your volunteer position into a paid position via research awards.

• Alternatively, you can consider a Directed Studies where you earn course credit for your work.

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Our research aims to understand the complex challenges and opportunities for governments, societies, and the international community with regards to global migration.

Through our research groups, projects, initiatives, and affiliated courses, the UBC Centre for Migration studies hopes to share our expertise with key stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, immigrant and refugee services providers, and the public.

Our research is interdisciplinary in focus and includes everything from migration governance, immigrant integration and national identity formation to the politics of belonging, migration narratives, (im)mobilities, and the relationship between Indigeneity and migration.

Get in touch

Interested in learning more and getting involved with migration research and education.

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Canadian Immigration Updates

Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details

The supervisor is the key person in a thesis-based graduate degree program. The principal role of the supervisor is to help students achieve their scholastic potential and to chair the student’s Supervisory Committee. The Supervisor will provide reasonable commitment, accessibility, professionalism, stimulation, guidance, respect and consistent encouragement to the student. Learn more

Graduate programs have different expectations regarding prospective students contacting faculty members. Some require commitment of a faculty member as thesis supervisor prior to applying while others assign supervisors in the first year. Please review the requirements for each program in the degree listing under the heading "Admission Information & Requirements" in step 3 "Prepare Application" under "Thesis Supervision".

Advice on how to reach out to supervisors

Supervisor Directory

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Reaching Out Tips

Complete these steps before you reach out to a faculty member.

• Familiarize yourself with program requirements. You want to learn as much as possible from the information available to you before you reach out to a faculty member. Be sure to visit the graduate degree program listing and program-specific websites.
• Check whether the program requires you to seek commitment from a supervisor prior to submitting an application. For some programs this is an essential step while others match successful applicants with faculty members within the first year of study. This is either indicated in the program profile under "Admission Information & Requirements" - "Prepare Application" - "Supervision" or on the program website.
• Identify specific faculty members who are conducting research in your specific area of interest.
• Read up on the faculty members in the program and the research being conducted in the department.
• Familiarize yourself with their work, read their recent publications and past theses/dissertations that they supervised. Be certain that their research is indeed what you are hoping to study.
• Do not send non-specific, mass emails to everyone in the department hoping for a match.
• Address the faculty members by name. Your contact should be genuine rather than generic.
• Include a brief outline of your academic background, why you are interested in working with the faculty member, and what experience you could bring to the department. The supervision enquiry form guides you with targeted questions. Ensure to craft compelling answers to these questions.
• Highlight your achievements and why you are a top student. Faculty members receive dozens of requests from prospective students and you may have less than 30 seconds to pique someone’s interest.
• Convey the specific ways you are a good fit for the program.
• Convey the specific ways the program/lab/faculty member is a good fit for the research you are interested in/already conducting.
• Be enthusiastic, but don’t overdo it.

G+PS regularly provides virtual sessions that focus on admission requirements and procedures and tips how to improve your application.

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