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 | NID |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dr. Pollard investigated the role of a shared approach to decision making within the context of asthma treatment. The results of her work support the use of individualized care plans for asthma patients as well as the involvement of a multidisciplinary team throughout the treatment decision-making process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Cui investigated the mechanisms underlying the progression of aortic aneurysm in Marfan syndrome - a genetic disorder of the connective tissue. He developed novel analyses of elastin that could lead to an early diagnostic method of the disease. His ultrasound studies strongly support potential use of doxycycline for prevention of Marfan-linked aneurysm. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Beikahmadi studied solid-state radiation detectors, devices that measure the level of an ion charge. He developed a methodology for designing low-power and low-noise readout circuits of these detectors. His work has broad application in several areas including the field of gamma ray and x-ray spectrometry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Trees are rooted to the spot and evolutionarily adapted to local climates. Dr. MacLachlan found that tree breeding programs increase tree growth and maintain climatic adaptation, without compromising provincial reforestation policies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and they help to maintain future timber supplies in western Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Biswas studied the molecular mechanisms by which virus particles escape infected cells. Utilizing insect viruses, he discovered novel methods by which virus particles interact with host proteins to enable the rapid escape from infected cells. This information is critical for understanding virus pathology and disease spread. | Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Pan developed a new method for measuring consumption allocations within households. He applied this method to study household behaviors in situations where members' income fluctuates. His research highlights the importance of taking bargaining between couples into the analysis of how couples insure themselves against income risks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Dickman examined the serum of individuals with oral cancer to detect molecules that could be used in an early diagnosis test. He also found that similar molecules are secreted from cancer cells to alter the tissue around them to promote tumor growth. His work will have significant impact on oral cancer diagnosis and treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Selman examined the lasting impact of the compassion of strangers. She describes how it broadens perspectives of strangers, builds gratitude, and positively alters one's sense of self. She presents her work as an a/r/tographer, an innovative means of demonstrating the value of addressing and appreciating the role of compassion in our lives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Pakula's research provided the first national estimates for mental health disorders among gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual Canadians. Her analysis revealed sexual minorities face a disproportionate mental health burden, linked to stress and isolation. Her research is informing the elimination of mental health disparities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Mohamadi designed and developed a collection of novel algorithms and software tools for the analysis of massive bioinformatics data. Theses algorithms and software tools are publicly available for free to facilitate research at health and life sciences laboratories and other organizations worldwide. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Harrison studied the elemental and isotopic composition of volcanoes along the 2300 km Northwest Hawaiian Ridge. She integrated those results with the entire 5800 km-long chain, and showed the chemistry varies temporally. This implies that the deep mantle contains distinct reservoirs sampled episodically by the moving Hawaiian plume. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2017 | The doctoral studies of Dr. Perry focused on the development of environmentally friendly catalysts to generate amines. These nitrogen containing molecules could be efficiently transformed into new plastics with tunable properties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Valizadeh completed her doctoral studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She studied video compression algorithms for 2D and 3D videos. Her work focused on improving compression efficiency of the latest video coding standard. Her research enables better video quality compared to the previous state-of-the art methods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Globa's work has demonstrated that drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, impact how brain cells communicate with one another at specialized points of contact called 'synapses'. Her work specifically shows that synaptic connections must be malleable or 'plastic' to promote behaviours associated with addiction in mice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Radebe examined the perceptions of Afrocentric education and Toronto Afrocentric Alternative Schools by Black parents. Findings shed light on how parents perceive the role of race, culture and history in education, particularly with respect to academic performance. This work will improve educational policies and practices in Afrocentric education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2017 | The world is full of mixtures of unobserved source signals. Dr. Zou's doctoral studies focused on recovering the underlying source signals from a limited number of observations. His proposed methods can be utilized in a wide class of physiological signals for artifact removal and for better interpretations of these signals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Schelew designed a photonic integrated circuit in a silicon microchip with potential applications in information processing. She developed a novel protocol for extracting all relevant information about the circuits' optical response. The results of this work will help guide future designs of circuit components used to process optical signals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Tavassoli developed novel data mining methods to study a range of complex materials, from pulp samples to cancer cells. This work has applications in many industries, particularly benefiting pulp makers as the unique combination of techniques offers insights to improve the accuracy of predicting product properties of the variety of raw materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Sima studied ischemic heart disease risk factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She found that exercise training reduces arterial stiffness, but does not impact the resting heart rate. Her findings contribute to the field of pulmonary rehabilitation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Aaron developed new techniques to understand the mechanisms governing flow-like landslides, as well as methodologies to predict their motion. This research has resulted in practical tools that can be used to protect society from certain landslide hazards. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Mysore Balasubramanya proposed novel, cost-effective enhancements to the power saving mechanism currently adopted by the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. The proposed solutions address battery operated Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, especially those in low network coverage and result in improved energy efficiency, thus increasing their battery life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Lee-Sayer studied how interaction with the environment influences the function of blood cells. Specifically, she investigated the ability to interact with hyaluronan. This work has highlighted the importance of hyaluronan in regulating the development and function of blood cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Tumors, within the endocrine system, are difficult to detect as well as treat. Dr. Blanc developed a novel method producing unique bioactive peptides. This process paves the way for improved therapeutics and imaging agents, particularly against aggressive and lethal cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Moghadam-zadeh studied mineral process engineering. She developed a test procedure to evaluate the advantages of high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), an application for extracting precious compounds. This test procedure will replace conventional techniques with energy-efficient methods in the early stages of industrial project studies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Mumuni studied teacher practices in kindergarten classrooms, in Ghana. His findings revealed that teaching practices were developmentally appropriate, making learning meaningful through contextually relevant language of instruction, age-and culturally-appropriate learning materials, and the use of storytelling, traditional songs and traditional rhymes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |