A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr. Xie's studies focused on exploring the role of microRNAs in human placental development and differentiation. She discovered the connection between growth factors and specific microRNAs in placental development and their potential role in related diseases. Her findings may contribute to the clinical applications for placenta-related diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Tucker investigated clinical and molecular predictors of endometriosis outcomes. He developed one of the first clinical models to predict pain-related outcomes after endometriosis surgery, advancing personalized care for the condition. His work also deepens understanding of cancer-linked mutations as potential drivers of endometriosis severity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Women+ and Children's Health Sciences (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Bonneau studied the interactions between ice structures and the ocean in Milne Fiord, Nunavut. His work led to a better understanding of the mechanisms driving the transfer of heat from the ocean to glaciers and ice shelves. This knowledge improves our ability to model and therefore predict sea level rise. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Desjarlais-Smith’s research explored wholistic leadership perspectives of Indigenous women in the K-12 education system. Her research shows that Indigenous women leaders struggle to maintain their Indigeneity while navigating decolonizing education systems. The research calls for systematic changes to educational organizations. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Raelyn Sullivan investigated two mysteries of the Universe. She explored how Earth's motion affects signals from space, making it hard to detect universe-wide patterns from the Big Bang. She also studied cosmic birefringence, the rotation of polarized light as it travels through the Universe, constraining models of dark matter and dark energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Mobaraki applied Artificial Intelligence to the welding industry by developing AI models that allow industrial robots to see and hear, enabling real-time seam tracking and defect detection. Her work in computer vision and multi-modal AI also incorporates explainable AI to build trust in automated manufacturing systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Chapman studied how viral infection impacts the fertility of honey bee queens. This work helps to define one of many factors contributing to queen failure, which is a significant problem for the beekeeping industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2025 | Large earthquakes often draw attention, but most seismic activity consists of more frequent, smaller earthquakes. Dr. Drolet developed and applied numerical methods to analyze small earthquakes across western North America. Her findings advance understanding of seismic source processes and reveal important insights into Earth’s interior behaviour. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Cordero studied contemporary Caribbean fiction. She focused on religion, memory, and history while addressing nonlinearity to highlight the coexistence of multiple temporalities. Her research deploys an original, experimental method for literary analysis named archipelagic reading that reclaims Caribbean worldview and its epistemic authority. | Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Jettinghoff examined why motivated reasoning persists despite its personal and societal costs. He found that, contrary to prevailing views in psychology, many people knowingly accept irrationality rather than deceiving themselves about their biases. This work reframes motivated reasoning as supported by, not contrary to, stances on rationality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2025 | In Dr. Oveisi's research, a multi-method approach was used to examine cancer’s impact on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Quantitative analysis showed higher risks of early menopause, painful sex, and infertility. Qualitatively, patients discussed impacts on personal, relationship, and community levels, and barriers to receiving appropriate care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Dada used new DNA sequencing technology to develop all-in-one diagnostic tests for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, including Prader-Willi Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, and Temple Syndromes. She also developed the use of third generation DNA sequencing for personalized diagnosis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Ziao Wang's dissertation develops new strategies to analyze structured data like sequences and networks. His work improves how we sort items, find important elements, and match similar structures—advancing tools used in fields from computer science to social science and beyond. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Corcuera studied how minimum wages affect employment and wages when there is a large informal sector. His research finds that in these cases, raising the minimum wage tends to reduce formal jobs. However, by estimating changes in purchasing power across households, he finds that the least wealthy are not negatively affected overall. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Hajipour studied how sleep-disordered breathing impacts individuals' health. He found that those who experience greater drops in oxygen levels and weaker brain and heart reactivity during sleep are more likely to develop cognitive impairment and have a higher risk of mortality. This work could help improve how doctors assess and manage sleep disorders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Dexter studied how bacteria break down acetovanillone, a compound in industrial lignin streams. She discovered a new pathway in Rhodococcus rhodochrous that converts acetovanillone into vanillate. Her work expands our understanding of lignin degradation and identifies new enzymes that could be used for biocatalytic applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Im studies a deadly form of leukemia carrying the EVI1 protein, which makes cells highly resistant to treatment. He discovered a target that boosts the release of death signals from mitochondria during treatment, nullifying this resistance. His findings present a vulnerability that could further be developed into a novel treatment approach. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Donald explored the role of the antibody IgA, a key component of breastmilk, in guiding infant immune development, demonstrating that IgA controls potentially harmful microbes in the developing gut and protects the infant against allergic disease. This work enhances our understanding of the health-promoting properties of breastmilk. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Brown compared health outcomes from guided and self-guided forest bathing in Metro Vancouver parks, measuring mood, nature connectedness, heart rate, and blood pressure. Plant diversity, sound, seasons, and individual traits influenced outcomes. Her research informs public health and park design addressing urban stress and nature disconnection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Graves hiked nearly 1,000 kilometers to study how temperate lakes with weak winds may not fully mix during Fall turnover. Her study highlights the role of surface temperature and the thermal expansion coefficient in convection-driven mixing. Findings impact hydrodynamic models and climate change predictions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Zhu dedicated her research to developing smart materials by exploring cellulose-water interactions and uncovering their underlying mechanisms. She has engineered high-performance materials and successfully demonstrated their real-world applications. Her work with biopolymers advances sustainability and contributes to a greener future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Fuhrman studied the interaction of visual attention and physiological movements during speech production. This work showed that a general principle linking attention and energy can serve as a basis for optimizing visual fixations to predict auditory speech patterns in an AI model, offering insights for both human cognition and AI development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Stankiewicz studied how sex-based differences influence T cell development in the human thymus. Using stem cell models, she mapped thymus niches to guide T cell growth, revealing new insights into immune development. Her work offers a novel tool to study and improve T cell therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Cameron developed machine learning methods to automatically improve algorithms and synthesize entirely new ones tailored to specific applications, enabling better solutions for optimizing 5G networks and power grids. He laid groundwork for richer algorithm design by building a unified model that broadly understands such computational problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Fleetwood researched biobased, responsive membranes and hydrophobic coatings for waterproof, breathable materials (i.e. rain jackets). Through this work, she developed a plant-based, aqueous, water-repellent spray and a guard cell isolation protocol. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |