A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr.Yacoubian studied the history of humanitarianism at the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the Armenian Genocide. He explored the intersections between humanitarianism, humanitarian relief work, genocide, nursing, and healthcare delivery. His research highlights the socio-political roles of nurses and relief workers, revealing the modern aspects of humanitarianism during this period. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Tonita bridged the gap between feminist theory, political philosophy, and piano performance. Her research highlights the oppression women in music have faced throughout history and offers pianists--female and beyond--opportunities to reclaim agency by using the physical voice in the concert space. | Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano (DMA) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hanlon’s research investigated several poetry matches from tenth- to twelfth-century Japan. His research examined matches with clever riddles, sassy love poems, and political drama, provided insight into the history of Japanese poetic games, and included translations and explanations for 140 waka poems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Zhu investigated the fabrication, characterization and modeling of porous Ge (PGe). Dr. Zhu’s work achieved PGe in both n- and p-type Ge-on-Si by bipolar electrochemical etching method, studied the impact of threading dislocations, and first demonstrated uniaxial optical anisotropic property in PGe, enabling its applications in optoelectronics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Abouali advanced the numerical simulation of progressive damage and failure in composites by developing a physics-informed neural network for calibration of a damage-plasticity material model. Her research enhances the accuracy of damage predictions and improves the reliability of composite structure designs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Barragan's research on forest restoration planning identified key factors for achieving socio-ecological goals, assessed tree resilience to climate change, involved local communities in site prioritization, and facilitated knowledge sharing for lasting benefits to people and nature. Her work can inform global restoration practices and policies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Rafizadeh's work investigated the comparative effectiveness of clozapine versus other antipsychotics in improving outcomes related to non-nicotine substance use disorders, which commonly co-occurs with schizophrenia. It also explored factors influencing clozapine metabolism to tailor dosing for individuals and mitigate potential side effects. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Banville studied B cells in the context of the immune response to ovarian cancer. She defined tumour-associated B cell reactivity patterns and discovered novel target antigens. Her findings suggest multi-faceted roles for B cells in anti-tumour immunity which will ultimately guide the development of more effective cancer immunotherapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Onifade developed novel knowledge on hybrid regulation, which involves governments, businesses, communities and individuals interacting to design and implement regulation. This pioneering contribution would help researchers, policymakers, and communities rethink how regulation could be more effective and inclusive of diverse people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Alizadeh studied the role of physicochemical properties of polymers in solid-liquid separation. He showed that polymers with flexible chains will produce stronger aggregates with improved settling rates. His research highlighted the influence of polymer chain flexibility in behavior of mineral slurries during dewatering process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Zhang developed machine learning systems that enhanced the understanding of semantic meanings in language, capturing the nuances of human reactions, communications, and intentions beyond words. He proposed novel language representation learning methods that utilize pragmatic signals to more effectively learn human language, leveraging vast amounts of social media data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Trainor's research lies in the intersection of analysis, discrete mathematics, and geometry. She studies discrete analogues of classical continuous problems, and focuses on a recent, effective method in these fields known as the polynomial method. Her dissertation applies and advances this method to new problems and in new settings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gomez-Cardona examined the accumulation of financial literacy and its role in households' portfolios. He found that people learn by investing in financial assets and benefit from financial education by having more access to liquidity when needed. His research highlights new ways in which financial education improves household welfare. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Malloy developed a framework for listening to what she calls "weak hope" in contemporary song lyrics: realistic, ethical hope assembled from beyond the margins of conventional sources of strength. Listening for weak hope, she argues, can help people make it through and beyond trauma. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Angeli used field experiments and economic theory to study the labor market, social media, and social coordination. He has shown how holding pessimistic beliefs about discrimination can make it harder for someone to find a job, implying that policies addressing labor market discrimination should also consider effects on jobseekers' beliefs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gemmell studied how urban environments impact children’s health and human rights, including the right to play. She developed and mapped a playability index across Canadian cities, identifying disparities in neighbourhood quality for children’s outdoor play. Her research advances assessment of urban environments for child health and well-being. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Orabi studied and developed computational methods for analysing bioinformatics data, with a special focus on RNA and DNA sequencing technologies. His main contributions include designing and testing novel algorithms for detecting alternative splicing using long-read RNA sequencing without relying on existing annotation databases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Vacariu synthesized substrates for the study of “AmpG”, a membrane transport protein critical to the induction of bacterial antibiotic resistance. These substrates were used to demonstrate the first ever binding interactions for “AmpG” outside the bacterial environment and will be used to map the parts of “AmpG” responsible for its function. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Shadi focused on developing a novel method to measure and simulate the use of microwaves to weaken rocks. His research demonstrated that the energy effectiveness of this process could be increased up to 10 times. This approach has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption, contributing to both environmental and economic benefits. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Fleming examined the relationship between overdose vulnerability and low-income housing environments in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. This research provides important insights into the role of safe, secure, and habitable housing in addressing the overdose crisis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Usman studied how the lungs repair after injury, both in healthy people and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She found that the inflammatory mediator, interleukin-1 alpha is vital in preventing scaring, and that targeting specific master regulators of this mediator could lead to new treatments for COPD. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Shank Lauwo examined possibilities for centring multilingualism, antiracism, and equity in teacher education. Findings highlight opportunities to leverage multimedia storytelling, identity and autobiography towards antiracism and linguistic pluralism. This research advances efforts to disrupt systemic racial and linguistic injustice in schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Merry studied how and why exercise therapies are used to manage chronic Achilles tendon injuries. He applied this knowledge to develop a new tele-rehabilitation system to improve treatment, which is now in pilot testing with patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Mehajabin's research advances Light Field technology by addressing key challenges in video compression, refocusing, and quality assessment. Her innovative contributions enhance immersive media and virtual reality experiences, and provide more accurate and reliable visual data for the self driving car industry, camera guided surgeries, and microscopy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Shaheen studied how the twisting of DNA can cause local changes in its structure and developed methods to assist in these studies. Such studies can help us fully understand how our genes are regulated, and may have implications in treating diseases such as cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |