Convocation November 2016

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership and Policy)

• Dr. Rhonda Elaine Elser: "Dr. Elser examined Aboriginal parental engagement in the Calgary Catholic School District from a multiple of perspectives. Her findings revealed parental engagement as a process of reciprocal relationship building that considers Aboriginal social context as well as culture, language and values. These results will be useful for K-12 education."
• Dr. Sharon Marie Hobenshield: "Dr. Hobenshield explored the Indigenous practice of gift giving. Her research identified specific Indigenous principles embedded within this tradition that inform a particular way of knowing. This information can be used to support the work of Indigenization in post-secondary education."
• Dr. Marian Ida Riedel: "Dr. Riedel explored how international practicums in Teacher Education impacted the understanding of good teaching practices for beginning teachers. She found these settings challenged assumptions in ways that rarely happen in home-country settings. Her findings emphasize the value of internationalizing Teacher Education in substantive ways."

Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology)

• Dr. Cathrena Narcisse: "Dr. Narcisse examined the outstanding land issue in British Columbia from the indigenous perspective. She found that while the circumstances of colonialism were prevalent, the oral history about the inherent indigenous land ownership has remained consistent over several generations."
• Dr. Chris A Arnett: "Dr. Arnett studied the cultural occurrence of rock art and how it was used by Nlaka'pamux of the British Columbia Plateau. His research showed that while rock art was a form of intervention against colonization, it later shifted to the preservation of local traditions. This work will be of benefit to Indigenous people throughout the world."
• Dr. Lara Shelley Rosenoff Gauvin: "Dr. Rosenoff Gauvin studied how rural villages in Northern Uganda move on after decades of war and internal displacement. Emphasizing the importance of land rights in post-conflict contexts, she asserts that in wars where victims are also the perpetrators of violence, "justice" prioritizes living together again and rebuilding indigenous governance and community."
• Dr. Mascha Gugganig: "Through the concepts of 'learnscapes', Dr. Gugganig investigated the diverse forms that education takes across three different contexts on the island of Kaua'i. Her work increases our understanding of indigenous education, knowledge production on land, public understanding of science, and how these processes and institutions co-evolve in the notion of education."
• Dr. Eric James Guiry: "Dr. Guiry studied the historical implications of animal trade and husbandry. His research showed how dietary analyses at the atomic level can be used to reveal new insights into the social and economic roles of domesticated animal species in colonial trade systems of North America and Australia."

Doctor of Philosophy (Art History)

• Dr. Vytas George Narusevicius: "Dr. Narusevicius investigates Conceptual artists and their practices by focusing on the link with educational institutions, student protest movements, and a desire for autonomy in the 1960s and early 1970s. It is through an analysis of the relationship between Conceptual art and the various notions of autonomy that this research provides a deeper insight and understanding of Conceptual art."
• Dr. Yanlong Guo: "Dr. Guo studied how consumers interacted with metal mirrors during Han dynasty China. He argues that these mirrors served as a dominant form of affordable luxury, signaling personal intimacies, monetary wealth, and aesthetic enjoyments. His work increases our historical understanding of early imperial art and economics."
• Dr. Joan Paula Boychuk: "Dr. Boychuk studied the art of 16th-century Europe, with a focus on the works of Joris Hoefnagel. She demonstrated how Hoefnagel used illumination to attain a position of prominence at the courts of the Holy Roman Empire. Her research challenges established views of early modern illumination and adds to the scholarship on Central European art. "

Doctor of Philosophy (Asian Studies)

• Dr. Benjamin Evan Whaley: "Dr. Whaley studied how a selection of Japanese video games simulate and respond to issues of national trauma. While video games are often regarded solely as an entertainment medium, Dr. Whaley argues that specific design strategies promote empathy for real-world victims, teach valuable coping skills, and promote player self-reflection."
• Dr. Wei Ting Guo: "Dr. Guo examines how the extensive use of an extraordinary punishment gave rise to the culture of rough justice and significantly transformed the criminal justice system before the advent of Westernization. His research advances our understanding about law and violence in late imperial China."
• Dr. Jeongeun Park: "Dr. Park studied the issue of clerical marriage in modern Korean Buddhism. Her research showed that this practice among Korean monks during the Japanese colonial period was a phenomenon of Buddhist modernity. These findings advance a more complete understanding of the way in which Buddhist ethics were intertwined with modernity and colonialism."
• Dr. Shiho Maeshima: "Dr. Maeshima studied the history of print and reading culture in modern Japan. She examined the significance of the mass-market women's magazine in the interwar period. This study explains the interrelations among magazine genres, gender categories, the formation of cultural hierarchies and the sense of national unity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Atmospheric Science)

• Dr. Aranildo Rodrigues Lima: "Dr. Lima studied the application of machine learning algorithms in environmental sciences. He used artificial neural networks to forecast streamflow, precipitation, and surface air temperature. His research advances the use of model output statistics and extends predictions to variables not computed by the current numerical weather prediction model."

Doctor of Philosophy (Audiology and Speech Sciences)

• Dr. Foong Yen Chong: "Background noise is one of the biggest challenges for people with hearing loss. Dr. Chong examined the effects of hearing aid noise reduction on Mandarin speech sounds. She found that noise reduction did not impede novel speech sound identification. Her findings have implications for the widespread use of noise reduction systems in hearing aids."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

• Dr. Allan Thomas Mills: "Dr. Mills studied the transport of nutrient molecules and toxins across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. He revealed novel steps in the transport of vitamin B12 and an antimicrobial toxin across this membrane. His work will inform research on these transport pathways and help in the development of future antimicrobial therapeutics."
• Dr. Sam Chen: "Dr. Chen's work focused on developing lipid nanoparticles for improved drug delivery. In particular, he developed safer and more effective nanoparticles to enable clinical use of genetic drugs for previously untreatable diseases."
• Dr. Tsz Ying Sylvia Cheung: "Dr. Cheung studied how an anti-inflammatory protein (IL-10) inhibits immune cells activation and the development of immune disorders. She showed how a specific drug candidate could interact with its target and mimic the action of IL-10. This work provides insight on the development of similar and better drugs for treating immune disorders."
• Dr. Nikolaus Fortelny: "Dr. Fortelny examined and modeled interactions of proteases, a class of key cell enzymes underpinning biology and pathology. He developed computational models and databases that identify protease pathways and their targets in health and disease. His analyses revealed the unexpected pervasiveness and importance of protease interactions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Bioinformatics)

• Dr. Casper Shyr: "Human genome sequencing is now being used to discover the cause of genetic diseases. Dr. Shyr's research improves the way doctors interpret a patient's DNA, and presents a novel computational algorithm to analyze DNA data. Collaborating with the BC Children's Hospital, his research provides patients with access to personalized treatments."
• Dr. Julie Chih-yu Chen: "Dr. Chen studied Bioinformatics to examine gene regulation as it applies to biological hypotheses. Her work contributes to a better understanding of the hierarchical regulation of genes and the differential expression between the sexes. This work will further our understanding of diseases and phenotypes."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)

• Dr. Tom Brosch: "Dr. Brosch developed artificial intelligence models to automatically analyze medical images. His methods found patterns in the brain images of multiple sclerosis patients that can help monitor their disease. His work will help researchers understand multiple sclerosis imaging features and evaluate new treatments more efficiently and accurately."

Doctor of Philosophy (Botany)

• Dr. Rebecca Jo Guenther: "Dr. Guenther examined the effects of climate change, specifically ocean temperature and pH, on calcified red algae. She demonstrated that mature seaweeds were surprisingly resilient to climate stressors, but that spore adhesion declined in acidified seawater. Her findings suggests that habitat-forming seaweeds may be impacted by climate change."
• Dr. Shuai Huang: "Plants possess complex immune systems to combat pathogens. Dr. Huang uncovered novel components of a protein degradation complex. He examined their roles in the regulation of immune receptor homeostasis. His research highlights the importance of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway in fine tuning immune responses in plants."
• Dr. Kaeli Catherine Mary Johnson: "Dr. Johnson identified three novel genes that play a role in plant defense against microbial pathogens. The characterization studies undertaken by Dr. Johnson underscore the complexity inherent in the regulation of plant immune signaling."
• Dr. Sandra Roshini Keerthisinghe: "Dr. Keerthisinghe investigated the role of the signalling protein MUSTACHES in plant development. She discovered how this protein controls the shape and symmetry of the cells that control gas exchange in leaves and the formation of lateral roots. This work will have important implications for understanding water use efficiency in plants."
• Dr. Gregory Lawrence Owens: "Dr. Owens explored the effects of hybridization on the genomes of sunflowers. He developed a novel method for quantifying genomic composition in hybrid species. His work has implications for how hybrid species form and how genes can move between species."
• Dr. Xiaoou Dong: "Plants possess defense mechanisms against microbial pathogens. Dr. Dong studied how defense responses are regulated in plants to ensure effective immunity. He discovered novel defense regulators and demonstrated their crucial functions in plants. This study contributes to our growing knowledge in plant immunity, providing guidance for the development of natural crop protection strategies."
• Dr. Michael Francis Scott: "Dr. Scott used mathematical models to show how life cycles are shaped by natural selection. Life cycles are highly evolutionarily significant but remarkably variable among organisms. Life cycles aspects investigated in this thesis include the evolution of seed dormancy, haploid and diploid stages, and sex chromosomes (e.g., X and Y chromosomes)."
• Dr. Daniela Hegebarth: "Dr. Hegebarth studied the protective layer, or the cuticle, of plant cells. Her research revealed several insights into the changes, composition and genetic make up of the cuticle at different stages. Her work contributes to a better understanding of plants and their ability to ward off external stressors and has implications in the agricultural sector."
• Dr. Vivienne Lam: "Dr. Lam studied evolutionary changes that occur in genomes of plants that steal nutrients from fungi. She found that genes are lost from their genomes in a predictable manner, leading to genome compaction and restructuring. Her work provides new insights into how plants can survive without photosynthesis."

Doctor of Philosophy (Cell and Developmental Biology)

• Dr. Fanrui Meng: "Dr. Meng studied caveolin-1, a cell surface protein associated with cancer. Dr. Meng identified multiple mechanisms that impact how caveolin-1 regulates cancer cell adhesion and migration. This is important for understanding how caveolin-1 promotes cancer and potentially for how it can be targeted for cancer therapy."
• Dr. Paul Vincent Sabatini: "Dr. Sabatini examined the dynamics and mechanism governing the expression of the transcription factor Npas4 within pancreatic beta cells. Additionally, he explored how NPAS4 impacts beta cell function and glucose homoeostasis."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemical and Biological Engineering)

• Dr. Amin Taheri Najafabadi: "Dr. Taheri developed a novel electrosynthesis technique for advanced carbon nanomaterials, particularly graphene, to meet an increasing demand in clean energy devices. He also successfully integrated the products in hydrogen fuel cells as well as microbial fuel cells with significant performance improvements over a wide range of operating conditions."
• Dr. Cheng Wei Tony Yang: "Dr. Yang's research addressed a key engineering problem in the field of microfluidics. He developed a novel carboxyl-amine strategy for bonding the polymer PDMS to both glass and gold using chemical surface modifications at room temperature. His research facilitates the fabrication of robust microfluidic devices for advanced biosensing applications."
• Dr. Mohammad A Al-Shibl: "Dr. Mohammad has further developed a methodology to efficiently sort particle suspensions. His work was mostly theoretical in which he studied the layering of visco-plastic fluids in spiral pressure-driven flow. He demonstrated the conditions in which this process will work and the information will now be used by another PhD work to test this concept."
• Dr. Kevin Reilly: "Dr. Reilly developed a unique approach to photocatalytic water splitting - a valuable means for storing solar energy. He demonstrated a remarkable 44% increase in efficiency and derived a mathematical model for predicting performance. His work opens a new doorway for clean energy, impacting both the economic viability and design of future systems."
• Dr. Frank Alan Saville: "Dr. Saville studied repulping which is the first stage in paper recycling where waste paper is disintegrated for fiber recovery. Dr. Saville's work resulted not only in a viable mechanism and model for the repulping process, but also demonstrated how substantial energy savings can be achieved in repulping."
• Dr. Duo Sun: "Dr. Sun demonstrated the novel concept of storing CO2 at shallow depths in depleted natural gas reservoirs in Alberta. His work showed that at these conditions, solid gas hydrate crystals form and lock the CO2 in place. His research could help mitigate the CO2 emitted from Alberta fossil fuel conbustion sources for more than 250 years."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)

• Dr. Hossein Sadeghi Esfahani: "Dr. Sadeghi studied properties of non-ideal plasmas. He developed a new method for creating a liquid like ultracold plasma from molecules. This work is of interest both for general scientific reasons including astrophysical questions, and for technical applications such as new sources of energy."
• Dr. Xiaohua Zhang: "Dr. Zhang conducted her research at the interface of chemistry and biochemistry. She studied the interaction of the starch-digesting enzyme in the human pancreas with starch and natural product mimics, to control the blood glucose level. Her novel work paved the way for treatments of diabetes and obesity."
• Dr. Spencer Christopher Serin: "Investigating the binding of transition metals to phosphorus atoms is of vital importance in chemistry. Dr. Serin's work uses an uncommon class of phosphorus containing compound to make new polymers and molecules for metal coordination. His findings unlock new methods to bind and manipulate these metals that were not previously known."
• Dr. Ru Li: "Cardiovascular diseases remain the number one killer around the world. Dr. Li studied protein oxidation in blood cells in cardiovascular diseases. He developed and applied a widely applicable tool to quantify protein oxidation in a model system, and found innovative regulation mechanisms of key proteins in the disease development."
• Dr. Yang Cao: "Dr. Cao's doctoral studies focused on the design and synthesis of shape-shifting molecules. These molecules give rise to changes in either light absorption or emission colours, which can be used to distinguish different chemical and biological environments. His findings may contribute to new smart light-harvesting materials and new fluorescent dyes for study of neurological degenerative diseases."
• Dr. Matthew James Wathier: "Dr. Wathier examined the mechanism and application of rhodium-catalyzed alkyne hydrothiolation. He has studied how the rhodium catalysts work and has helped demonstrate the use of the method for the synthesis of K777, a possible treatment for a Neglected Global Disease that afflicts millions of people in Latin America."
• Dr. David Michael Weekes: "Dr. Weekes investigated the potential for new lanthanum-based drugs to be applied as therapies for treating osteoporosis. His work contributed a fundamental understanding of the biological-chemical interplay of these drugs, and will influence future studies that could lead to a new type of pharmaceutical agent."
• Dr. Sanjia Xu: "Dr. Xu developed a chemical synthesis of tetrodotoxin, a pufferfish poison that is being investigated for its ability to treat cancer-related pain. This newer and more efficient method will contribute to the discovery of powerful and non-addictive compounds for pain management."
• Dr. Dan Hu: "Dr. Hu developed a technique to measure the molecular structures of water surfaces. She applied this technique to investigate how the ordering and orientation of water molecules were affected by the electric field imposed by different surfactants. Her findings provide new insights into sustaining clean water sources."
• Dr. Radu Ciprian Racovita: "Dr. Racovita identified more than 15 new classes of chemical substances in the surface wax mixtures covering aerial parts of three plant species: candelabra aloe, fishpole bamboo, and bread wheat. These findings reveal the diversity of ways in which plants produce chemicals that help sustain their water reserves or defend themselves from herbivores."
• Dr. Leanne Racicot: "Dr. Racicot's research in organic chemistry focused on the reactivity of iodine compounds of higher bonding order. The processes studied could ultimately find applications in diverse areas such as medical imaging, polymer science and natural product synthesis."
• Dr. Lucas Howard Busta: "Dr. Busta studied the structures and biosynthesis of the wax compounds that cover plant surfaces. He found that wax coverings vary greatly between plant species, plant organs, and even plant cell types. His findings suggest that wax biosynthesis plays a significant role in optimizing each plant surface for its distinct local environmental condition."
• Dr. Stephen Alexander Zielke: "Dr. Zielke used computer simulations to study how water freezes in the atmosphere with the help of airborne particles. These simulations helped explain the microscopic process of how certain airborne particles organize water into ice."

Doctor of Philosophy (Civil Engineering)

• Dr. Andrew Kent Hamilton: "Dr. Hamilton studied ice-ocean interactions in the Canadian High-Arctic. His research provided new insight into how ice shelves, massive floating platforms of ice, influence ocean properties and circulation in polar fjords, and how the collapse of ice shelves due to climate warming will impact the dynamics of marine-terminating glaciers."
• Dr. Ofir Shor: "Dr. Shor studied the impact of delamination damage on structures made from composite materials. He developed a novel method that simulates the damage and allows larger structures to be analyzed with greater efficiency. This has many applications, in particular the aircraft industry where lightweight composite materials are increasingly important."

Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)

• Dr. Jiarui Ding: "Dr. Ding completed his doctoral studies in Computer Science. He developed computational algorithms to predict the mutations only in cancer, and further quantify the impacts of these mutations on gene expression. His research improves the potential of identifying the most important mutations in cancer for personalized, targeted therapy."
• Dr. Wei Lu: "Dr. Lu studied social influence and its applications in viral marketing and recommender systems from a computational perspective. He proposed mathematical models to encode complex social interactions and designed algorithms to efficiently and effectively tackle influence maximization problems in such contexts."
• Dr. Mikhail Viktorovich Bessmeltsev: "Dr. Bessmeltsev introduced novel approaches to algorithmically infer artist-intended 3D shape from sketches. His methods interpret artist drawings and create the envisioned 3D CAD or character models."
• Dr. James Robert Wright: "People often behave in ways that are predictable, but which standard economic theory would call "irrational". Dr. Wright showed how to apply recent ideas from machine learning to this problem, developing algorithms that are optimized for people, rather than perfectly rational theoretical agents."
• Dr. Jonatan Schroeder: "Dr. Schroeder evaluated the latency, availability, and use of storage and network resources in personal file synchronization platforms. He developed a scalable peer-to-peer file system that provides a unified view of a person's data so that any file can be accessed from any device, regardless of where it was created or where it is currently stored."
• Dr. Ankur Gupta: "Dr. Gupta studied computer vision and robotics to better understand and analyze human activity. He pioneered a more efficient technique of looking at data for learning representations of human motion. He subsequently applied this method to recognize detailed movements of basketball players in broadcast videos."
• Dr. Monasadat Haraty: "Software tools mediate and shape users' behavior, constraining the way that people accomplish their tasks. Dr. Haraty studied and designed mechanisms that empower people to personalize their software by changing its functionality. Her design and the results of her empirical studies provide insights into the design of highly personalizable tools."
• Dr. Felix Heide: "Using computational methods, Dr. Heide extracted two completely new image dimensions that are that were essentially invisible'' before. His research has enabled cameras that can look around corners, image through fog, and require only ultra-thin, cheap optics. This has widespread applications in consumer imaging, autonomous vehicles and scientific imaging."
• Dr. Bobak Shahriari: "Dr. Shahriari contributed to the increasingly relevant field of Bayesian optimization and sequential experimental design. His work explores automatically tuning experiments in order to avoid tedious labour often reserved for graduate students, lab technicians, and other highly qualified personel."

Doctor of Philosophy (Counselling Psychology)

• Dr. Lauri Marie Mills: "Dr. Mills explored the cultivation of mindfulness with university students who struggle with mental health issues. She found specific practices, mindfulness groups, and support of others to be important factors for students. This research gives deeper understanding of how counseling centers might help students use mindfulness as a part of treatment."
• Dr. Lucy Sarah McCullough: "Dr. McCullough explored the psycho-social experience of mandated addiction treatment across different referral contexts. She developed a theory of engagement outlining how mandated clients actively choose, prepare for, and evaluate treatment. Her work highlights personal histories and quality supports and will have implications on treatment protocols."
• Dr. Dianne Kathleen Westwood: "Dr. Westwood explored the processes involved when clients and therapists worked with clients' positive emotional experiences in psychotherapy sessions. Her research highlighted how paying attention to positive affect in therapy has important impacts on therapy members, as well as the therapeutic relationship itself."
• Dr. Mair Cayley: "Dr. Cayley's research explored narratives of people who identify as non-binary, highlighting errors of the female-male gender system. Included were stories of violence, resistance, intersectionality and systemic oppression. This project represents trans voices and offers inclusive language, which widens the space of belonging for people of all genders."

Doctor of Philosophy (Cross-Faculty Inquiry in Education)

• Dr. Miriam Mwada Orkar: "Dr. Orkar studied the factors affecting access to college for youths in rural Nigeria. She designed a project to promote college access and identified the most important hurdles were poverty, corruption and rural living. This work has important implications on educational policies and practices and youth in rural communities."
• Dr. Marc Roderick Higgins: "Dr. Higgins explored the way in which Indigenous science continues to be excluded or problematically included within school-based science education curriculum. Thinking with post-colonial, -structural, and -humanist theories, he leveraged ethical potentiality in order to make science education more hospitable towards Indigenous knowledge-practices."

Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum Studies)

• Dr. Brooke Madden: "Dr. Madden studied teacher identity in relation to the emergent field of Indigenous education. She focused on teachers' processes, priorities, and preparedness as they navigated Faculties of Education and schools. Her work enhances our understanding of knowledge-practice across institutions, and has widespread and immediate applications for practice."

Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)

• Dr. Colin Christian Caines: "Dr. Caines studied the consequences of non-rational expectations in macroeconomic systems. His work shows how information constraints in asset and credit markets can lead to significant propagation of shocks. The results are used to explain recent experiences in US housing markets and have important implications for asset pricing properties."
• Dr. Daniel Shack: "Dr. Shack used administrative data and school-choice programs from British Columbia in order to examine issues relating to the economics of education. Topics studied include how parents learn and make decisions about their children's progress in school, the impact of language immersion programs, and externalities from peers."
• Dr. Yawen Liang: "Dr. Liang investigated the relationship between liberal trade policies and the domestic employment of workers. She found that opening up trade induces workers to change jobs and encourages firms to adjust hiring. These studies have important policy implications on issues about globalization and labor distribution."
• Dr. Wendy Wai Yee Kei: "Dr. Kei explored the impact of household finances on seniors' activity in the labour market. She applied innovative techniques to investigate the effect that public pensions have on elderly immigrants' labour force participation and work intensity. She also studied the influence that immigration has on native-born households' decisions to move or stay where they are."
• Dr. Bipasha Maity: "Dr. Maity studied the situation of women and a historically marginalized group called the Scheduled Tribes in India. She found that women's participation in workfare and historic property rights enhance women's and children's well-being at present. Her research shows the need to improve healthcare delivery to reduce health inequality faced by tribes."
• Dr. Guidon Fenig: "Dr. Fenig studied the provision of public goods in our economic system. He designed experiments that investigated the role of rewards in facilitating coordination of contributors. He identified both altruistic and competitive participants. His study advances our understanding of human behaviour in an economic context and his results will help inform economic policy and practice."
• Dr. Evan Michael Calford: "Do you think you can predict the behaviour of your competitors in strategic interactions? Dr. Calford studied the role that uncertain predictions of others' behaviour plays in strategic decision making. His research suggests that we can manipulate the degree of uncertainty in a strategic environment to influence behaviour in a predictable fashion."
• Dr. Bingjing Li: "Dr. Li studied how international trade affects human capital accumulation and consequently alters regional comparative advantage and industry specialization. Using the data from China, she found that export expansion between 1990-2005 led to a regional divergence in educational attainment, and such amplified differences across regions reinforce the initial industry specialization pattern."
• Dr. Oscar Reinaldo Becerra-Camargo: "Dr. Becerra studied the effect of future pension benefits on workers' career choices in developing economies. He found that workers with better pension prospects are more inclined to work for firms over working for themselves to evade pension contributions. His research emphasizes the importance of workers' behavior for the design of pension programs."
• Dr. Anderson Frey: "Dr. Frey investigated the relationship between poverty reduction policies and local politics in Brazil. His research shows that cash transfer programs can effectively empower the poor, reducing their vulnerability to vote buying, and also create incentives for politicians to increase the provision of public goods."

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies)

• Dr. Jeong Ja Kang: "Dr. Kang examined the lives of undergraduate exchange students between Canada and Korea through the lens of globalization, imagination, and space. She found that current exchange programs have reinforced contemporary social inequality. This study recommends creating more inclusive exchange programs by offering shared spaces between exchange and local students."

Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

• Dr. Bambang Ali Basyah Sarif: "Dr. Sarif's research focused on the energy consumption issue in a wireless video surveillance network. He developed a method to assign the optimal encoding configuration that reduces the network's overall power consumption. His work also provides an insight into the effect of video content on power consumption in a video surveillance network."
• Dr. Christoph Johannes Sielmann: "Dr. Sielmann studied solid-state energy conversion technologies. He examined how nanostructuring and electrochemical growth affect the ability of zinc oxide thin films to convert a thermal gradient into electrical power. His work yielded new insights into heat flow and thermal conductivity that ultimately impact power generation and refrigeration."
• Dr. Sina Mashayekhi: "Dr. Mashayekhi contributed to developing effective techniques to address obstacles affecting the wireless communication sector. He also developed a novel architecture for dynamic channel measurements. His work supports efficient implementation, deployment and operation of the wireless telecommunication systems used in Smart Grids."
• Dr. Julien Guy Renard: "Dr. Renard studied spectrum-sensing techniques for wireless communication devices known as cognitive radios. He focused on improving the robustness of cognitive radios to a specific type of electromagnetic noise known as "impulsive noise". Increasing the strength of cognitive radios to impulsive noise will facilitate their use in urban environments."
• Dr. Jeffrey Brant Goeders: "Dr. Goeders developed new techniques to allow computer chip designers to observe their systems and locate bugs. His techniques target emerging design methods, allowing for the development of more complex circuit systems than previously possible. Ultimately this will allow for new computers capable of meeting the growing demands of future applications."
• Dr. Frolin Santiago Ocariza: "Dr. Ocariza studied the causes and consequences of JavaScript bugs that occur in web applications. In his research, he developed techniques for finding and automatically fixing these bugs. With over ninety percent of the Internet using JavaScript, his techniques will help ensure that programs used by billions of people online are reliable."
• Dr. Pooyan Abouzar Djirandehi: "Dr. Abouzar studied factors affecting energy consumption of wireless sensor networks. He designed algorithms and protocols to improve energy conservation while considering previously unaccounted for channel impairments (such as movements and blockage). Results from his work will be used on existing commercial modules."
• Dr. Samantha Marie Grist: "Dr. Grist developed a new device to recreate aspects of the environment in tumors that can affect cancer cells' behavior and response to drugs. By growing cells on a 3D scaffold and precisely controlling the oxygen level, her device has the potential to better predict patient response in the early stages of testing cancer treatments on cells."
• Dr. Ameer Abdelhadi: "Memories are basic components of computing systems and the bottleneck of computation performance. Dr. Abdelhadi developed parallel memory architectures to increase the performance and reduce the cost of compute-intensive systems. A variety of hardware accelerators can apply his techniques to solve some of the most important computational problems."
• Dr. Chi Wah Eddie Fok: "Dr. Fok developed a new circuit model to simulate the behaviour of lithium ion batteries. He applied this model to predict the performance of commercial batteries when used in static and dynamic loading conditions."
• Dr. Jun Zhu: "Dr. Zhu is recognized internationally as an outstanding researcher in next-generation wireless communications. He proposed a ground-breaking secure massive MIMO architecture, which substantially improves throughput/energy-efficiency/security of wireless systems. His revolutionary research will find vast applications in the 5G wireless industry."
• Dr. Enxin Yao: "Dr. Yao showed how the residential loads can be coordinated with the information and communication technology and be used to provide peak shaving and frequency regulation services to the electrical grid."
• Dr. Nafiseh Nikpour: "Who doesn't want increased access to clean renewable energy? Dr. Nikpour studied the impact of generating plants directly connected to electricity distribution systems. She developed a method for voltage stability analysis, and an index for distributed generation placement. Her work supports development of the renewable energy sector."
• Dr. Amir Hossein Khoshaman: "Dr. Khoshaman devised models to better understand a promising class of solar cells called nanostructured thermionic converters. These devices have the potential to be more efficient than current solar cells. His theoretical and experimental contributions can help overcome some of the long-lasting issues in the field of solar energy."
• Dr. Xin Ge: "Dr. Ge investigated opportunistic scheduling to meet the growing demand of mobile data service with limited radio resources in wireless networks. Her work will benefit the appealing feature of "anywhere, anytime" wireless communication access, while making the most of the distributed architectures to maximize spectral efficiency."
• Dr. Chunsheng Zhu: "Sensor-Cloud enables users to obtain their required sensory data from the cloud anytime and anywhere if there is network connection. Dr. Zhu's work improved Sensor-Cloud, in terms of energy efficiency, security, sensory data transmission, and quality of service. The findings from his work are insightful for designing future Sensor-Cloud."
• Dr. Shun Miao: "Dr. Miao developed an effective imaging registration method to reveal motions of the patient and medical devices during medical imaging and treatment. His research enables motion corrected medical imaging, as well as advanced image guidance for life-saving minimally invasive procedures for treating cardiovascular diseases."
• Dr. Saman Nouranian: "Dr. Nouranian introduced a methodology to automate planning of radiation therapy treatment for prostate cancer. He demonstrated that using large data analytics, a statistical model can be developed that captures the flow of information in the planning process. This research can potentially help with improving quality assurance in cancer treatment."
• Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Alsubaie: "Dr. Alsubaie studied electrical and computer engineering. He developed a resilience assessment framework for interdependent infrastructure systems, such as power and water networks. He used this framework to optimize the operations of critical infrastructure systems aimed at helping emergency responders during disasters."
• Dr. Samuel Robert Cove: "With the rise in the number of people charging their electronics without cables, Dr. Cove characterized a highly effective technique for improving the quality of transmitters for wireless power transfer systems. His technique has improved transfer efficiency from 70% to 90% in low power applications, thereby decreasing charging times costs."
• Dr. Davood Karimi: "X-ray computed tomography is a central tool in medicine. A continuing concern is that the radiation can be harmful to the patient. Dr. Karimi showed that new mathematical techniques can be used to produce high-quality computed tomography images while reducing the radiation. His findings can benefit the health of the general public."

Doctor of Philosophy (English)

• Dr. Daniel J Adleman: "Dr. Adleman studied the depiction of violence in late twentieth century American novels. He discovered that it was bound up with the rise of electronic media and a perceived crisis in the established order. His research will contribute to our understanding of literary representations of class, race, gender and media."
• Dr. Daniel Glynn Helbert: "Dr. Helbert demonstrated the importance of legends about King Arthur to the medieval border between England and Wales. His research highlights the importance of this border community to the development of British culture and identity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Experimental Medicine)

• Dr. Jen-erh Jaw: "Dr. Jaw developed a new model of atherosclerotic plaque destabilization related to lung inflammation. He found a white blood cell enzyme is contributing to this processes. His discovery led to new insights about the molecular pathways of heart attack and stroke and may facilitate future therapy for these diseases."
• Dr. Eric James Pesarchuk: "Dr. Pesarchuk characterized a novel role for the protein MCL-1 in regulating chromatin architecture and promoting DNA repair. This work adds to the understanding of MCL-1's multifunctionality and presents a new way to target this protein in the treatment of the numerous types of cancer known to depend on it."
• Dr. Brian Reikie: "Infants who are born to HIV positive women but remain HIV uninfected, are among the world's most vulnerable to infectious disease. Dr. Reikie discovered a number of transient anomalies of these infants' immune system. His findings have been used to help uncover causes of increased suffering from disease in this already vulnerable population."
• Dr. Melissa Richard-Greenblatt: "Dr. Greenblatt dedicated her studies to understanding how the bacterium that causes tuberculosis evades our immune system. She discovered a novel mechanism that allows the bacterium to survive in the body in a dormant, drug-resistant state. These findings have generated a new area of research in latent tuberculosis."
• Dr. AMA Emran Bashar: "Dr. Bashar developed stem cell based therapy targeting inherited disorders that affect vision. His approaches prevented progressive damage to neurons and improved vision in model organisms. Most importantly, the techniques he developed for these treatments are highly transferable to other disease systems."
• Dr. Amritpal Singh: "Currently one in 12 people have asthma and that number continues to grow. Dr. Singh developed a blood-based biomarker signature, that can predict the allergen-induced late phase asthmatic response. These blood tests may improve risk stratification of allergic asthmatic individuals for clinical trials, and provide new targets for therapeutics."
• Dr. Hanyang Lin: "Dr. Lin studied novel treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. He found that combined inhibition of two enzymes is more effective in killing CML cells than single inhibition is. He also identified novel RNA molecules that can act as therapeutic agents and as biomarkers to predict patient response to current therapy."
• Dr. Aabida Saferali: "Dr. Saferali investigated the inflammatory response to infection in cystic fibrosis, with a focus on the PLUNC genes as modifiers of lung disease severity. These studies identified SPLUNC1 as being beneficial to lung function in CF. This molecule is currently under development as a novel CF therapeutic."
• Dr. Peter Jr. Axerio-Cilies: "Dr. Axerio-Cilies completed his doctoral studies in experimental medicine. He identified a new mechanism to protect the brain from injury caused by stroke or ischemic damage which is caused by restricted blood flow. He has also found a way to enhance this cell survival mechanism to stop cell death that occurs after an ischemic stroke."
• Dr. Yun Tang: "Dr. Tang identified an independent diagnostic marker (gene CD82) for cutaneous human melanoma. He also discovered a novel automatic regulator of this marker on melanoma cell migration, invasion, and the formation of blood vessels. This work will lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies against malignant melanoma."
• Dr. Ting-Yu Liao: "Dr. Liao examined novel approaches for tuberculosis vaccines and treatments, including methods to improve the current BCG vaccine and also identification of a mycobacterial protein as a potential new drug target. Her research contributes valuable knowledge to the field of TB research and paves the way for better TB control strategies. "
• Dr. Zafar Zafari: "Dr. Zafari developed state-of-the-art decision-analytic models to evaluate four major care gaps in respiratory medicine, primarily in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His PhD research provides a framework for future research advancements in precision medicine in COPD."

Doctor of Philosophy (Forestry)

• Dr. Anya Martina Reid: "Dr. Reid quantified the health of lodgepole pine trees in the interior of British Columbia using ground surveys and spectral reflectance indices calculated from aerial images. This research ensures long-term productivity by incorporating measures of forest health into traditional tree growth monitoring, ultimately helping to advance forest management."
• Dr. Suborna Shekhor Ahmed: "Dr. Ahmed studied spruce stocks in the boreal forest of Canada and examined the impacts of tree improvement programs on timber supply. Her findings provided a mechanism for estimating the yields at harvest over a large spatial and temporal extent. These results can help industry develop more effective policy for forest management and conservation."
• Dr. Nolan Nicholas Bett: "Dr. Bett studied the influence of olfaction on the behaviours of Pacific salmon during their spawning migration. He demonstrated that salmon respond differentially to olfactory cues depending on their chemical nature. His results contribute to our understanding of how Pacific salmon navigate towards spawning grounds."
• Dr. Yang Liu: "Dr. Liu is keen on plant life histories. He built models to simulate evolved traits under current changes, and also used molecular tools and bioinformatics to demonstrate the genetic and epigenetic basis of adaptation in conifers. His study increases our understanding of plant evolution and persistence in the context of climate change."
• Dr. Douglas Kane Bolton: "Dr. Bolton used data from satellites and airplanes to study how Canada's forests change through time and vary across space. By developing new techniques to monitor large forested areas, his work will aid in national efforts to quantify the amount of carbon stored in Canada's forests, and how that carbon storage is changing."
• Dr. Jacynthe Masse: "Dr. Masse looked at the soil nitrogen cycle and microbial communities in reconstructed and in natural soils within the boreal forests of northern Alberta. Her findings enhanced our understanding of biogeochemical cycles in reconstructed soils and can be used to improve restoration strategies in the oil sands."
• Dr. Nathaniel Bruce Furey: "Dr. Furey studied the migration of juvenile sockeye salmon as they swim downstream to open ocean. His research identified specific infections that increase mortality during the migration. He also found that higher density and specific routes impacted migratory success. His work furthers our understanding of salmon migration, management and conservation."
• Dr. Jordan Lewis Burke: "Dr. Burke studied the effects of climate change and range expansion on the biology of the mountain pine beetle. He determined that climate change may enhance the performance of this insect, and the potential for it to continue to spread. His work will help make predictions about which species will be most susceptible to changes in the future."
• Dr. Claudia Adrileth Cambero: "Dr. Cambero studied the production of bioenergy and biofuels using forestry by-products. Her models inform decisions related to designing a supply chain aimed at generating additional revenue for the forest industry. Her work will ultimately help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create job opportunities for forest-dependent communities."
• Dr. Ryan James Frazier: "Dr. Frazier examined time series of satellite imagery to detect post-fire and post-harvest forest recovery in Canadian boreal forests. His results showed that satellite imagery can detect notable differences in forest recovery between regions and over time. This research helps us better understand how the boreal forest is potentially being affected by a changing climate."

Doctor of Philosophy (Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice)

• Dr. Joshua M Ferguson: "Dr. Ferguson challenged the common understanding of the term transgender, revealing its imprecise and exclusionary nature and, using feminist methodologies and autoethnography, theorized a new intertextual and interdisciplinary approach to gender studies beyond woman/female and man/male."
• Dr. Katherine Fobear: "Dr. Fobear examined the settlement experiences of LGBT refugees in North America. Her work contributes a queer perspective to refugee settlement that unsettles homonational narratives of Canada as a safe haven and the Western discourses surrounding "saving" LGBT refugees."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geography)

• Dr. Sarah Louise Davidson: "Dr. Davidson's work focused on the effects of disturbances, such as wildfires and large floods, on mountain rivers. She developed numerical models to predict the effects of these events on stream dynamics and fish habitat. Her work is now being used in hazard prediction and management."
• Dr. Jenny Hanna Francis: "Dr. Francis investigated the experiences of refugee youth in the Canadian criminal justice system. She found that humanist ideas about the human, the subhuman and the nonhuman are crucial in interpreting their experiences. Her findings contribute to conceptual understandings of the experiences of marginalized people in Canada."
• Dr. Joel William Trubilowicz: "Rain-on-snow has caused some of the most severe floods around the world, yet these floods remain difficult to predict. Dr. Trubilowicz showed the importance of high mountain weather on river response during rain-on-snow events in British Columbia. These results help to improve our ability to forecast rain-on-snow floods throughout the world."
• Dr. Aaron David Tamminga: "Dr. Tamminga developed methods to study river ecosystems using remote sensing with unmanned aerial vehicles. He applied these techniques to address how extreme flood events affect river morphology, hydraulics, and aquatic habitat."
• Dr. Alison Elizabeth Cassidy: "Rapid warming of the Arctic has accelerated permafrost thaw and altered environmental conditions. Dr. Cassidy studied the impacts of permafrost disturbances on vegetation and carbon fluxes in the Canadian High Arctic. Her findings indicate that permafrost disturbances have immediate and long lasting effects on tundra ecosystems."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geological Engineering)

• Dr. Leonardo Hernan Dorador: "Dr. Dorador studied the fragmentation process of block caving, an underground mining method. He developed a new approach to estimate block size distribution at drawpoints. His research contributes to the design of block cave mining projects during early stage engineering."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geological Sciences)

• Dr. Corey James Wall: "Dr. Wall examined rates of magmatic processes in the Earth's crust using precise radiometric dating of some of the world's largest plutonic bodies. He developed a technique to extract mineral chronometers from rocks that had previously been considered undateable. His results provide key insights into the timescales of magmatism in the Earth's history."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geophysics)

• Dr. Bohdan Nedilko: "To report hazardous rockfalls, railway operators currently use trip wire alarm systems which are prone to frequent and prolonged false triggers that delay traffic. Dr. Nedilko developed an autonomous seismic rockfall monitoring system that helps to reduce the number of delayed trains."
• Dr. Jennifer Fohring: "Dr. Fohring developed and tested mathematical methodologies for non-invasive monitoring of water flow in an aquifer, using synthetic numerical models of seismic tomography surveys. These studies help to determine optimal survey designs for seismic tomography while generating the best images of water flow underground."
• Dr. Katharina Claudia Unglert: "Do all volcanoes shake the ground in the same way when they erupt? Dr. Unglert studied volcanic tremor, a type of earthquake that often happens before or during volcanic eruptions. Her work showed for the first time that the features of a tremor might be similar for different volcanoes, depending on the volcano type or the depth of the magma reservoirs."

Doctor of Philosophy (Germanic Studies)

• Dr. Tim Hoellering: "Dr. Hoellering showed how Turkish-German ethno-comedians occupy a social position similar to medieval jesters, and how their distinctive humor deflates stereotypes that have developed over centuries. His work helps to understand ethno-comedy as an effective platform for the cultural participation of marginalized groups."

Doctor of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)

• Dr. Jose Feliciano Lara Aguilar: "Dr. Lara studied literary works of the Mexican guerrilla during the 1960's and 70's. He argues that the tensions and articulations between mourning and memory, utopia, and apocalyptic visions recreate a symbolic space where guerrillas, their families, and friends work for the reconstruction of memory, recognition, love and justice."

Doctor of Philosophy (History)

• Dr. Christopher Laursen: "Dr. Laursen studied how people historically experience and make knowledge about elusive phenomena. Focusing on twentieth-century British and American poltergeist cases, he found that research best advanced through active collaborations of those who experienced the phenomenon. His work contributes new directions to studying the boundaries of knowledge."
• Dr. Kelly Cairns: "Dr. Cairns studied forced migrant craftspeople from the Sudetenland and their resettlement in Bavaria after 1945. Her work explores how governments used the Sudetenlanders' initiatives to rebrand West German national identity and market consumer goods. She demonstrates migrant agency and the power of small scale industries to improve communities."
• Dr. Brendan Wright: "Dr. Wright studied the extermination of thousands of civilians during the Korean War. He proved that state prohibitions on mourning caused a crisis for surviving families, which led to unique forms of political resistance. Dr. Wright's research increases our understanding of state violence, human rights, and transitional justice."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Oncology)

• Dr. Rebecca Macalpine Towle: "Dr. Towle analyzed the molecular profiles of the different stages of progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma. She further investigated several genes that were frequently deregulated in the premalignant stage of this disease in order to understand their role in this disease. This research contributes to our understanding of the development and progression of oral cancer."
• Dr. Spencer David Martin: "Dr. Martin developed personalized vaccines targeting tumor-specific mutations in mouse models of cancer. He also identified a subset of human ovarian cancer patients most likely to benefit from these vaccines. His research will help select cancer patients for immunotherapy and improve the efficacy of anti-cancer vaccines."
• Dr. Sze Ue Luk: "Dr. Luk studied new therapeutic targets in prostate cancers. She identified a specific protein, called BIRC6, that is critical in the survival of prostate cancer and developed a new agent targeting this molecule. Her research supports that anti-BIRC6 agents may represent a new treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer."
• Dr. Guillaume Paul Amouroux: "Dr. Amouroux studied and developed cancer targeting agents mimicking kinins, in order to be used for non-invasive imaging in patients using Positron Emission Tomography. He successfully established the most favorable features for this purpose, which carries great promises for cancer diagnostic and therapy."
• Dr. Joseph Cheong Chun Lau: "Nuclear imaging has a significant role in cancer management including diagnosis, staging, treatment planning and treatment monitoring. Dr. Lau developed radiotracers targeting carbonic anhydrase IX, a protein found in tumours. His research enables physicians to identify patients that can benefit from personalized therapies targeting this protein."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Studies)

• Dr. Gloria Michelle Puurveen: "Dr. Puurveen explored the experiences of nursing home residents with advanced dementia who were nearing the end of life. She found that care staff and families attended to the residents' dignity, personhood, and relationships in skilled and respectful ways. These findings provide direction for improving person-centred end-of-life dementia care."
• Dr. Velma Joy Mockett: "Dr. Mockett developed the Mindfulness-Integrated, Resilience, Trauma-Informed and Social Pedagogy (MIRTS) Curriculum - A holistic curriculum for professionals working with young people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and substance use issues."
• Dr. Dana Landry: "Dr. Landry examined the academic field of writing studies in Canada. She defined this field based on scholars' demographic data, institutional locations, identities, and experiences. This research has the potential to improve the ways in which students learn to write and to increase legitimacy for those who work in writing studies."
• Dr. Roberto Agustin Calderon Aramburu: "Public places, like coffee shops, where we come together to socialize are known as "Third Places". Dr. Calderon introduced the concept of Third-placeness to articulate how the social, public and physical aspects of these experiences can be supported by digital technology across time and space. His research challenges the conventional understanding of Third Places."
• Dr. Richard Andre Ouellet: "Dr. Ouellet examines the history of Metis families evicted from Jasper National Park. He illustrates how these families are linked to the wider discourse concerning Metis rights and identity. This research highlights the diversity in Metis identity and outlines a way forward in truth telling and reconciliation between Parks Canada and Metis groups."
• Dr. Sarah Bronwyn Munro: "Dr. Munro studied the factors that influence women's choices for mode of birth after caesarean. She found that women are influenced by care provider's concerns about access to surgical services and legal liability. The Ministry of Health is using Dr. Munro's recommendations to create a strategy for supporting women's informed choices in childbirth."

Doctor of Philosophy (Language and Literacy Education)

• Dr. Nicola Suzanne Friedrich: "Dr. Friedrich described the contextualized literacy practices of families within a community of resettled Karen refugees as they participated in a bilingual family literacy program. Her study generates insights that will assist family literacy educators in delivering culturally and linguistically diverse programming within this community."
• Dr. Heather Anne Duff: "Dr. Duff developed the approach of poet(h)ic inquiry in research-based theatre. She wrote a dissertation play that expresses an interplay between memory and present time. Her play "Visiting Griffin" is about the quest to find an absent actor, exploring the poet(h)ic meeting place of playwriting, ethics, and spirituality"
• Dr. Sara Florence Davidson: "Dr. Davidson combined Indigenous and non-Indigenous methodologies to explore how art and narrative writing can strengthen adolescents' writing and support their emerging identities. Her research helps educators to better support Indigenous students in school and proposes a framework for enhancing ethical conduct in research practices."
• Dr. Won Kim: "Dr. Kim explored the possibilities and challenges of English as a second language pedagogy with educational drama for adult learners. His research highlights the importance of cultivating and empowering identities of language learners as creative, competent, and confident story-tellers and meaning-makers."

Doctor of Philosophy (Law)

• Dr. Si Hao: "Dr. Hao developed a regulatory model for corporate social responsibility reporting to address the current reporting-performance inconsistency in Canada. Her research advances the regulatory theory of New Governance, and informs policymaking in Canada and other countries in terms of constructing a contextual-based regulatory regime of corporate social responsibility reporting."
• Dr. Carol Margaret Liao: "Dr. Liao studied the integration of business law, corporate social responsibility and social enterprises. She also investigated the development of corporate models that blend for-profit and non-profit legal characteristics. She designed a framework for the implementation of these hybrid corporations, which has impacted Canadian regulatory reform."
• Dr. Anthea Fay Vogl: "Dr. Vogl's thesis examined legal processes of refugee status determination and the assessment of refugee testimony in Australia and Canada. Through an analysis of refugee oral hearings, her findings revealed that refugees must present evidence in a compelling narrative form in order to be heard as both credible and plausible."
• Dr. Ama Fowa Hammond: "Dr. Hammond explored legal reform in Ghana, a country with multiple legal systems. She argued that for state law to be effective and meet the particular needs of its urban and rural peoples, legal reformers must consider the multilayered relationships between state law and customary law. Her work challenges conventional approaches to legal reform."
• Dr. Yulin Zhang: "Dr. Zhang examined legal and practical reasoning in Chinese judicial decisions in intellectual property cases. Drawing from Canadian cases, he found four dimensions of judicial impartiality in addition to the time element of impartiality. His work has contributed to the cultural interpretation of normative standards for judicial impartiality in China."

Doctor of Philosophy (Linguistics)

• Dr. Masaki Noguchi: "Dr. Noguchi studied the mechanisms of human language learning. Through a series of laboratory experiments, he demonstrated how humans learn to categorize speech sounds, and how that affects their perception of the speech sounds."
• Dr. Jennifer Robin Sarah Glougie: "Dr. Glougie examined how English speakers negotiate information in the context of police interviews. She found that speakers used specific words to propose new information in the dialogue and to mark whether that information should be included in the common understanding. Her research gives insight into how English discourse markers contribute to meaning."
• Dr. Blake Hawkins Allen: "Dr. Allen developed a mathematical framework for modeling how humans apply their knowledge of language to new situations. Experimental validations demonstrated that humans exhibit previously unknown capabilities "

Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)

• Dr. Wang Hung Simon Tse: "If thieves and burglars that begin to appear in a once crime-free city are not working together in a coordinated manner, why then are certain neighborhoods more attractive to criminals than others? Dr. Tse studied why such crime hot-spots emerge, persist and evolve. His work provides insights into how police might respond."
• Dr. Tatchai Titichetrakun: "Dr. Titichetrakun studied additive patterns of integers and lattices. His work provides a new method for studying patterns using a weighted version of hypergraph structural theorem. Studying additive patterns is related to many fields of mathematics such as harmonic analysis, dynamics or computer science."
• Dr. Pooya Ronagh: "Dr. Ronagh theorized an accessible and geometric approach to defining the Donaldson-Thomas invariants of algebraic threefolds. These objects play fundamental roles in modern theoretical physics and specifically in string theory."
• Dr. Jun Ho Hwang: "Dr. Hwang proved that algebras for noncommutative 4 dimensional space, which both Mathematicians and Physicist are interested in, form a good family, and figured out what the family looks like. These results shed light on the mathematically concrete study of noncommutative algebras as a family."
• Dr. Fan Bai: "Dr. Bai completed his doctoral work in the application of mathematics and game theory. He studied how to use mathematical models to predict the expected level of vaccine coverage. His research will help inform possible strategies in public health to fight against infectious diseases."
• Dr. Maxime Octave Bergeron: "Dr. Bergeron investigated the shape of representation spaces and their deformations. In this realm, he showed that the representation theory of nilpotent groups is not rigid."
• Dr. Alexander Patrick McAvoy: "Dr. McAvoy studied applications of game theory to evolutionary biology. He extended several mathematical models in order to more realistically account for features found in evolving populations. These extensions provide more insight into the evolution of cooperation and help to further develop the field of evolutionary game theory."
• Dr. Raimundo Jose Briceno Dominguez: "Dr. Briceno studied spatial mixing properties of Gibbs distributions in symbolic systems and their connections with decay of correlations, uniqueness of equilibrium states, and counting complexity. Using this knowledge, he developed new techniques for representation and approximation for topological entropy and pressure."
• Dr. Stilianos Louca: "Dr. Louca investigated how microorganisms interact with their environment. He has shown that microbial metabolic processes at ecosystem scales may be predicted with limited knowledge about the responsible microorganisms. His findings will enable a better understanding of the biochemistry of ecosystems."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering)

• Dr. Abbas Nikbakht: "Dr. Nikbakht studied fibre suspension dynamics. He found that the addition of fibres reduces the drag of turbulent flow. This increases our understanding of fluid drag and turbulent flow and can be applied to the pulp and paper industry."
• Dr. Hannah Marie Gustafson: "Dr. Gustafson applied mechanical engineering to investigate bone properties. She used digital image correlation to measure the displacement on the surface of human vertebral bones. Her research improves our understanding of vertebral mechanics, which is useful for evaluating patients at risk for vertebral fracture and reducing spinal fractures."
• Dr. Meisam Farajollahi: "Dr. Meisam Farajollahi studied linear and trilayer conducting polymer-based actuators and developed time domain non-linear model to predict their behaviors. His thesis addresses challenges in fabrication and modeling of this type of actuators and provides insight into design, prediction and optimization of actuators for different applications."
• Dr. Taher Mohammed Abdel-Haki Halawa: "Dr. Halawa performed numerical simulations of the rotating stall phenomenon in a high speed centrifugal compressor with vaned and vaneless diffusers. He discussed the improvement of two important methods to control stall; the air injection method and the casing grooves treatment method."

Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Genetics)

• Dr. Jennifer Margaret Grants: "Cells respond to signals, such as growth factors, by turning genes on or off. If gene regulation is disrupted, cancers may arise. Dr. Grants found that a regulatory protein, CDK-8, is a brake on gene activation by epidermal growth factor (or EGF) signaling, in the model organism C. elegans. This work suggests that CDK-8 may halt EGF-driven cancer."
• Dr. Marie Morimoto: "Dr. Morimoto studied a rare, genetic childhood disease called Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia that affects the skeletal, renal, immune, and vascular systems. She identified key gene expression changes that likely underlie several clinical features of the disease. Her findings provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this fatal disease."

Doctor of Philosophy (Microbiology and Immunology)

• Dr. Sonja Christian: "Dr. Christian studied how changes in the extracellular matrix regulate the expression of genes that are linked to cancer progression. She showed that two focal adhesion proteins, FAK and talin, are important for these gene expression changes. Her work could contribute to the development of new drugs for treating cancer."
• Dr. Roland Conrad Wilhelm: "Dr. Wilhelm's research contributes to our growing appreciation of the diversity of microorganisms and the richness of their natural history. He studied microbial communities in forest soil impacted by clearcutting and his results indicate long-term changes that favour stress-tolerant groups over more vulnerable populations."

Doctor of Philosophy (Neuroscience)

• Dr. Ya Wen: "Dr. Wen studied how the key excitatory neurotransmitter enhances the function of an inhibitory transmitter receptor in the brain. She also developed drugs targeting this pathway. Her work not only blurs the classic definition of excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmissions, but also offers a stepping-stone for developing new medications for epilepsy."
• Dr. Wu Yang Jin: "Parkinson's disease is a severe disease of the brain and alpha-synuclein is one of the most important disease-causing proteins. Dr. Jin has developed a compound that can effectively reduce the level of alpha-synuclein in the brain, which may lead to a potential therapy for Parkinson's disease."
• Dr. Sijia Cao: "Dr. Cao studied two important risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. She found that environmental and genetic risk factors can trigger an overdrive in the body's immune system, which leads to chronic inflammation and damage in the eye tissues. Her findings will help develop new strategies to stop AMD development and prevent vision loss in the elderly."
• Dr. Maxence Le Vasseur: "Dr. Le Vasseur studied a group of channels that facilitate the movement of particles through the membranes and allow cells to communicate with each other. His work discovered that one channel remains inside the cell at point of contact with mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cells, where it controls the stimulation of programmed cell death."
• Dr. Paul John Cocker: "Dr. Cocker utilised a novel rodent slot machine task to probe the underlying neurobiological basis of problem gambling. He found a novel role for the dopamine D4 receptor in mediating attributions of salience to reward related stimuli, indicating that targeting this receptor may represent a potential treatment avenue for problem gambling in humans"
• Dr. Kimberly Dayle Girling: "In her work, Dr. Girling investigated novel, preventative, therapeutic mechanisms for Huntington's Disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disease. By designing and testing small peptide drugs, Dr. Girling worked on three potential drug targets to prevent or delay cell death in Huntington's Disease brains."

