The UBC Department of Chemistry offers scholarships and awards to graduate students to support their research. Award application processes are announced internally each year and require a completed Annual Report to be eligible. These awards are only available to in program students. Any questions about these awards should be directed to your supervisor and/or graduate committee members.
Graduate Awards
F.J. Nicholson Scholarship
Endowed by the late Dr. Francis John Nicholson, the following scholarships are awarded for the purpose of enabling students to do graduate study in the University of British Columbia or in any other approved university: One scholarship for graduate work in Chemistry. Applicants must be UBC Honours graduates in Chemistry or graduates in Chemical Engineering. These scholarships are granted with due consideration for the financial status of the candidate. The spirit of the endowment is to aid those to whom financial help is necessary or of material assistance. Recipients must have British or Canadian citizenship, and be not more than 30 years of age at the beginning of the academic term for which the award is made. Preference is given in making awards to native-born British Columbians.
Arthur S. Hawkes Scholarship in Chemistry
Scholarships have been endowed through a bequest by Dr. Arthur S. Hawkes. The awards are offered graduate students in Chemistry involved in biochemical research and are made on the recommendation of the Department of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Ed Shuter Scholarship
A scholarship has been endowed by the family of Ed Shuter and is offered to a student entering second year of graduate studies in the Chemistry. The award is made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. No application required.
Edward Piers Memorial Award in Organic Chemistry
A scholarship is offered in memory of Dr. Edward Piers and in celebration of his distinguished career in the Department of chemistry. The award is open to graduate students in any branch of Organic Chemistry (including synthetic, bioorganic, organometallic or materials) who demonstrate qualities of academic excellence, experimental skill and dedication to the field through service and leadership. During more than forty years on campus, Dr. Piers mentored more than 90 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and inspired many to pursue careers in chemistry. His many accomplishments resulted in his election to Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada in 1989. Dr. Piers also made significant leadership contributions to the profession of chemistry in Canada and was widely respected among his peers – “a true scholar and gentleman.” The award is made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Brian and Jane James Graduate Scholarship in Catalysis Research
A scholarship has been made available through an endowment established by Chemistry Professor Emeritus Brian R. James. The award is granted to an outstanding graduate student in Chemistry who is specializing in research in Catalysis. The award is made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Sandra Morris and Richard Tillyer Scholarship in Chemistry
Two scholarships have been made available through an endowment established by Dr. Sandra Morris and Dr. Richard Tillyer to outstanding graduate students, one in organic or biological chemistry, and the other in any area of research in chemistry, who demonstrate academic excellence and strong research ability and potential in their first two years in the graduate program in both cases, preference is given to those who show ability to work collaboratively with teams/colleagues and promise in the area of public speaking and presentations. Dr. Sandra Morris (BASc 1986, PhD Chem 1991) and Dr. Richard Tillyer (PhD Chem 1991) met at UBC while attaining their PhD’s in Organic Chemistry and went onto successful careers in the pharmaceutical industry. They feel passionately about giving back to their Alma Mater, by supporting the success of outstanding doctoral students. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Michael and Mary Gerry Graduate Scholarship in Physical Chemistry
A scholarship has been made available through an endowment established by the late Dr. Michael C.L. Gerry and Mrs. Mary Gerry. The award is intended for a graduate student of high academic standing who has demonstrated excellence in Physical Chemistry. Preference will be given to a student working in the area of Molecular Spectroscopy. Candidates must be a Canadian citizen to be considered. The award is made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Ronald George Cavell Graduate Scholarship in Inorganic Chemistry
A scholarship has been made available through an endowment established by Dr. Ronald Cavell (MSc 1960, PhD 1962, Chem) for a PhD student undertaking research in inorganic chemistry. Preference will be given to a student whose work includes the application or development of spectroscopy and/or who has returned to graduate studies after a period of two or more years away from university studies. Dr. Cavell was a double alumnus who had a successful research career, which included playing an instrumental role in setting up the Canadian Light Source. The award is made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Wilma Ethel Elias Scholarship in Chemistry
Scholarships have been made available through an endowment established by an estate gift from Dr. Wilma Ethel Elias (1925-2018) for female graduate students studying chemistry. Dr. Elias was the first woman to obtain a PhD at UBC. The scholarships are made on the recommendation of the Dept. of Chemistry, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Steve Withers Scholarship in Biological Chemistry
Scholarships have been made available through an endowment established by friends, family, students, and colleagues in honor of Dr. Steve Withers, for outstanding graduate students studying Biological Chemistry. Steve (BSc, PhD) is a world expert on mechanisms of enzymatic glycoside formation and hydrolysis, and has used his insights for the engineering and inhibition of these enzymes, which play crucial roles in all areas of biology. In addition to being a faculty member in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, he was the founding Director of the UBC Centre for High-Throughput Biology and the Genome Science & Technology graduate program, which is now held within the Michael Smith Laboratories. Since joining the UBC Chemistry department in July 1982 and retiring in 2023, he has trained a large number of graduate and postdoctoral students in the area of chemical biology, particularly as it applies to carbohydrates. He has won many awards for his research, most notably being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. The awards are made on the recommendation of Department of Chemistry, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Dr. Miguel A. Romero Sánchez Memorial Fellowship in Chemistry
A fellowship has been made available through an endowment established by Dr. Miguel Angel Romero (Ph.D.1990) in memory of his father Dr. Miguel Antonio Romero Sánchez (1925-1997) for an outstanding Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. Preference will be given to a student with Mexican citizenship. Conditional on the recipient's continued satisfactory academic progress the fellowship may be renewed for an additional year of study. Dr. Romero Sánchez was a prominent organic chemist in Mexico. He completed his undergraduate degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, his M.S. and Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Harvard University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College London. Dr. Romero Sánchez was the founder and first President of the Mexican Mineralogical Society and was awarded the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Mineralogical Award in 1992. The fellowships are made on the recommendation of the Department of Chemistry in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Chris Orvig Doctoral Prize in Chemistry
Prizes have been made available through an endowment established by friends, family, students and colleagues in honor of Dr. Chris Orvig for graduate students in the Faculty of Science studying Chemistry who have written the highest-ranking Ph.D. thesis. Dr. Orvig was a faculty member and Director of the Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry Group at UBC Chemistry from 1984 until his retirement in December 2022. His research focused on the roles of metal ions in the etiology, diagnosis, and therapy of disease. During his long career at UBC, Dr. Orvig supervised a large number of graduate students, many of whom now have positions in industry and academia around the world, and served as departmental Graduate Advisor for ten years. The prize is open to PhD graduates who have submitted their final defended dissertation to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies within the current calendar year; a high impact thesis is expected. The awards are made on the recommendation of Department of Chemistry.
Summer Scholarships
Head’s Graduate Student Scholarships
These awards are available only to one student in each of the groups of our 5 Assistant Professors or in the case of years with <5 Assistant Professors, the excess awards will be added to the adjudication pool for the Hooley Scholarships (see below). A student cannot win this award more than once during their graduate career. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Department of Chemistry.
Agnes and Gilbert Hooley Scholarships
A maximum of one of these awards may be held within a research group. The awards are made on the recommendation of Department of Chemistry.
Graduate Student Summer Research Awards
Awards have been made available as a result of the endowment created at the end of 2024. Students that win the Head’s Graduate Student Scholarships and the Agnes and Gilbert Hooley Scholarships are not eligible for these awards. The awards are made on the recommendation of Department of Chemistry.