Data Science for Social Good

The DSSG program at UBC is an interdisciplinary summer research program that brings together data providers and domain experts to work with talented students (i.e., DSSG Fellows) on data-intensive projects that have the potential to benefit society.

This 14-week, full-time, paid summer program is designed to bring together UBC undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds with experience in data science, urban research and planning, design thinking and other domains to work on focused, collaborative research projects that have the potential to benefit society. 

Please see below for past projects.

Students

The call for applications for Summer 2026 is now open until Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 11:45pm.

Click here to submit your application

Information Session - Friday, January 16, 2026 at noon (PST)

If you are a current UBC student interested in attending an online information session about the DSSG Program, please register for the session here. A confirmation email with the Zoom link will be sent out closer to the date.

Eligibility

This program is open to full-time undergraduate students at the UBC Vancouver campus who have successfully completed 75 undergraduate credits, or full-time graduate students at UBC Vancouver campus. While some experience with coding (e.g., Python, R) and/or statistical background is helpful to your application, we welcome applications from students from all backgrounds -- including those from the social sciences and the arts.

Graduate students will require written consent from their thesis supervisor to participate in the DSSG Program. Due to the nature of the DSSG Program, applications from students enrolled in the Master of Data Science will not be considered. Additionally, preference will be given to undergraduate students from any discipline and graduate students from non-STEM fields.

International students are eligible to apply if they will be returning to school full-time in September 2026.

The DSSG Program is eligible for UBC Science and Arts Co-op credits.

Students in certificate or diploma programs are not eligible for the DSSG Program.

Students must be available full-time during the DSSG Program (Monday, May 11 - Friday, August 14, 2026). While the students may be able to work remotely for part of the Program, they will be required to attend and participate in the orientation, presentations, workshops, meetings, etc. in-person. Therefore, it is critical that they are able to commute to the UBC Vancouver Campus on a regular basis and on short notice, and not make travel plans without approvals from the DSI Scientific Director and project sponsor(s) during the Program.

Partners