Convocation November 2020

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership and Policy)

• Dr. Stuart Michael Mennigke: "Dr. Mennigke wrote a philosophical inquiry on leadership in the age of liquid modernity. His dissertation critically analyses key themes in broad theoretical literature through a dramatic personification of each theme as a character. Using these themes as forms of conceptual analysis contributes a critical understanding of the nature of leadership."

Doctor of Musical Arts (Orchestral Instrument)

• Dr. Aaron Graham: "Dr. Graham examined the pedagogical benefits of learning and performing a musical genre known as complexism - a style that has received much criticism over the years. He presented interviews with well-known performers, analysis of his own experience, and highlighted the benefits the musician will see as a result of an experience with this genre."

Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology)

• Dr. Daria Boltokova: "Dr. Boltokova examined processes of language change among the Sakha, an Indigenous People in northeastern Russia. She shows that disagreements between older and younger Sakha about how their language should be spoken is a key driver of linguistic change. Her study strengthens our understanding of Indigenous language revitalization."
• Dr. Daniel Manson: "Dr. Manson examined how Romani people living in France are being affected by state efforts to regulate their movement and place of residence. His analysis shows that larger debates about the place of the Roma in Europe are increasingly being played out spatially through localized battles over housing, mobility, and other basic rights."

Doctor of Philosophy (Art History)

• Dr. Jeffrey Patrick O'Brien: "How does one archive the immaterial, the absent, the inaccessible after times of crisis? How does one make visible the disappeared? Dr. O'Brien investigated the work of Lebanese and Palestinian artists who, after the 1975-1990 Civil War in Lebanon, in which 17,000 people were deemed disappeared, make visible these populations and their histories."

Doctor of Philosophy (Asian Studies)

• Dr. William Scott Wells: "Dr. Wells offers a corrective to the common historiography of the Korean language, which treats vernacularity as natural and literary vernacularization as foreordained. He shows that turn-of-the-20th c. shifts in Korean language practice were not inevitable, but driven by Korean nationalists, Western missionaries and Japanese imperial officials."
• Dr. Karl Ove Peder Gedda: "Dr. Gedda examined the earliest versions of the rahitname, a literary genre of Sikh religious ethics. His research situated the production of this genre in relation to the historical and literary context of South Asia in the early eighteenth century. His study contributes to the cultural and social history of pre-modern South Asia."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

• Dr. Brian James Caffrey: "Dr. Caffrey applied light and electron microscopy to answer key questions in human health and disease across several size scales, from human tissue to single proteins. His research examines 3D distribution of mitochondria in tissues, the effect of novel therapeutics on cells and illuminates the role structural defects in protein play in disease."
• Dr. Nima Mazinani: "Dr. Mazinani studied the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and blood clotting. He found that proteins that cause Alzheimer's disease assist in blood clotting, and that these proteins can be modified by coagulation enzymes. His findings contribute to a new understanding of potential causes of Alzheimer's disease, as well as new therapies."
• Dr. Kathleen Liisa Kolehmainen: "Dr. Kolehmainen studied ketogenic diet and ketone ester supplementation as potential treatments in preclinical models of spinal cord injury. She demonstrated that a ketogenic diet can reduce certain features of inflammation underscoring the importance of nutritional interventions following spinal cord injury."
• Dr. Dorothy Diana Majewski: "Dr. Majewski studied the atomic structure of the bacterial type 3 secretion system, a syringe-like nanomachine used to hijack host cells. Her research has improved our understanding of how the system is assembled, creating a foundation for future drug design against pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli."
• Dr. Chloe Ann Gerak: "Dr. Gerak studied a protein fragment, called the PNT domain, that is present in many oncoproteins. She investigated how the PNT domain self-associates to activate these oncoproteins, thereby causing cancer, and searched for molecules that might prevent this self-association. This knowledge aids in identifying a new class of anticancer therapeutics."
• Dr. John Andrew Nelson Alexander: "Dr. Alexander examined the molecular basis of two mechanisms of antibiotic resistance found in the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. His characterisation of protein-antibiotic interactions using x-ray crystallography and kinetics contributes insight into how resistance occurs and could guide the development of new and improved antibiotics."
• Dr. Nathanael Adam Caveney: "Dr. Caveney showed how the final stages of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis can be modulated. These modulations are part of both natural bacterial life but additionally can play an important role in bacterial infection. This research paves the way for improved antibacterial therapeutics."

Doctor of Philosophy (Bioinformatics)

• Dr. Jasleen Kaur Grewal: "Dr. Grewal developed machine learning tools for cancer diagnosis and analysis. She found that when given large-scale genomic data, these methods can diagnose rare cancers and learn individual cancer biology. Her research shows that automated machine learning methods can enhance diagnostic and treatment decisions in precision oncology."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)

• Dr. Hooman Esfandiari (Duplicate): "Dr. Esfandiari developed a system that uses medical image processing algorithms and artificial intelligence to enable surgeons to more clearly and accurately see where spine implants have been placed during a surgery, rather than waiting for a postoperative assessment. His system will reduce the re-operation rate for spine surgery patients."

Doctor of Philosophy (Botany)

• Dr. Nicholas Aidan Thomas Irwin: "Dr. Irwin studied the molecular biology and evolution of the cell nucleus by examining how nuclear processes function in diverse organisms. His work revealed the capacity for viruses to shape cellular evolution, identified novel nuclear mechanisms, and highlighted the utility of new model organisms for future research."
• Dr. Marybel Soto Gomez: "Dr. Soto Gomez used genomics to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the three major plant groups Pandanales, Dioscoreales and the Dioscorea yams, shedding light on their relationships, genomes, biogeography and morphology. She also developed methods to uncover wild yam species of utility for improving crop yams, which feed millions globally."
• Dr. Qianshi Lin: "Dr. Lin studied the evolution of rare cases when the roles are reversed, and plants consume animals or parasitize fungi. He discovered a new carnivorous plant lineage, and addressed species boundaries in it. He also resolved relationships of monocot which parasitize fungi, and uncovered an unusual gene transfer from soil fungi to plants."
• Dr. Evan Whitney Hersh: "Dr. Hersh studied why asexual plants are often more widespread than their sexual relatives using Easter daisies, and found that asexuals are aided by particularly successful clones and seed traits that help promote colonization. This work challenges the assumption that asexuals' only advantage is the ability to reproduce without mates."
• Dr. Qian Zhang: "Dr. Zhang identified two protein kinases that are critical for plant defense against pathogens. She found that these two kinases are involved in a conserved signalling transduction process in plant immunity. This research contributes to our understanding of plant immunity and will potentially help with sustainable agriculture."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemical and Biological Engineering)

• Dr. Daniel Thomas Paterson: "Dr. Paterson explored and modelled the dynamic response of papermaking fibre suspensions undergoing compressive dewatering operations. His research advanced traditional deformable porous media models by including effects of the fibres' complex structure. The findings are valuable for optimizing designs of pulp and paper industrial equipment."
• Dr. Mohammad Saad Dara: "Dr. Dara developed an innovation for the simultaneous conversion of waste brines and carbon dioxide produced during industrial operations to re-usable water and chemicals. The first of a kind technology is now being commercialized by Mangrove Water Technologies and has the potential to reduce lithium battery costs leading to increased EV adoption."
• Dr. Lius Daniel: "Dr. Daniel studied the interfaces between layers in the multilayer structure of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. His work resulted in an integrated multilayer architecture that eliminates detrimental gaps around the catalyst layer to improve the performance and operational flexibility of fuel cells, critical for automotive applications."
• Dr. Ehsan Espid: "Dr. Espid collaboratively designed, fabricated and tested a new photo-electro-chemical sensing technology to analyze contaminants in water and air, aiming to determine the level and type of treatment needs. This research illuminates the role of novel UV-LEDs to develop low cost and high performance sensors to monitor and control indoor air quality."
• Dr. Jun Young Kim: "Dr. Kim studied particle breakage in sorption-enhanced chemical looping, which produces H2-enriched synthesis gas while capturing CO2 from fuels. He examined the breakage of oxygen carrier and CO2 sorbent particles and developed a model to improve the efficiency and stability of the process to reduce the impact on public health and the environment."
• Dr. Adrian Alberto Serrano Mora: "Dr. Serrano-Mora studied the use of activated carbon electrodes to desalinate brackish water. He analyzed the long-term influence of commonly found water components and different approaches to restore their desalination capacity. This research advances the development of Capacitive Deionization for the production of freshwater using saline sources."
• Dr. Sudipta Kumar Mitra: "Dr. Mitra examined the effect of separate refining and co-refining of mixtures of softwood and hardwood pulps in terms of paper tensile strength. He developed a scaling law for tensile strength increase during refining of pulp mixtures, which will help use NBSK pulp to the highest potential and achieve target strengths depending on grades of paper."
• Dr. Arian Ebneyamini: "Dr. Ebneyamini's research focused on the regeneration of limestone-based particles as sorbents for the capture of CO2 via calcium-looping. His work introduced a novel technology, capable of efficient sorbent regeneration at relatively mild temperatures. The process also benefits from CO2 utilization, reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)

• Dr. Nigare Raheem: "Dr. Raheem investigated the antibacterial and antibiofilm functions of antimicrobial peptides, with activity against both free-swimming and biofilm bacteria. Her research provides better understanding of the multifaceted nature of these peptides and helps towards the future development of therapeutic alternatives to combat antimicrobial resistance."
• Dr. Lee Lee (Lily) Li: "Dr. Li's research focused on nuclear medicine in cancer treatments, particularly metal-based radiopharmaceuticals. She developed several metal-binding agents which demonstrated promising chemical and biological properties upon binding with important medical radiometal ions. Her discoveries impact medicinal inorganic chemistry and nuclear medicine."
• Dr. Yael Petel: "Dr. Petel studied the transport of molecules and ions in innovative materials to improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind their unique physical and electrical properties. Her research assists in the development of applications such as artificial muscles, electro-optical devices, and recyclable polymers."
• Dr. Wenqiang Jing: "Dr. Jing developed high-throughput methods for the analysis of trace compounds in complex matrices. He coupled novel sample preparation methods to direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry, placing particular attention to the extraction and ionization processes. This work provides strategies for environment monitoring and quality control."
• Dr. Nicole Evelyn Arsenault: "Dr. Arsenault's research focused on the design and examination of new shape-shifting molecules. The absorption or emission colours are dependent on the molecule's shape, and can be tuned by changing the surrounding solvent. Her research will impact applications using stimuli-responsive molecules, such as water-sensing dyes for biomedical imaging."
• Dr. Erin Evoy: "Dr. Evoy studied the physical properties of organic aerosols, which are known to be important for environmental and human health. She evaluated the accuracy of different equations used to describe the diffusion of molecules within aerosols. The results improve our ability to understand and quantify the effects of organic aerosols in the atmosphere."
• Dr. Jessica May Risley: "Dr. Risley developed methods that can both detect lower levels of key protein components and use those components to separate similar proteins. Such improvements in therapeutic protein testing reduce the potential for adverse reactions in patients who are using these specialized proteins to treat illnesses."
• Dr. Rosanne Shivananda Devika Persaud: "Dr. Persaud synthesized analogs of clionamine B, compounds which remove Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human cells, making them attractive compounds for developing new drugs to treat TB. Dr. Persaud also made compounds to identify the site where clionamine B binds in cells, which is an important part in the drug development process."
• Dr. Jianhui Cheng: "Dr. Cheng introduced nonaqueous solvents into capillary electrophoresis (CE), which separates species based on charge and size. He modified the connection of CE to modern mass spectrometry and optimized its analysis of hydrophobic compounds. His work complements the state-of-art CE by achieving its analysis of hydrophobic analytes."
• Dr. Namrata Jain: "Dr. Jain's work in carbohydrate chemistry involved the development of several molecular tools that facilitate the discovery of industrially applicable enzymes that can break down carbohydrates. Such enzymes have applications in biofuel production from renewable sources and in understanding mechanisms of carbohydrate digestion in humans."
• Dr. Thomas Malig: "Dr. Malig developed an automated device to monitor chemical transformations as they progress. He used this platform to perform kinetic studies of chemical reactions leading to increased mechanistic understanding and process efficiency. His research will allow chemical researchers to maximize chemical understanding while minimizing analyst workload."

Doctor of Philosophy (Civil Engineering)

• Dr. Kianosh Ashkani Zadeh: "Dr. Ashkani developed a methodology for seismic assessment of reinforced concrete bridges. He also investigated the role of soil-structure interaction in the probability of collapse of reinforced concrete bridges and studied variation of the bridge foundation motions from the earthquake ground motions at the ground surface."
• Dr. Stevan Gavrilovic: "Dr. Gavrilovic examined the lifecycle performance of buildings that have been damaged during earthquakes. Simulating the repair of damage on a computer, new results provide insights into the costs, repairability, and sustainability of several structural materials. This research will assist in the design of more resilient and sustainable buildings."
• Dr. Hanna Hamid: "Dr. Hamid studied the transformation of fluorotelomer compounds by bacterial communities and in presence of sunlight. These compounds are widely used for waterproofing consumer products and packaging. Her research provides a better understanding of their fate in the environment, allowing more realistic risk assessment and mitigation strategies."
• Dr. Ming Yang: "Dr. Yang studied the fundamental aspects of soil liquefaction on the grain-scale level. He developed a state-of-the-art practical model to simulate the cyclic response of sands. His research contributes to the high-fidelity modeling of civil infrastructure problems involving earthquake-induced cyclic liquefaction."

Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)

• Dr. Micah J Best: "Dr. Best created a synthesis of techniques from disparate areas of Systems and Programming Languages research, augmented with new highly efficient coordination algorithms, to better leverage the multiple processors available in modern computing devices. This work will open new avenues for programmers to write faster programs with fewer errors."
• Dr. Christopher Vui Liaw: "Dr. Liaw explored machine learning from the lens of theoretical computer science. He developed new algorithms with strong theoretical guarantees for online decision making and distribution learning. His contributions may be applied to develop learning algorithms with improved error guarantees while requiring sufficiently less data."
• Dr. Francesco Vitale: "Dr. Vitale studied how everyday technology users curate their personal data, such as photos, documents, or mobile apps, by deciding what to keep or discard. His work characterizes the strong individual differences that users display in their decisions and provides implications for designing personalized tools that can meet different user needs."

Doctor of Philosophy (Counselling Psychology)

• Dr. Zarina Alexandra Giannone: "Dr. Giannone studied identity development in young adults and student-athletes. She found that group interventions that brought young people together to talk about identity helped them develop a stronger sense of who they are and where they are heading. Enhanced identity improved participants' sense of hope, motivation, and self-efficacy."
• Dr. Ada Kwan Wing Law: "Dr. Law studied the role of ethnic culture in the experience and coping of chronic pain. Her research focused on immigrants from China living with pain in BC. Results revealed a set of cultural beliefs and values that informs their pain management actions. Her work can help enhance patient care for chronic pain in an increasingly global society."
• Dr. Daniel John Clegg: "Through theoretical and qualitative inquiries, Dr. Clegg invited Canadian counselling psychology educators to listen deeply to Indigenous Knowledges, changing assumptions underlying curriculum and disciplinary identity, and unfolding questions of what it means for educators, students, and clients to relate to place and land."

Doctor of Philosophy (Craniofacial Science)

• Dr. Maha Muzahem Al-Sahan: "Dr. Al-Sahan identified that the integration of five biopsychosocial theories can help explain how people cope and adapt to loss of visible body parts. She subsequently applied the theories in the context of coping with complete tooth loss thereby proposing a model that explains the process of coping with tooth loss."
• Dr. Adrian Danescu: "Dr. Danescu established novel microscopic methods to visualize the embryonic face as it develops. He was able to see coordinated and symmetrical patterns of cell behaviour and observe how specific drugs block cell movements. The insights from his work will impact our understanding of normal and abnormal facial development."

Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum Studies)

• Dr. Kevin Day: "Dr. Day analyzed contemporary media artworks that interrogate the socio-political issues of data and algorithms. The research argues that these artworks subvert the exploitation and encoding of information capitalism through amplifying data that has been suppressed, offering critical ways to engage with information and communication technologies."
• Dr. Brenda Darlene Davis: "Dr. Davis explored six ways to study the traumatic past, a unique area in curriculum studies. Indigenous practices of orality, listening to stories of Survivors, choosing to become a witness, and taking steps towards reconciliation were identified as the educational legacy of the TRC - Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission."
• Dr. Stella Maris Namae: "Dr. Namae explored why some secondary school teachers in Uganda choose to adopt technology and others do not. Her findings revealed that skills training and sheer attitude influenced technology use in schools. Her study also reveals that the presence of technology in school does not guarantee teacher change of attitude and use."
• Dr. Gerald Gallego Tembrevilla: "Dr. Tembrevilla documented an expansion in rural high school science teachers' knowledge related to technology, pedagogy, and content through science video production. This work underscores the importance of centering investments for science teachers and integrating technology and local knowledge in science education, particularly in rural areas."

Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)

• Dr. Aruni Mitra: "Dr. Mitra studied how the decline in labour union power led productivity to rise during recessions since the early 1980s in the US. His work also established a limited role for parents in determining income and consumption inequality among children. These findings have policy implications for temporary job-guarantee in recession and bequest tax."
• Dr. Mengying Wei: "Dr. Wei studied how mortgage market fluctuations in the early 2000's affected long-term labor market outcomes in the US. Her work also investigated the impact of tax incentives on small business growth. These findings have policy implications for labor market recoveries after a financial crisis and the promotion of small businesses."

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies)

• Dr. Gang Li: "Dr. Li examined how Chinese international students engage with democratic discourses and practices in Canada and the US. His study displays that some students may become increasingly committed to democracy and democratization in China through their engagement in the two host countries' regimes and local associations."
• Dr. Neila Miled: "Dr. Miled conducted an ethnographic study to explore how Muslim high school students position themselves as Muslims and/or Canadians and how they construct their belonging and unbelonging to Canada. This study highlights the complexities of their experiences and illuminates the role of schools in the identity formation of racialized students."
• Dr. Dwayne Christopher Cover: "Dr. Cover examined how marketized education policies are interpreted and enacted by public education administrators in school districts. He explored how public education is evolving in increasingly marketized climates and how administrators understand their shifting roles and manage conflicts between marketization and the aims of public education."
• Dr. Amber Jean Ellen Shilling: "Dr. Shilling spoke with urban Indigenous youth to explore how they use technology to connect to identity, language, and culture, finding that social media acts as a place for learning and engaging with community. Her results have implications on community-building, language revitalization, and education outreach throughout Turtle Island."
• Dr. Caroline Chung-Hsuan Locher-Lo: "Dr. Lo explored Chinese heritage maintenance in identity and language practice in BC. Findings illuminate perceptions shaped by migratory trajectory, immigrant generation, and embodied racialized identity. Her research enriches the theoretical discourse in heritage maintenance with language as a conceptual link between heritage and identity."
• Dr. Dale Michael McCartney: "Dr. McCartney studied the history of international undergraduate student policy in Canada since WWII. He found that policymakers often used these students to advance a racist "Canada first" agenda both economically and politically, while international students' presence has significantly reshaped post-secondary institutions and Canadian law."

Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

• Dr. Yanjie Dong: "Dr. Dong studied the methods to apply renewable energy and artificial intelligence to wireless communication systems. He found that there exists a tradeoff between users' quality of experience and system energy expenditure. His developed algorithms will help to reduce the carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions of wireless communications."
• Dr. Ayub Ahmed Gubran: "Dr. Gubran studied the hardware architecture of low-power integrated computer chips of mobile devices. He created modeling tools and developed hardware techniques that can aid researchers and chip architects in understanding, designing, and improving the performance and power-efficiency of mobile chips."
• Dr. Hootan Rashtian: "Dr. Rashtian worked on data prioritization when constraints prevent from collecting data from every source. He developed reinforcement learning methods to derive decision policies for data collection. His work provides benefits for large-scale machine learning pipelines in industrial applications such as the Internet of Things and social media."
• Dr. Yanan Sun: "Dr. Sun investigated energy storage applications. She developed a privacy protection solution for end consumers, a frequency regulation scheme for system operators, and a market participation strategy for storage owners. Her algorithms provide meaningful insights for the application of energy storage to support the paradigm shift to smart grids."
• Dr. Qian Zhou: "Dr. Zhou studied 3D interactions and spatial perception for Virtual Reality displays. She created techniques to generate realistic visualization on 3D displays. This research paves the way for future VR studies and applications."
• Dr. Yi Luo: "Dr. Luo developed an image sensor chip capable of per-pixel coded exposure for emerging machine vision applications. He subsequently applied his image sensor design in a portable AI camera to produce high-speed video, high dynamic range photos, and 3D depth maps with a single image capture."
• Dr. Seyed Ali Saberali: "To accommodate the rapidly growing amount of data demanded by mobile users in wireless networks, Dr. Saberali developed caching techniques to prevent congestion of the telecommunications links. He proposed methods to encode the data demanded by multiple users into a smaller number of coded messages and decode them at the final destinations."
• Dr. Minglei Ma: "Dr. Ma studied wavelength and polarization control for on-chip communication systems such as mobile network servers. He presented novel silicon photonic integrated circuit designs, from components to sub-systems, as well as intelligent control techniques. His studies facilitate developing fully integrated, high-speed, data-processing systems."
• Dr. Xiaowei Ren: "Dr. Ren proposed architectural supports for efficient synchronizations in both single-Graphics Processing Units and multi-GPU systems. His work can simplify GPU programming, increase performance, and extend hardware scalability to large-scale systems, thereby attracting more programmers and extending GPU to a wider range of application domains."
• Dr. Duong Tung Nguyen: "Dr. Nguyen developed efficient algorithms for pricing and resource allocation in edge computing. This research assists service providers and network operators to optimize the operation and planning of edge networks. It also facilitates the development of new marketplaces for fair and efficient allocation and trading of edge resources."
• Dr. Nandinee Fariah Haq: "Dr. Haq's research focused on detecting groups within a biomedical system. She proposed novel methods to find groups in two crucial brain structures, brainstem and putamen, which play important roles in understanding several neurological diseases. She also investigated groups of similar X-ray images to generate a guidance tool for diagnosis."
• Dr. Xinrui Cui: "Dr. Cui developed comprehensive approaches to interpreting deep learning models in visual understanding. These approaches provide explanations from diverse aspects for the black-box deep learning models. His work will help build trust in end-users for those deep models and contribute to the model deployment."
• Dr. Hossam Ahmed Sabri Shoman: "Dr. Shoman invented a photonic reflection-cancellation circuit and used it to demonstrate the first stable quantum-well laser against varying reflections without traditional expensive and bulky magneto-optic isolators. His invention promises the large-scale, low-cost production of electronic-photonic chips for computing, communication and sensing."
• Dr. Alireza Mehrtash: "Dr. Mehrtash developed computer algorithms to assist doctors and improve outcomes for patients undergoing image-guided procedures. He devised novel machine learning methods for improving prostate cancer diagnosis and interventions. His work led to the development of new methods for uncertainty estimation in clinical decision-making systems."
• Dr. Zejun Yang: "Dr. Yang investigated the interdependency analysis and modelling among critical infrastructures. He optimized the preparation and restoration processes at both the pre- and the post-disaster phase. This research increases the resilience of critical infrastructure systems for disaster response."
• Dr. Craig Alexander Mustard: "Dr. Mustard investigated how to improve the speed of data analysis on computer systems. He developed a system that runs analysis tasks on novel computer processors that efficiently communicate over data center networks. His research provides insights into how and when to use these new designs to make data analysis faster for everyday users."

Doctor of Philosophy (English)

• Dr. Jade Elizabeth Standing: "Dr. Standing presented a new historical interpretation of the early modern English Chancery's role in relocating moral obligation from a spiritual to a temporal jurisdiction. Arguing that this shift is registered in the period's drama, she has contributed to an important ongoing conversation about personal interiority, state values, and conscience."
• Dr. Jack Francis Knowles: "Dr. Knowles wrote about Philip Roth, placing the irrepressible and controversial novelist more completely in his literary historical contexts. Combining archival research with close textual analysis, Dr. Knowles explored the significance of Roth's entanglement in the discursive dynamics of the Cold War to his ongoing struggle with fictional form."

Doctor of Philosophy (Experimental Medicine)

• Dr. Massih Khorvash: "Dr. Khorvash determined computationally how an antibody specific towards Alzheimer's disease (AD) detects its toxic species, amyloid beta oligomers. The target regions were used to design a smaller version of the antibody and to predict the binding sites of oligomers on the surface of neurons, which can be used to design more effective antibodies."
• Dr. Nataliya Yuskiv: "Dr. Yuskiv investigated management practices and treatment outcomes of phenylketonuria, a rare, treatable genetic metabolic disorder. She identified needs for improvement in the areas of diagnosis, management practices, treatment outcomes, and parental quality of life. Her work will benefit families with phenylketonuria."
• Dr. Hon Lam Lambert Yue: "Dr. Yue developed economical, high-throughput research techniques to track hundreds of cell signalling proteins in biological models with high sensitivity. He then applied these to map the architecture of signalling systems involved in cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease to uncover potential therapeutic and diagnostic opportunities."
• Dr. Byron Norman Frazer Brook: "Dr. Brook studied the positive side effects of a vaccine called BCG to determine how it protects from infections, and how it can reduce newborn mortality by 50%. He discovered a new mechanism of protection, describing the essential steps needed for protection, and how protection could be enhanced."
• Dr. Rowshanak Afshar: "Dr. Afshar explored the benefits that individuals with diabetes receive from delivering support to peers with the same health condition in peer support interventions. She proposed how to optimize these programs and maximize these benefits, which will help patients with diabetes, researchers, and policymakers designing peer support interventions."
• Dr. Elizaveta Bulaeva: "Dr. Bulaeva developed a new model of acute myeloid leukemia by overexpressing a gene called MYC in normal human blood cells. Using this model, she found that these cells require signals also present during inflammation to initiate leukemia and behave normally in their absence, suggesting that inflammation may play a role in human leukemogenesis."
• Dr. Iryna Davies: "Dr. Davies studied the user interface design aspects of how to best present large and complex patient genomic data at the point of care to improve frailty risk assessment. Her research is a step towards integrating big data into routine primary care usage."
• Dr. Christine Olga Eisner: "Dr. Eisner examined a population of progenitor cells present in the adult skeleton to determine their roles in bone homeostasis and regeneration, and identified a signaling pathway crucial to maintain the normal function of these progenitors. This work furthers our understanding of bone biology and presents potential targets for skeletal therapies."
• Dr. Abrar Ahmed Samiea: "Dr. Samiea studied the role of Interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory regulator, on immune and cancer cells. She found that its action is not limited to immune cells deactivation but it can also contribute to prostate cancer progression. Her findings will aid on the development of new therapies for inflammatory diseases and prostate cancer."
• Dr. Nicholas Held: "Dr. Held studied the cardiovascular responses to exercising on an underwater treadmill. He developed criteria for exercise testing, thermoregulation, and maximal and submaximal exercise prescription. His findings will advance the use of these specialized aquatic therapy pools to improve outcomes in health, training, and physical rehabilitation."
• Dr. Thomas Roderick Docking: "Dr. Docking studied acute myeloid leukemia, a blood-based cancer with very poor outcomes. Using genome sequencing technology, he developed a test that can determine whether patients are likely to respond to therapy, and identified patients who may respond to existing cancer drugs, which has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes."
• Dr. Oliver James Anderson Finlay: "Dr. Finlay studied the markers of sustained success in high performance sports organisations, proposing two conceptual models on how leaders managed processes of change management and performance management. The research informs high performance sports organisations, and the leaders working within them, in relation to best practices in these areas."

Doctor of Philosophy (Food Science)

• Dr. John Henry Dupuis: "Dr. Dupuis used computer simulations to better understand how an antimicrobial potato protein interacts with model cell membranes, and the role of its disulfide bonds. His research highlighted regions of the protein most likely to mediate membrane interactions, and that the disulfide bonds may aid in membrane targeting specificity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Forestry)

• Dr. Yemi Olaonipekun Adeyeye: "Dr. Adeyeye examined conflicts and likely solutions to improve access to forest and water resources for Indigenous and local communities. By analyzing how diverse actors seek to influence decision-making at regional, national and international scales, he recommends, among others, participatory decision-making with indigenous and local leadership."
• Dr. Vahid Nasir: "Dr. Nasir did research on intelligent wood machining. He developed AI-based models for wood sawing monitoring and automation in the sawmilling industry. His work enables sawmills to do online monitoring and prediction of surface quality of produced lumber, leading to efficiency gains in the Canadian lumber manufacturing and sawmilling industry."
• Dr. Christopher William Mulverhill: "Dr. Mulverhill developed methods for estimating forest inventory attributes in a boreal mixedwood forest with terrestrial photogrammetry and airborne laser scanning. These estimates often matched or exceeded those made using conventional inventory techniques and could contribute to more informed and sustainable management of the world's forests."
• Dr. Vivek Srivastava: "Dr. Srivastava studied geospatial modelling for predicting invasive species potential range expansion and invasion potential. His findings on niche characteristics offer a useful cost-effective tool for managing and monitoring invasive species future spread, as well as to design short and long-term management strategies."

