Envisioned by Dr. Michael Smith, a Nobel Laureate and a pioneer at the interface of biology and technology, UBC’s Biotechnology Laboratory (later renamed in 2004 when the new building opened as the Michael Smith Laboratories) was the first of its kind: a dynamic hub that includes clusters of interdisciplinary researchers working together, under one roof. This hub became a community where biologists and engineers collaborate to make impactful contributions to society’s greatest needs. Fast-forward two decades, the Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) is now home to a team of researchers from a number of faculties including Science, Medicine, Applied Science, Forestry, and Land and Food Systems.
Committed to Research Excellence and Community Impact
Welcome to UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories, where cutting-edge research and educational outreach converge to inspire creative ideas and experiments addressing society’s most pressing health and environmental needs.
Here at the Michael Smith Laboratories, we think and act differently. We collaborate with our diverse networks of peers, and encourage one another to overcome challenges and uncover innovative solutions to problems of societal importance. We believe that impactful research is catalyzed by a collaborative, interdisciplinary and supportive environment built around cutting-edge resources and tools. We use these approaches to bridge foundational, blue-sky research excellence with application and in so doing to drive biotechnology advances and real-world solutions to grand challenges. Together, we strive to make a difference.
Our success can be seen through the impact of our people, programs and research. With over 100 awards, countless high-impact publications, numerous biotechnology companies, outreach to thousands of elementary and high school students, and millions of dollars raised, the Michael Smith Laboratories is truly influential. Our research uncovers foundational new knowledge about the way our world works and translates these discoveries to the practical solutions and biotechnological approaches needed for our future. At the core of our work, we inspire and enable research excellence.
We are fortunate to attract some of the brightest stars in discovery oriented and applied research. Our graduate students, research fellows, and faculty have invested their time and effort to build this community into what it is today and to communicate our science to the broader world. Together, we have realized Michael Smith’s original vision by building on three guiding principles – research, education, and community relevance. Our outreach and science education efforts, centred at the Advanced Molecular Biology Laboratory, connect this vision to communities throughout Canada and the world.
We are honoured to be a part of this unique organization and committed to fostering an environment that inspires the next generation of scientific leaders.
Michael Smith | Photo by Martin Dee and provided by UBC Archives.
Dr. Michael Smith (1932-2000), Nobel Prize Laureate, will be remembered as a great humanitarian who was passionate about research and science. He received his PhD in 1956 from the University of Manchester and then undertook his post-doctoral studies in Gobind Khorana’s Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada.
In 1993, Smith received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on site-directed mutagenesis, a technique where a specific DNA sequence can be altered in a targeted manner. As a true humanitarian, he donated half of the Nobel Prize money to Science World British Columbia and to the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST). The other half was given to researchers working on the genetics of schizophrenia, a widespread mental disorder for which research money was scarce.
Michael Smith was a distinguished and creative scientist, a humble man known for his humanity. He gave generously to the people of Canada and the world, using his time and energy to reach out to audiences with his message about the importance of science to everyone’s life. Smith was a natural leader who made the journey from humble beginnings to scientific greatness, without losing touch with his roots. Smith’s legacy lives on through BC’s biotechnology industries, research institutes and centres (such as Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre), and funding organizations (such as Genome British Columbia, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research).
This video was created and funded by Genome British Columbia and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, with support from the Michael Smith Laboratories.
About Us
Awards + Recognition
At the Michael Smith Laboratories, our research aims to influence the world around us. The Michael Smith Laboratories’ faculty have received numerous awards and recognition from professional associations, foundations, and academic institutions.
One Nobel Prize Laureate
Nine Royal Society of Canada Fellows
One Member and Two Officers of the Order of Canada
Two recipients of the Order of British Columbia
Seven Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs (past and active) and Three Tier II Canada Research Chairs (past and active)
One Laureate and One Inductee to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Four Howard Hughes International Research Scholars