Doctor of Philosophy (Oceanography)

• Dr. David William Capelle: "Dr. Capelle investigated the role oceans play in controlling atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. His work identified the key processes responsible for the production and transport of the potent greenhouse gases nitrous-oxide and methane in coastal British Columbia waters and how they may respond to climate-driven ocean change."
• Dr. Nina Schuback: "Phytoplankton are the forests of the ocean. Invisible to the naked eye, these organisms take up as much CO2 and evolve as much O2 as all the plants on land combined, which makes them a crucial component of our planet's climate. Dr. Schuback's work helps to more accurately estimate rates of 'phytoplankton primary productivity' in the oceans."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)

• Dr. Gabriel Kar-bow Fung: "Dr. Fung investigated the interplay between cellular stress responses and coxsackievirus B3 infection. He showed a mechanism by which viral infection disrupts host immune stress response mechanisms to support viral replication and disease progression. This research illuminates underlying mechanisms that contribute to virus-induced diseases such as viral cardiomyopathy."
• Dr. Jaques Alexander Courtade: "Dr. Courtade's doctoral studies focused on the processing of hormones in the pancreas. He developed an assay to detect a novel hormone precursor in humans, and modeled his findings in rodent models of diabetes. His research increases our understanding of hormone function in the pancreas during the healthy and diabetic state."
• Dr. Ada Wai Yin Leung: "Dr. Leung identified a gene that can be targeted to improve the effectiveness of multiple standard chemotherapeutics in lung cancer cells without affecting normal lung cells. Targeting this protein in combination with existing drugs should enhance treatment outcomes in cancer patients."
• Dr. Jacob Rozmus: "Dr. Rozmus discovered new inherited immunodeficiencies. He also showed how these discoveries lead to successful clinical interventions and provided insights into the normal function of the immune system and disease mechanisms."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

• Dr. Wenjia Chen: "Dr. Chen studied the long-term development of respiratory diseases and how the progression of these diseases affects patients' overall health, quality of life and health care costs. She developed advanced models to examine how risk factors can be prevented at the onset of disease to ultimately help improve long-term health outcomes in these patients."
• Dr. Maria Hoetoft Michaelsen: "Dr. Michaelsen studied lipid-based drug delivery systems to examine the mechanism behind increased drug absorption. Digestion was not found to play a role with regard to absorption however, drug load was. Her findings may provide guidance for future development of drug delivery systems for poorly water-soluble drugs."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmacology)

• Dr. Corey Baimel: "Dr. Baimel studied how orexin neurons modulate the activity of dopamine neurons in the reward circuitry of the brain. He determined that orexin gates addictive-drug induced changes in subpopulations of these neurons. This knowledge adds to our understanding of how addictive drugs alter the brain and may aid in the search for novel treatments."
• Dr. Andy E Trane: "Dr. Trane characterized a novel therapeutic target by studying the interaction between two proteins found in blood vessels involved in heart disease development. His work will hopefully help create new drugs that can be used to treat cardiovascular problems such as stroke, heart attacks and high blood pressure."

Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy)

• Dr. Stefan Hermann Lukits: "When someone is unsure about the truth of a statement, they may have a partial belief; for example the belief that the probability of rain tomorrow is three out of ten. Dr. Lukits defended the claim that rational agents update their partial beliefs by ensuring that they respect evidence without gaining more information from it than necessary."

Doctor of Philosophy (Physics)

• Dr. Ali Narimani: "Dr. Narimani studied different theories of gravity and used cosmological data for testing those theories. His research helps physicists gain a better understanding of how gravity works on the largest scales that we have ever reached."
• Dr. Gregory Francis Stortz: "Dr. Stortz aided in the design of a high-resolution pre-clinical Positron Emission Tomography scanner with the ability to function inside of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The design of the PET scanner was informed by his computer simulations and detector hardware characterization."
• Dr. Aleksey Korobenko: "Dr. Korobenko investigated quantum properties of molecules, brought to extremely fast rotation by means of a specially designed laser instrument, known as an optical centrifuge. His work opens new possibilities for controlling a broad range of physical and chemical processes by means of manipulating molecular rotation with laser light."
• Dr. Charles Rabideau: "Dr. Rabideau studied how space and time can emerge in quantum mechanical systems and found constraints on the space-times which can emerge. This will help guide future efforts to understand the nature of space and time at the smallest scales."
• Dr. Martina Carla Capsoni: "Dr. Capsoni assembled single atoms and molecules to construct an organic nanosystem and further investigated it to gain a better understanding of its specific functions. Her work demonstrates the possibility of constructing nanosystems with specific functions and advances the design and development of new materials."
• Dr. Martin Bitter: "Dr. Bitter completed his doctoral research in the field of atomic, molecular and optical physics. He used sequences of ultra-short laser pulses to study and control chaotic motion in rotating molecules. Controlling chaos has far reaching implications for the ultimate prospect of using light to control chemical reactions."
• Dr. Philippe Alexandre Sabella Garnier: "Dr. Sabella-Garnier applied methods usually reserved for microscopic physics to study space and time. In so doing, he was able to better describe the behaviour of certain surfaces and to put bounds on the existence of matter with negative energy. This work furthers our understanding of the links between gravity and the other forces of nature."
• Dr. Clemens Paul Josef Adolphs: "Dr. Adolphs studied how electrons interact with the material they move in. He showed that common simple models fail to account for the important phenomena arising from these interactions, and found extended models that better predict their behaviour. His results deepen our understanding of complex materials and can aid in the design of better materials."

Doctor of Philosophy (Planning)

• Dr. Victoria Jane Barr: "Dr. Barr examined how community planners and public health professionals are working together to improve health and foster social equity within BC communities. Her work focused on the best ways to support collaboration among diverse fields. This research is useful to policymakers seeking to build healthier and more vibrant communities for all."

Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science)

• Dr. Richard Togman: "Dr. Togman's research provides us with an in depth and historical account of why governments tried to control the growth and decline of their populations. His research illuminates how we have linked childbirth to issues of poverty, war and wealth for the last three hundred years. This knowledge will have an impact on future policymakers."
• Dr. Carla Winston: "Dr. Winston traced the evolution of the field of transitional justice. She showed how states decide what counts as "appropriate behavior" when addressing a history of domestic human rights abuses. Her work contributes to the conceptual understanding of international norms and their diffusion across the international system."
• Dr. Yana Gorokhovskaia: "Dr. Gorokhovskaia examined the relationship between elections, protest, and political participation in Russia's modern hybrid authoritarian regime. She found that although electoral competition is heavily manipulated, it remains possible for citizens to meaningfully influence a regime's behavior even from within a repressive political system."
• Dr. John Russell McAndrews: "Dr. McAndrews investigated whether Americans draw sophisticated inferences about the legislative performance of their elected officials, and why Canadian MPs bother to debate bills when the government ultimately controls the decision-making. His research sheds new light on the competence of citizens and the motivations of those who represent them."
• Dr. Jan Ludert: "Dr. Ludert studied the interactions of indigenous peoples and National Liberation Movements with organizations such as the UN, in relation to their conceptions of state sovereignty. He developed a theoretical framework and identified one important venue type. His work furthers our understanding of such political contexts and will inform public policy."
• Dr. Robert Bryan Peeler: "Dr. Peeler studied the historical development and contemporary interpretation of the law of armed conflict. He argues that despite the existence of a recognizable trend towards humanitarianism, an expectation of reciprocity continues to be an important factor when states consider their law of armed conflict obligations."
• Dr. Grace Alexandra Lore: "Dr. Lore explored when, how, and why women in politics act to represent women's interests. Her findings revealed that the presence of women matters more in presidential than parliamentary systems and when electoral systems encourage personal rather than party votes. This has important implications on promoting a diverse representation in government."
• Dr. Katrina Lynn Chapelas: "Dr. Chapelas studied conflict arising in response to urban change. She found that residents claim that their physical proximity to new social groups is unsustainable in order to assert their right to a voice in determining the future of their neighborhoods. Her work increases our understanding of how diverse populations negotiate living together."
• Dr. Matthew Joseph Gravelle: "Dr. Gravelle studied the politics of international financial market integration, and explained why some cross-border mergers between financial service firms are blocked by authorities while others are approved. This research sheds light on the independent role of financial market regulators in making important political decisions about the integration of the global economy."
• Dr. Charles Barclay Roger: "Dr. Roger's research explored why states create highly legalized intergovernmental organizations in some instances and less legalized ones in others. He found that domestic politics within powerful states determine the kind of design that gets chosen, and that the forces at work often produce dysfunctional bodies that fail to address global issues."

Doctor of Philosophy (Population and Public Health)

• Dr. Joseph Hernandez Puyat: "Using big health data, Dr. Puyat examined depression treatment in the general population. He found that half of those treated for depression received inadequate care and that paying physicians more will not greatly improve access to care. His findings underscore the need for fundamental changes in the way mental health services are provided."

Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)

• Dr. Kieran Ryan Fox: "Dr. Fox investigated the brain's ability to self-generate its own mental content independent of the external environment. His work illuminates how specific brain networks are differentially involved in generating particular types of mental content."
• Dr. Amy Burns: "Dr. Burns studied thinking skills in patients with schizophrenia related disorders. She found that patients with schizophrenia had difficulty understanding irony, a difference that was also reflected in electrical activity in the brain. This study increases our understanding of schizophrenia and informs intervention strategies."
• Dr. William M Hall: "Dr. Hall examined the psychological barriers to women's success in science and engineering workplaces. He found that accepting workplace conversations with male colleagues were key predictors in lowering gender stereotyping and burnout for women. This research furthers our understanding of how to increase women's success in male dominated careers."
• Dr. Rita Anne McNamara: "Dr. McNamara examined how culture and cognition sculpt psychology across development. Norms prohibiting mental state inference lead Fijian adults to punish accidents more than Westerners, while children in Fiji and Canada show similar intent focus. Therefore, mental state reasoning may emerge early and differentiate based on culture into adulthood."
• Dr. Alexis Merry May: "Dr. May developed a tool to identify the reasons that people attempt suicide. She validated her tool in 5 populations, involving collaborations with Vancouver General Hospital and Brown University. The tool can help match suicidal people to effective, targeted treatments and will improve how mental health researchers study and understand suicide risk."
• Dr. Alyssa Suzanne Croft: "Dr. Croft's research examined a new facet in the psychological study of gender stereotypes. She found that the division of labor at home, particularly men's contribution to childcare and housework, is causally linked to the roles girls & women expect to occupy outside the home. This extends prior research exploring workplace equality in isolation."
• Dr. Yuanyuan Jiang: "Dr. Jiang investigated positive self-illusions in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Findings showed that these children do not appear to overestimate their social abilities. This study increases insight into the self-perceptions of children with ADHD, and informs clinical approaches to furthering child and family well-being."
• Dr. Ana Luisa Pesquita: "Dr. Pesquita investigated human sensitivity to subtle differences in bodily cues that occur when someone else's attention is controlled by an internal choice versus an external cue. Her work brings a longstanding distinction between voluntary and reflexive attention into the realm of a modern topic: reading other's minds through action observation."
• Dr. Donald Kyle Danielson: "Dr. Danielson investigated how infants use vision to help them learn language. His research demonstrated that before their first birthday, infants have expectations about how sounds from an unfamiliar language should look on the human face. What infants see on a speaking face changes the way that they process language."
• Dr. Morag Allison Yule: "Dr. Yule's research focused on how human asexuality, defined as a lack of sexual attraction, is best conceptualized. She investigated mental health correlates of asexuals, compared asexuality with sexual dysfunction, and explored sexual fantasy among asexual individuals. This research has greatly advanced our understanding of asexuality."

Doctor of Philosophy (Rehabilitation Sciences)

• Dr. Debra Ann Field: "Dr. Field studied how children who have difficulty walking due to a chronic health condition use power wheelchairs to participate in daily life. Her findings explored the feasibility of research methods and the suitability of measurement tools describing children's participation and changes in their participation following receipt of a new power wheelchair."
• Dr. Edward Mark Giesbrecht: "Older adults who use a wheelchair often experience restricted participation. Dr. Giesbrecht developed and evaluated a computer tablet-based, home training program monitored on-line by a therapist. This innovative approach to treatment could change how we provide rehabilitation for a growing number of older adults with mobility challenges."

Doctor of Philosophy (Religious Studies)

• Dr. Clement Tsz Ming Tong: "Dr. Tong studied the earliest Chinese translations of the Christian Bible by Protestant missionaries, and demonstrated that factors such as patronage, rivalry, and networking often played a more important role than literary and linguistic considerations. His research provides new and challenging insights into the beginning of Chinese Protestantism."

Doctor of Philosophy (Reproductive and Developmental Sciences)

• Dr. Siyuan Xiong: "Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in females. Dr. Xiong studied the signaling pathways and identified two important factors that influence the development of endometrial cancer cells. These findings suggest novel therapeutic targets for treating type II endometrial cancer."

Doctor of Philosophy (School Psychology)

• Dr. Joanna Lynne Kelm: "Dr. Kelm examined the experiences of adults who had been diagnosed with a learning disability. Her findings describe the experience of receiving an assessment for a learning disability and the ways in which adults make sense of their diagnosis. These findings indicate the diagnosis may provide adults with an increased sense of self-efficacy."

Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology)

• Dr. Erica Thekla McCollum: "Dr. McCollum examined the influences and understandings that lie behind levels of political participation of young Canadians. She argued that political engagement is primarily fostered through social milieus that promote participation, and that increasing individualism in Western society is impacting young people's relationship with participation."
• Dr. Heather Holroyd: "Dr. Holroyd examined the influence of Canadian immigration policies on immigrant women. Her research demonstrated the value of neighbourhood-based settlement-oriented employment programs that recognize newcomers' skills, and that promote social and economic integration by fostering their sense of citizenship in Canada."

Doctor of Philosophy (Special Education)

• Dr. Nancy Alice Norman: "Dr. Norman studied the unique teacher-student relationship between itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing and their students. Her research identifies the role these teachers play in supporting the social and emotional development of deaf and hard of hearing students, and highlights itinerant teachers as key facilitators of inclusive practices in schools."

Doctor of Philosophy (Statistics)

• Dr. Yongliang Zhai: "Dr. Zhai works on disentangling history of human evolution and language evolution using statistical methods. He showed that the path of human migration can be discovered based on the genetic variation observed among current human populations."
• Dr. Camila Maria Casquilho Resende: "Dr. Casquilho Resende developed statistical models to better understand localized weather regimes in complex geographical regions. Her design strategy for monitoring networks provides critical data for both scientists and governmental agencies, contributing to the surveillance of environmental processes and further understanding Earth's climate."

Doctor of Philosophy (Theatre)

• Dr. Trish Everett-Kabut: "Dr. Everett-Kabut's research explores the use of theatrical performance as a tool for propaganda, education and community building in the early years of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in 1930's Vancouver. This work suggests that workers' theatre in Canada was far more widespread than previously believed and suggests that theatre was and remains a vital tool for political and social change."

Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology)

• Dr. Maria de los Angeles Acevedo Lares: "Dr. Acevedo studied the nuclear pore complex, the gate-like complex that protects, connects and controls traffic in and out of the cell's nucleus. She found one of the proteins is important during flu virus infection and its absence affects cellular organization. This knowledge provides us with the base to further design antivirals and target cancer cells in future therapeutics approaches."
• Dr. Alathea Letaw: "Dr. Letaw studied the coexistence of insect larvae living in water-filled tank bromeliads. She found that under some conditions, species coexist by interacting as if they are the same species. Such research enhances our ability to predict how ecosystem changes might affect the populations of species living in those ecosystems."
• Dr. Seth Michael Rudman: "Dr. Rudman's research explored the role of rapid evolution in driving ecological change using a series of experiments and observational field studies. These studies integrate across levels of biological organization to demonstrate how changes within species can alter ecological communities and ecosystems processes."
• Dr. Diana Jessie Rennison: "Dr. Rennison's research investigated the processes of adaptation and speciation using a combination of field studies and controlled experiments on threespine stickleback fish. Her work suggests that biotic interactions are key drivers of diversification and that genetic architecture plays an important role in determining adaptive responses."
• Dr. Kieran Mikhail Samuk: "Dr. Samuk showed that migration between populations of organisms can limit the location that adaptive evolution can occur in the genome. This helps us understand why evolution often re-uses the same genes, and will aid us in building predictive models of evolution."
• Dr. Timothy Mark Healy: "Dr. Healy examined relationships between tolerances of high temperature and low oxygen, and metabolic responses to temperature change across multiple time scales in fish. His work highlights a need to incorporate an understanding of the physiological responses of organisms into predictions of the effects of climate change on species' distributions."
• Dr. Sabine Lina Lague: "Dr. Lague identified multiple cardio-respiratory strategies that high-altitude geese and ducks use to maintain oxygen supply in low oxygen conditions. This study highlights how the avian heart and lungs are influenced differently by lifelong residency or transient performance at altitude, lending insight into how some animals thrive at high altitude."
• Dr. Lindsay Aylesworth: "Dr. Aylesworth used seahorses as a case study to understand how to develop conservation action for data-poor marine fishes. Her research highlights ways that management can move forward with limited data, such as with local knowledge and new advances in data-poor fishery assessment methods, to address conservation issues for marine species."
• Dr. Kimberly Julie Gilbert: "Dr. Gilbert investigated the population genetics of complex demographic history. She compared methods for estimating effective population size and examined the impact on local adaptation during range expansion. These studies improve our understanding of natural populations and their abilities to adapt to new and changing environments."
• Dr. Matthew Allen Barbour: "Insects, plants, and their feeding interactions form food webs that regulate much of Earth's biodiversity. Dr. Barbour discovered that different plant genotypes support unique food chains of insect species. His work indicates that the loss of plant genetic diversity could unravel the web of interactions that sustains the diversity of life on Earth."

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Management Information Systems)

• Dr. Arash Saghafi: "Dr. Saghafi studied business information modelling. He investigated approaches that could improve the performance of users in business analytics, and enhance their overall understanding of the application requirements. His research has important implications for both researchers and practitioners in the area of information systems development."