Doctor of Philosophy (Genome Science and Technology)

• Dr. Judith Booth: "Dr. Booth showed how the molecules that give cannabis its psychoactive properties and unique aromas are produced in the flowers of the plant. Her research aims to explain why cannabis types differ in their aromas. Her results expand our knowledge of metabolism in cannabis, a plant of growing economic importance, and the properties of its products."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geography)

• Dr. Juliane Celeste Jasmine Collard: "As a feminist geographer, Dr. Collard explored the social, political, and legal dimensions of preimplantation genetic tests and the abnormal embryos to which they give rise. She found that the de-selection of these embryos in fertility clinics reflects deeply held assumptions about the bodies and lives we are supposed to want to have and reproduce."
• Dr. Sung-Ching Lee: "Dr. Lee used novel techniques and various modelling approaches to evaluate impacts of nitrogen fertilization at a coastal forest and provide better estimates of photosynthesis and respiration. These results help us understand more about the role of temperate forests in climate change mitigation."
• Dr. Erin Christina Osterberg: "Dr. Osterberg examined police responses to gang violence in BC's lower mainland by conducting qualitative interviews with forty-two police officers and two civilian employees across three jurisdictions. She argues that a productive way forward might include broader community and public health engagement in gang prevention and intervention."
• Dr. Christopher Seth Wynes: "Dr. Wynes examined how individual actions can be optimized to reduce the greenhouse gases that warm our planet. His interdisciplinary research included analysis of political and lifestyle choices. This study demonstrates that societal elites and motivated members of the public may be missing opportunities to fight climate change more effectively."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geological Sciences)

• Dr. Amy Grace Ryan: "Dr. Ryan used analyses of rocks from dome-building volcanoes in tandem with high-temperature, high-pressure experimentation to show that crystalline granular materials in volcanic environments heal on short timescales. This research demonstrates that the healing of crystalline granular materials can trigger cyclical explosive eruptions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geophysics)

• Dr. Thibaut Astic: "Dr. Astic coupled multi-physics simulations with data science to develop a new methodology to image the subsurface and map underground resources from geophysical data with an improved resolution. This new approach will help locate and estimate the resources available for a sustainable future, such as minerals, water, and CO2 storage capacity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)

• Dr. Karen Rebecca Denise O'Regan: "Dr. O'Regan explored the notion of community in literature of the Hispanic Caribbean diasporas, focusing on authors who write communities that escape classification. No longer identifying by race, culture, class, gender, or sexuality, these collectivities privilege difference over identity for a creative relationality."
• Dr. Gianluca Oluic: "Dr. Oluic dissertation focuses on the creation of an imagined European community in the nineteenth century as posited by four thinkers and essayists from Spain and Italy. His research elaborates a link between nineteenth century Europeanism and the present, exploring the relations that define national and supranational sovereignty."
• Dr. Norman Xavier Villacreses Benavides: "Dr. Villacreses proposes a conceptual approach to understand literary production from a writer's global creative project. He incorporates media studies, the analysis of works of fiction, critical interventions, and public image into the overall literary study of an author. He applied this method in Latin American writers from the late 20th century."

Doctor of Philosophy (History)

• Dr. Kenneth Joseph Corbett: "Dr. Corbett examined the history of punctuality in modern Britain to better understand its development as a value. Tracing the use of the word punctuality, he found that the pressure to be 'on time' is rooted in moral valuations of debt, credit, and trust, which emerged in early eighteenth-century Britain."

Doctor of Philosophy (Human Development, Learning, and Culture)

• Dr. Charlotte Ann Brenner: "Dr. Brenner examined how teacher candidates' personal characteristics and features of learning environments shaped their motivation to develop self-regulated learning practices. She identified affordances and constraints for the development of these practices, and identifies how teacher educators may include them in their curricula."

Doctor of Philosophy (Human Nutrition)

• Dr. Maria Fernanda Mujica Coopman: "Dr. Mujica Coopman investigated the relationship of combined B vitamin and related nutrients with offspring birth size and fetal growth programming. Her findings suggest that vitamin B12 characterized maternal B vitamin and nutrient-related patterns and may play a key role in fetal growth and development."

Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems)

• Dr. Jennifer Berneda Grenz: "Dr. Grenz showed how reclaiming an Indigenous Ecology redefines how we approach land and water healing. She has created a values-based decision-making tool that will help lead us toward ecological reconciliation. Her work provides a path forward for scientists to unleash the potential of an Indigenous worldview to illuminate new paths of inquiry."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Oncology)

• Dr. Laura Mathae: "Dr. Mathae discovered the role of an immune cell population in sex bias in asthma prevalence. She also found that these cells migrate from the lung to the liver upon activation, linking the lung and liver immunity. Her work highlights the complexity of the local and systemic immune regulations."
• Dr. Tsung Jeng (Kent) Chen: "Dr. Chen developed new ways to deliver chemotherapy drugs to leukemic cells. His work involved the use of liposomes, which are nano-carrier vessels that can deliver drugs to cancer cells. Through his work, Dr. Chen was able to improve the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy drugs and shed new light on the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia."
• Dr. James Patrick Jabalee: "Dr. Jabalee examined the molecular changes that occur during cancer progression. He identified silencing of the SMPD3 gene as a driver of cell motility and demonstrated the presence of morphological alterations in non-cancer cells adjacent to tonsil tumors. This work opens the door to development of novel tests for early tumor detection."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Studies)

• Dr. Waged Jafer: "Dr. Jafer explored politics of victimhood and agency in the everyday lives of a religious minority community in BC. She demonstrated that subtle acts of resistance, when motivated by religious convictions, create religio-political identities that insist on active citizenship and equal recognition, providing a new interpretation of victimhood."
• Dr. Prabhsharanbir Singh: "Dr. Singh examined how modern European technology played a central role in colonizing Punjab. He showed that technology played such a central role that coloniality should be understood as techno-coloniality. He demonstrated that non-Western traditions, such as the Sikh spiritual tradition, can play a crucial role in building a decolonial future."
• Dr. Kaylee Aileen Byers: "Dr. Byers explored how rat movement in cities influences rat-associated disease risks and how interactions with rats impact the mental health of residents. Her work reveals that rats have negative impacts on physical and psychological health, and that mitigation of these risks requires holistic One Health solutions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Kinesiology)

• Dr. Cassandra Jill Wells: "Through a comparative historical analysis, Dr. Wells found that sex testing policy remains resilient over time because it operates as an actor-network - a loose coalition of human beings, ideas, and technologies - which links biological knowledge about sexual difference with cultural values about competitive fairness, even as those concepts evolve."
• Dr. Cameron Marshall Gee: "Dr. Gee examined how the heart and lungs interact and respond to exercise in individuals with quadriplegia. His work demonstrated how high lung volumes impact the heart and exercise performance, and how strengthening respiratory muscles can enhance exercise capacity following quadriplegia."
• Dr. Krista Glowacki: "Dr. Glowacki co-developed the Exercise and Depression Toolkit collaboratively with individuals with depression, health care providers, researchers, exercise professionals and community partners. The toolkit aims to integrate treatment guidelines into practice, consider how exercise could be used as a treatment, and has had an international reach."
• Dr. Elizabeth Paulina Pasman: "Dr. Pasman studied which brain areas are involved in upright standing balance and how these areas are affected in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). She found that balance is controlled more automatically in healthy elderly than individuals with PD. This knowledge can aid in the development of therapies for balance problems in PD."
• Dr. Markus Joseph Duncan: "Dr. Duncan found that, compared to accelerometry, self-report questionnaires misrepresent the amount of time individuals with schizophrenia spend physically active. His study suggests that scientists and clinicians should rely less on questionnaires and use technological approaches to track behaviours, inform decisions, and evaluate interventions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Language and Literacy Education)

• Dr. Kathleen Margaret Warfield: "Dr. Warfield created a new research methodology for exploring how young people produce and distribute images of themselves on social media. This methodology examines the varied forces at play, allowing a richer and more complex understanding of emotions, interfaces, and scripts such as those influenced by gender, race and religion."
• Dr. Lisa Chang: "Dr. Chang explored the literacy instruction of an elementary student with learning disabilities. Her research highlights the affordances and constraints of a variety of semiotic materials and the intersection of literacy, disability, and pedagogy. The findings suggest a continued effort is needed to change perceptions of lower literacy achievement."
• Dr. Assadullah Sadiq: "Dr. Sadiq explored language and literacy practices of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, one of the largest, yet understudied, displaced populations. He found that families engage in various literacy practices. At school, females experienced more success than males, as the latter lacked available guardians and schoolwork was beyond their level."

Doctor of Philosophy (Law)

• Dr. Andrew Pilliar: "Dr. Pilliar developed a new person-centered approach to understand and remedy access to justice problems. Drawing on analyses of the legal services landscape, interview research with people who have had access to justice problems, and data on how lawyers do their work, Dr. Pilliar proposes four tangible steps to improve access to justice in Canada."
• Dr. Siobhan Lee Yorgun: "Dr. Yorgun studied ostracized populations, understudied in refugee law, conducting novel interviews in South Africa. Dr. Yorgun's research unmasked a bias in refugee law which predominantly focuses on the asylum systems of Western states. She demonstrates this must be overcome to better understand some of the most vulnerable, least mobile refugees."

Doctor of Philosophy (Library, Archival and Information Studies)

• Dr. Darra Lynn Hofman: "Dr. Hofman examined the relationship between privacy and transparency, finding that recordkeeping mediates that relationship. She developed a framework for records professionals making decisions weighing privacy, transparency, and secrecy based on archival principles. Her research can improve digital technology to better protect privacy."
• Dr. Millicent Nnebuogor Mabi: "Dr. Mabi investigated the role of information and identity for African Immigrants seeking equitable employment in Vancouver. She demonstrated that the multifaceted identities of immigrants had a significant impact on access to settlement support and employment outcomes, highlighting the value of an intersectional approach to immigrant settlement."

Doctor of Philosophy (Linguistics)

• Dr. Adriana Osa Gomez del Campo: "Dr. Osa Gomez del Campo focused on how Spanish speakers use discourse markers to coordinate conversations. She proposes a dynamic model of interaction that shows how speakers use these words to coordinate, and sometimes impose, knowledge and intentions. Her work is relevant for models of interaction, and the comparison and teaching of languages."

Doctor of Philosophy (Materials Engineering)

• Dr. Yu Liu: "By studying the integrity of titanium exposed to mineral slurries in hydrometallurgy, Dr. Liu found that mineral solids can result in the wear and corrosion of titanium. Her research related titanium's corrosion resistance to prevailing environmental conditions. Her work will improve the safety and economics of processing plants that use titanium."
• Dr. Seyed Mohamadjavad Mirazimi: "Dr. Mirazimi studied the dissolution of arsenic from mine waste materials and investigated the key factors that control arsenic release from arsenic bearing minerals to the environment. His study provides key information for the prevention and management of waste rock drainage containing arsenic."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)

• Dr. Alma Sarai Hernandez Torres: "Dr. Hernandez Torres studied two probabilistic models that emulate phenomena in physics and biology. She focused on understanding the behaviour of these models at a large-scale. Her results add to our mathematical understanding of the relation between microscopic and macroscopic descriptions of natural processes within probability theory."
• Dr. Brian Tianyao Chan: "Dr. Chan's research considered problems with certain mathematical structures known as tableaux. He proved results which relate to enumerative and structural aspects of these problems. His work could aid in understanding inherently complex problems relating to tableaux and in establishing connections between different areas in combinatorics."
• Dr. Thomas James Hughes: "Dr. Hughes studied mathematical models for random spatial populations which arise in a variety of settings, including ecology. His work focused on fractal properties of the population densities. This research sheds light on how these populations, and other important stochastic models, are locally distributed in space."
• Dr. Malcolm Norman Stanley Bowles: "Dr. Bowles investigated an axiomatic framework for problems concerning optimal ways to transport a distribution into another. In his work, he focused on an associated class of non-linear operators and developed their invariant properties. This research contributes to our understanding of common structures that persists across such problems."
• Dr. Javier Gonzalez Anaya: "Dr. Gonzalez Anaya's research is concerned with the complexity of geometric spaces arising as solutions to polynomial equations. His work contributes to our understanding of how the process of deforming their shape can sometimes result in new geometric objects having significantly more intricate geometric properties."
• Dr. Mingfeng Qiu: "Dr. Qiu used computer simulations to explain the motion of drops made from a magnetic liquid, and developed a general computational method to study liquid crystals with a free surface. His research helps understand the physics of complex fluids under surface tension, and design new materials for many possible applications, such as medical care."
• Dr. Clinton Hamilton Durney: "Dr. Durney used mathematical and biophysical modelling to show how the individual and collective motion of cells cause a variety of mechanical behaviors of tissues during development. His work provides understanding to the mechanisms that are responsible for the correct development of form during organ development."
• Dr. Chen Wang: "Dr. Wang studied baroclinic critical layers, thin layers in fluids with pronounced wave amplitudes. His research theoretically revealed the evolution of the critical layers and the potential mechanism through which they replicate. These discoveries advance our understanding of transition to turbulence in ocean, atmosphere and astrophysical disks."
• Dr. Guillermo Elias Martinez-Dibene: "Dr. Martinez-Dibene laid the foundations for the uniform spanning forest model with uniform drift in one coordinate. He studied basic statistics such as the number of visits to a point as well as the geometry of the resulting forest. This helps understanding better the models of random forests in graphs which have applications in the design of networks."
• Dr. Yifu Zhou: "Dr. Zhou studied nonlinear partial differential equations with an emphasis on phenomena where solutions become unbounded. By developing new gluing methods, he rigorously constructed solutions to equations arising from different contexts such as geometry and mathematical physics. This research gives a deeper understanding of singularity formation."

Doctor of Philosophy (Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology)

• Dr. Mauricio Coronel Villalobos: "Dr. Coronel examined how changing response formats and scoring methods affect differences between groups based on electronic device, sexual orientation, and gender; including trans and non-binary folk. His research shows how seemingly small choices in survey research shape statistical results and shouldn't be considered obstacles to survey use."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering)

• Dr. Hoda Talebian: "Dr. Talebian developed a comprehensive cost optimization model to design a hydrogen fueling supply chain for British Columbia. Her work is the first contribution in assessing the incentive effectiveness and emissions mitigation policies for the accelerated adoption of low-carbon hydrogen in the transportation sector."

Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Genetics)

• Dr. Sorcha Collins: "Dr. Collins demonstrated that Inuit children with the p.P479L variant of the gene encoding CPT1A had higher rates of infectious illness and low blood sugar in the first days of life than children without the variant. These results demonstrate how underlying genetic susceptibilities can influence infant and early child health outcomes."
• Dr. Hilal Hamed Al-Shekaili: "Dr. Al Shekaili generated and characterized a novel mouse model for a human genetic disease known as pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy. The model recapitulated the human disease and uncovered new possible pathological mechanisms. The model can be used for further investigations of the disease mechanisms and to test new therapeutics."
• Dr. Alexandre Zacharie Kadhim: "Dr. Kadhim found a new role for MED15, a protein that physically links DNA to proteins which regulate gene expression. His findings suggest that MED15 is critical to make mature, insulin secreting beta cells. Understanding how and why beta cells need MED15 to develop and mature will allow new treatments for diabetes."
• Dr. Katherine Dixon: "Dr. Dixon studied the molecular basis of inherited cancer predisposition. Using novel sequencing technologies, her work demonstrated that specific genetic changes influence normal cell and tissue function to increase disease risk. This research provides insights into the challenges of genetic diagnosis and may improve the care of affected families."

Doctor of Philosophy (Microbiology and Immunology)

• Dr. Kylynda Chelsea Bauer: "Dr. Bauer explored the influence of gut microbes on early-life malnutrition. This work revealed key gut microbiota-brain interactions linked to cognitive function and glial biology. In addition, Dr. Bauer assessed how dietary intervention impacts the malnourished microbiome and improves fatty liver pathology."
• Dr. Katharine Jean Thompson: "Dr. Thompson examined modern bacteria from an iron-rich lake to address questions about the growth and interactions of microbial communities in the global oceans three billion years ago. Ancestors of these modern bacteria likely supported life for over a billion years by fueling the production of a warming climate under the faint early Sun."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mining Engineering)

• Dr. Amichai Mitelman: "Dr. Mitelman developed an analogous method for solving ground-support problems, having an impact on the obligation for civil and mining engineers to ensure the stability of underground excavations. His proposed method requires less simplifying assumptions than analytical solutions and less computational resources than numerical methods."
• Dr. Jose Carlos Lopes da Costa: "Dr. Lopes da Costa analysed if securitisation could be a viable solution to the growing issues surrounding reclamation funding scarcity and regulatory inefficiency in mining. He explored key securitisation drivers that may increase the degree of financing and regulative success, which might lead to new funding sources for the mining industry."

Doctor of Philosophy (Neuroscience)

• Dr. Sohrab Bahrami Manesh: "Dr. Manesh worked using transgenic animal models of spinal cord injury. His research showed that spinal cord neurons can adapt in the absence of protective myelin sheaths and restore function to the damaged spinal cord. His research impacts therapies for spinal cord injury as well as other myelin disorders like multiple sclerosis."
• Dr. Jessica Wing Yee Yuen: "Dr. Yuen studied how the antipsychotic medication clozapine can cause unwanted changes in blood glucose and heart function. She found that the side effects can be reversed with drugs that block specific targets called adrenoceptors. Her findings provide valuable insight for clozapine to be used safely and effectively in patients with schizophrenia."
• Dr. Jill Ashley Dosso: "Have you ever avoided looking directly at someone in order to be polite? Dr. Dosso studied how we tailor our eye and body movements to send nonverbal social messages to others. She found that the brain's attention system plays a crucial role in social action, and this may help us to understand behaviour in different ages, cultures, and populations."
• Dr. Chelsie Ayn Kadgien: "Dr. Kadgien studied how a gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease affects communication between brain cells. She showed that the mutation causes increases in communication that could be a good target for therapeutics. Her work expands our understanding of neurodegeneration, and supports personalized therapy for Parkinson's disease."

Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing)

• Dr. Jae-Yung Kwon: "Dr. Kwon examined how characteristics in outpatients with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, could be used to inform tailored interventions and patient education strategies. He revealed that rather than conforming to a single uniform pathway, patients could be statistically sorted and classified into distinct health trajectories."
• Dr. Shelley Elisabeth Canning: "Dr. Canning studied how people living with advanced dementia in long-term care continued to experience meaningful engagement. Despite significant losses they demonstrated a range of enduring abilities and skills. Her findings support ways for caregivers to connect with residents during both structured activities and informal interactions."
• Dr. Nassim Adhami: "Dr. Adhami explored the experiences of patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation programs and found they were shaped by intersections of personal, social, and political contexts that overlap at the individual, healthcare provider, and healthcare system level. This suggests a need for a shift from one-size-fits-all to a person-centered care approach."

Doctor of Philosophy (Oceans & Fisheries)

• Dr. Timothy Robert Cashion: "Dr. Cashion examined the economic and environmental trade-offs of capture fisheries. His work evaluated how current fishing methods negatively affect threatened species and their contribution to wasteful practices such as discarding fish at sea. This research can inform conservation efforts by improving the spatial management of fisheries."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)

• Dr. Gunjan Kumar: "Dr. Kumar examined the genetic mechanisms involved in chemotherapy resistance in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. His research improves our understanding on how treatment resistance occurs and allow for the development of counteractive therapeutic alternatives."
• Dr. Anthony Hsieh: "Dr. Hsieh studied how our immune system weakens with age using blood samples from people living with HIV, who appear to age faster than the general population. He found that HIV affects some cells more than others, and his research suggests that treating viruses that are even more common than HIV may slow aging for the majority of people."
• Dr. Brennan Wadsworth: "Dr. Wadsworth found that unstable blood flow in solid tumours provides tumour cells with resistance to radiation therapy. His findings include that certain anti-hypertension drugs can be re-purposed to alter tumour development, eliminate these therapy resistant cells, and improve effectiveness of radiation therapy."
• Dr. Nicha Boonpattrawong: "Dr. Boonpattrawong studied the impact of maternal obesity and exercise during pregnancy on the long-term health of the offspring using a mouse model. She discovered that maternal exercise improved the cardiometabolic health of the offspring and involved changes in cell-specific gene expression and DNA methylation patterns."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

• Dr. Zheng Sonia Lin: "Dr. Lin performed structure-activity relationship studies on anti-HIV molecules. During this process, she discovered novel chemical reactivities of these compounds. The findings are crucial for the future development of biologically active molecules toward treatments of various diseases and crop protection."
• Dr. Nathaniel Vniel Mohan Lal: "Dr. Lal studied the role of the protein VEGFB in the diabetic heart. He found that this growth factor has the potential to protect against the changes that occur in the heart following diabetes and can lead to heart failure. This research helps in identifying a novel therapeutic target to prevent diabetic heart disease."
• Dr. Monica Agnoletti: "Dr. Agnoletti investigated the use of polymeric microspheres as carriers to deliver antibiotics selectively to the lungs after intravenous administration. Her findings support the passive lung targeting strategy to improve the treatments of bacterial lung infections and, potentially, other lung diseases."

Doctor of Philosophy (Physics)

• Dr. Bruno Arderucio Costa: "By analysing the gravitational response to quantum matter, Dr. Arderucio Costa has shown that a hybrid classical and quantum-mechanical formulation of general relativity is sufficient for accounting for the laws of black hole thermodynamics. This work unifies the understanding of the thermodynamics of black holes and ordinary systems"
• Dr. Ryan Patrick Day: "Dr. Day studied the interaction between ultraviolet radiation and electrons in solids, developing new tools to understand the electronic structure and properties of materials. He demonstrated the presence of interactions which bind the electrons' trajectories to their magnetic moment in new superconducting materials."

Doctor of Philosophy (Population and Public Health)

• Dr. Brenda Margaret Sawatzky-Girling: "Dr. Sawatzky-Girling studied patient and family experiences of quality improvement. Her Relational Safety Framework shows that when feeling safe and valued, people welcome connections with others, fostering trust. Appreciating these liminal and ethical implications of QI implementation is a new strategy to advance health care system improvement."
• Dr. Kirsten Marchand: "Dr. Marchand examined patients' experiences with injectable opioid agonist treatment, a novel treatment for opioid use disorder. Her research showed that this treatment was optimized when patients and providers establish positive therapeutic relationships. This evidence informs a conceptualization of patient-centered care for this disorder."
• Dr. Heather Nadine Palis: "Dr. Palis studied cocaine use among patients receiving treatment for opioid addiction at North America's first injectable opioid agonist treatment clinic. Her dissertation quantified and explained variation in patients' patterns of cocaine use. These findings can inform treatment and service provision for people who use both cocaine and opioids."
• Dr. Celestin Hategeka: "Dr. Hategeka examined health system quality and the contribution of several quality improvement interventions in Rwanda. He found that health system quality has improved over the past decade, however, further improvements are needed to improve maternal and child health. His research will inform future quality improvement strategies."

Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)

• Dr. Lisa Chiyun Zhang: "Dr. Zhang studied how individuals high in perfectionism form relationships in group psychotherapy. Her research elaborates on the mechanisms of how perfectionism may negatively impact the process of psychotherapy and informs intervention strategies."
• Dr. Elizabeth Gwynne Blundon: "Dr. Blundon showed that hearing may be one of the last senses to remain active before death. Some hospice patients may still be able to hear sounds, especially music, when they become unresponsive just before they pass away. These results broaden our understanding of what happens to us as we die and how best to care for our dying loved ones."
• Dr. Simon Ho: "Dr. Ho studied the link between physical activity and cognitive function. His research showed that physical activity is associated with improved performance on tasks such as university exams. He also developed a novel way to measure physical activity outdoors. These results have implications for the promotion and measurement of physical activity."
• Dr. William Spencer Murch: "Dr. Murch investigated the psychology of slot machine gambling. He found behavioural and physiological markers of a highly-focused attentional state called immersion in play. These findings clarify the role of slot machine design in the development of gambling problems, providing new guidance for treatment professionals and gambling regulators."
• Dr. Theresa Pauly: "Close individuals tend to show synchronized ups and downs of stress hormones such as cortisol. Dr. Pauly examined interconnections in cortisol levels in older couples' daily lives. Her findings help us understand the everyday dynamics that contribute to health being linked in older couples."
• Dr. Joanne Lee Park: "Dr. Park found that parents' flexible thinking and problem solving skills are important in reducing the association between the experience of chronic stress and harsh parenting. Given that stress is such a common experience for parents, her study provides important implications for parenting interventions to support healthy child development."
• Dr. Marlise Kathleen Hofer: "Dr. Hofer found that a romantic partner may improve health even when not physically present. Olfactory cues from a romantic partner improved people's ability to cope with stress and the likelihood of a good night's sleep. Her work suggests simple strategies that promote health and can be readily applied to a range of people and situations."
• Dr. Dawoon Choi: "Dr. Choi investigated speech perception in preverbal infants. Her behavioural and neuroimaging research demonstrated that infants integrate information from their articulatory movements during speech perception. These studies advance understandings of how infants may acquire speech, the complex perceptual and motoric skill essential for language."

Doctor of Philosophy (Reproductive and Developmental Sciences)

• Dr. Fahad Tarahib Alotaibi: "Dr. Alotaibi examined the roles of molecular targets in endometriosis cell invasion and nerve growth. He found that protein IL-1 beta enhances invasive capacity of endometriosis and is associated with nerve growth and worse sexual pain reported by patients. His findings suggest a novel therapeutic target for treatment of endometriosis related pain."
• Dr. Madeleine Anne Ennis: "Dr. Ennis determined the dietary requirements for amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine in human pregnancy, while comparing findings to current management practices of maternal phenylketonuria patients. These studies will improve dietary recommendations during pregnancy that have the potential to positively impact birth outcomes."

Doctor of Philosophy (Social Work)

• Dr. Raj Kumar Khadka: "Dr. Khadka explored the exclusions based on race, gender, class, and linguistic and cultural competence that shape the experience of labour market negotiations among Bhutanese refugees in Canada. His research recommends inclusive labour policies to promote successful refugee resettlement."

Doctor of Philosophy (Soil Science)

• Dr. Kiran Preet Padda: "Dr. Padda explored the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in supporting the regeneration of lodgepole pine trees at abandoned gravel mining pits. Her research showed that pine trees associate with these beneficial bacteria as a survival strategy to thrive on such degraded sites, offering the potential to be used as a sustainable reclamation tool."
• Dr. Akshit Puri: "Dr. Puri studied plant-beneficial bacteria living inside the tissues of boreal forest trees growing on disturbed, nutrient-poor soils. His work indicated that these bacteria can enhance tree growth via nutrient acquisition, plant hormone modulation and pathogen regulation, thereby suggesting their use as biofertilizers for boreal forest trees."

Doctor of Philosophy (Special Education)

• Dr. Nikki Lynne Yee: "Dr. Yee examined how Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators and advocates came together in a Community of Inquiry to support Indigenous (and all) students. Based in research on colonialism and decolonization, her study traced how diverse participants co-constructed practices to enact a shared vision of education based on respectful relationships."

Doctor of Philosophy (Statistics)

• Dr. David Kepplinger: "Dr. Kepplinger devised reliable statistical methods to identify proteins for predicting severity of heart diseases in the presence of anomalous protein levels, an issue as technology affords measuring numerous proteins. Beyond proteomics, these statistical methods boost generalizability of results from studies with few subjects but many variables."

Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology)

• Dr. Sarah Louise Amundrud: "Dr. Amundrud combined machine learning, observational surveys along environmental gradients and controlled experiments to demonstrate that the processes that shape species distributions and ecological communities depend on spatial scale and environmental context. This research sheds new light on how ecosystems will respond to climate change."
• Dr. Matthew James Henry Gilbert: "Dr. Gilbert showed that rising Arctic water temperatures can limit Arctic char heart function and exercise performance in a manner that may impair their ability to migrate. Arctic char, a type of salmon, are culturally and economically invaluable in the Canadian North and such information will aid in evidence-based management efforts."
• Dr. Ravi Rajesh Maharaj: "Dr. Maharaj found evidence for the impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, showed that coral habitats are important for protecting resident fishes from these impacts, and demonstrated that multi-scale comparisons of ecosystem models help reconcile the differences in climate impacts expected at global and regional scales."

Doctor of Philosophy in Music (Emphasis Ethnomusicology)

• Dr. Eshantha Joseph Peiris: "Dr. Peiris explored a drumming tradition in Sri Lanka, looking at how people have thought of it before, during, and after the encounter with European colonial rule. He used musical change as a lens to examine changing social contexts in South Asia, contributing to broader discussions about the reach and impact of ideas that cross national borders."