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. Bhullar examined the complex interactions between intestinal pathogens and mucus layer, an important protective barrier in the gut. Understanding how pathogens interact with the mucus layer can help in designing novel ways to combat these infections and has the potential to reduce food and water borne diseases caused by E. coli and Salmonella. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bokharaei completed his doctoral degree in the field of nanomedicine and drug delivery at the the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He designed and optimized a novel system that produces magnetic, protein-based, drug-filled microspheres. These biocompatible particles can be used for the imaging of lung diseases or for liver cancer therapy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Grayson studied organic aerosols known to be important in the Earth's atmosphere. While these aerosols were previously assumed to be liquids, he demonstrated they may exist as semi-solids or solids. These studies improve our understanding of organic aerosols and as a result their impacts in the Earth's atmosphere. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Whitfield conducted her research in rural Cambodia, where infantile beriberi, a fatal disease in breastfed babies, is common. She showed that mothers consuming fish sauce with added vitamin B1 produced breast milk with higher B1 content, improving the status of their babies. This fish sauce could save babies lives throughout Southeast Asia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Pederson studied whether health behaviour interventions for women considered the context of women's lives such as their economic status, ethnicity or age. Finding that only limited attention was paid to such factors, Dr. Pederson proposed a framework to help plan interventions to women's improve health behaviours as well as their social status and applied it to the case of older women and physical activity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a growing global issue. Dr. King studied the structure and function of a class of enzymes specifically resistant to antibiotics. This work has helped to uncover the molecular basis underlying this global resistance problem and will aid in the design and development of appropriate inhibitors of these enzymes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kowalec identified novel differences in the human genome that are associated with experiencing adverse drug reactions in people with multiple sclerosis. This represents the first investigation into using genetics to personalize multiple sclerosis treatment and will be used to prevent severe, sometimes fatal adverse drug reactions from occurring. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Are abandoned buildings nothing but wastelands? Dr. LeBlanc's artistic explorations of various closed schools puncturing the Canadian landscape suggest otherwise. Utilizing documentary and conceptual photographic practices, she examined how art can provoke viewers to re-imagine relationships between space, time, place, and memory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Khameneifar's doctoral research focused on precision inspection of jet engine blades. He developed advanced geometric computing algorithms that enable accurate automated geometric inspection of airfoil blades based on digitized surface data. His research contributions significantly enhance productivity and quality in aerospace manufacturing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tufail developed a haptic teleoperation system that is applicable in home-care robotics for the elderly. He focused on controlling the robotic manipulators so that they could interact with objects in the environment in a safe and compliant manner. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tomscha mapped how ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from ecosystems) have changed over time in a floodplain ecosystem using a novel air photo-based approach. She found that frontier settlement disproportionately occurred in riparian and floodplain ecosystems. She also demonstrated that historical information is key to better understanding how ecosystem services interact. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Xie developed new recording techniques to investigate neurons following a temporary stroke in mice. His study indicates neuronal deficits lead to extended damage of motor and sensory function despite a quick recovery of the structure. His work suggests that a temporary stroke can still cause prolonged functional deficits in the brain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Machler investigated whether people who lived in areas of Metro Vancouver that have a greater variety of housing types were more likely to settle in their preferred neighbourhoods. This research is important for policymakers who seek to combat the housing affordability problems of our region. | Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Baker studied Indigenous Science Education for addressing issues of equity and sustainability. His research led to a slow pedagogy of relations involving land, language, story, and ceremony that fosters miskasowin, a Cree term denoting the development of relational identities. His research highlights the need to engage diverse worldviews in schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Takacs studied balance and physical function deficits in people with knee osteoarthritis. Her work contributed to a better understanding of clinical dynamic balance assessment, and treatment of deficits in this population. Her findings provide new information that ultimately better help to address patients' assessment and training approaches. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Nguyen investigated the regenerative activity of normal and malignant breast stem cells and developed a model to generate breast tumours from normal human breast cells. This work was instrumental in understanding the early changes that occur during tumour formation and how the diversity of breast cancer arises from normal starting cells. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bushey explored how smartphones and social media sites are transforming photography. Her research examined the impact of technologies and social practices on the ownership and privacy of personal photographs and online images as legal evidence and archival sources. This research will inform how we share and store photos in social media sites. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Boesten examined the court justice system in Columbia. His research investigated the rules of deliberation that led to the government's decision to rule against powerful social and political interests. This work increases our understanding of how clear procedures in court proceedings can help uphold the justice system even in violent contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Wang studied DNAzymes that can function under physiological conditions. Using in vitro selection, she developed chemically modified DNAzymes to mimic the function of RNase A. Her work will have significant implications for therapeutics used for HIV-1 inhibition. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Blasberg examined how perfectionistic personality impacts the thoughts and feelings people have when ostracized. He found people who need to be or appear perfect, react to being ostracized with more intense feelings and negative thoughts. His work helps explain how perfectionistic personality leads to emotional distress in response to ostracism. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | The research of Dr. Karslidis was in the field of Harmonic Analysis. He worked on a functional inequality, called the small ball inequality, which has numerous applications in probability and approximation theory. He proved the optimal version of this inequality under mild hypotheses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | In 2003, New Zealand decriminalized sex work vastly improving sex workers' occupational well-being. Dr. Zangger found that despite these positive changes, the whore stigma, discrimination, and the presence of restrictive by-laws remain, constraining dynamics that jeopardise the advancement of sex workers' rights in the indoor sex industry in Auckland. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Thompson studied a class of enzymes called KMTs, which regulate the expression of our genes. He discovered a novel protein co-factor that supports the function of KMTs in gene regulation by helping them recognize specific DNA sequences. His work has implications for developing therapies for genetic disorders and cancers in which KMTs are disrupted. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Roustaei studied fundamental and theoretical fluid mechanics related to the oil and gas well construction to make them safer, last longer and more environmentally friendly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Brehmer studied why and how people use data visualization tools and techniques to process information. He introduced a framework for classifying visualization tasks and used it to conduct design and evaluation projects in the domains of journalism and energy management. His research can be applied when developing new data visualization tools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |