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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. Chen studied the long-term development of respiratory diseases and how the progression of these diseases affects patients' overall health, quality of life and health care costs. She developed advanced models to examine how risk factors can be prevented at the onset of disease to ultimately help improve long-term health outcomes in these patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sadeghi studied properties of non-ideal plasmas. He developed a new method for creating a liquid like ultracold plasma from molecules. This work is of interest both for general scientific reasons including astrophysical questions, and for technical applications such as new sources of energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Investigating the binding of transition metals to phosphorus atoms is of vital importance in chemistry. Dr. Serin's work uses an uncommon class of phosphorus containing compound to make new polymers and molecules for metal coordination. His findings unlock new methods to bind and manipulate these metals that were not previously known. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fung investigated the interplay between cellular stress responses and coxsackievirus B3 infection. He showed a mechanism by which viral infection disrupts host immune stress response mechanisms to support viral replication and disease progression. This research illuminates underlying mechanisms that contribute to virus-induced diseases such as viral cardiomyopathy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Baimel studied how orexin neurons modulate the activity of dopamine neurons in the reward circuitry of the brain. He determined that orexin gates addictive-drug induced changes in subpopulations of these neurons. This knowledge adds to our understanding of how addictive drugs alter the brain and may aid in the search for novel treatments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Jaw developed a new model of atherosclerotic plaque destabilization related to lung inflammation. He found a white blood cell enzyme is contributing to this processes. His discovery led to new insights about the molecular pathways of heart attack and stroke and may facilitate future therapy for these diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in females. Dr. Xiong studied the signaling pathways and identified two important factors that influence the development of endometrial cancer cells. These findings suggest novel therapeutic targets for treating type II endometrial cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Human genome sequencing is now being used to discover the cause of genetic diseases. Dr. Shyr's research improves the way doctors interpret a patient's DNA, and presents a novel computational algorithm to analyze DNA data. Collaborating with the BC Children's Hospital, his research provides patients with access to personalized treatments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Duff developed the approach of poet(h)ic inquiry in research-based theatre. She wrote a dissertation play that expresses an interplay between memory and present time. Her play "Visiting Griffin" is about the quest to find an absent actor, exploring the poet(h)ic meeting place of playwriting, ethics, and spirituality | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hegebarth studied the protective layer, or the cuticle, of plant cells. Her research revealed several insights into the changes, composition and genetic make up of the cuticle at different stages. Her work contributes to a better understanding of plants and their ability to ward off external stressors and has implications in the agricultural sector. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Through the concepts of 'learnscapes', Dr. Gugganig investigated the diverse forms that education takes across three different contexts on the island of Kaua'i. Her work increases our understanding of indigenous education, knowledge production on land, public understanding of science, and how these processes and institutions co-evolve in the notion of education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Parkinson's disease is a severe disease of the brain and alpha-synuclein is one of the most important disease-causing proteins. Dr. Jin has developed a compound that can effectively reduce the level of alpha-synuclein in the brain, which may lead to a potential therapy for Parkinson's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Renard studied spectrum-sensing techniques for wireless communication devices known as cognitive radios. He focused on improving the robustness of cognitive radios to a specific type of electromagnetic noise known as "impulsive noise". Increasing the strength of cognitive radios to impulsive noise will facilitate their use in urban environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Saville studied repulping which is the first stage in paper recycling where waste paper is disintegrated for fiber recovery. Dr. Saville's work resulted not only in a viable mechanism and model for the repulping process, but also demonstrated how substantial energy savings can be achieved in repulping. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Racicot's research in organic chemistry focused on the reactivity of iodine compounds of higher bonding order. The processes studied could ultimately find applications in diverse areas such as medical imaging, polymer science and natural product synthesis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Leung identified a gene that can be targeted to improve the effectiveness of multiple standard chemotherapeutics in lung cancer cells without affecting normal lung cells. Targeting this protein in combination with existing drugs should enhance treatment outcomes in cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Shor studied the impact of delamination damage on structures made from composite materials. He developed a novel method that simulates the damage and allows larger structures to be analyzed with greater efficiency. This has many applications, in particular the aircraft industry where lightweight composite materials are increasingly important. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Sensor-Cloud enables users to obtain their required sensory data from the cloud anytime and anywhere if there is network connection. Dr. Zhu's work improved Sensor-Cloud, in terms of energy efficiency, security, sensory data transmission, and quality of service. The findings from his work are insightful for designing future Sensor-Cloud. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Do all volcanoes shake the ground in the same way when they erupt? Dr. Unglert studied volcanic tremor, a type of earthquake that often happens before or during volcanic eruptions. Her work showed for the first time that the features of a tremor might be similar for different volcanoes, depending on the volcano type or the depth of the magma reservoirs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fobear examined the settlement experiences of LGBT refugees in North America. Her work contributes a queer perspective to refugee settlement that unsettles homonational narratives of Canada as a safe haven and the Western discourses surrounding "saving" LGBT refugees. | Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD) |
| 2016 | Infants who are born to HIV positive women but remain HIV uninfected, are among the world's most vulnerable to infectious disease. Dr. Reikie discovered a number of transient anomalies of these infants' immune system. His findings have been used to help uncover causes of increased suffering from disease in this already vulnerable population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | If thieves and burglars that begin to appear in a once crime-free city are not working together in a coordinated manner, why then are certain neighborhoods more attractive to criminals than others? Dr. Tse studied why such crime hot-spots emerge, persist and evolve. His work provides insights into how police might respond. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Abouzar studied factors affecting energy consumption of wireless sensor networks. He designed algorithms and protocols to improve energy conservation while considering previously unaccounted for channel impairments (such as movements and blockage). Results from his work will be used on existing commercial modules. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Riedel explored how international practicums in Teacher Education impacted the understanding of good teaching practices for beginning teachers. She found these settings challenged assumptions in ways that rarely happen in home-country settings. Her findings emphasize the value of internationalizing Teacher Education in substantive ways. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2016 | Dr. McNamara examined how culture and cognition sculpt psychology across development. Norms prohibiting mental state inference lead Fijian adults to punish accidents more than Westerners, while children in Fiji and Canada show similar intent focus. Therefore, mental state reasoning may emerge early and differentiate based on culture into adulthood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |