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. Eng characterized proteins that are essential for regulating microtubule dynamics and cell morphogenesis in plants. He demonstrated that a kinesin specific motor protein has the ability to destabilize microtubules. Dr. Eng's work contributes to the understanding of the growth and development of plants at the cellular and molecular level. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Vivaldi conducted research among migrant indigenous people in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her work shows the importance of mobility and the creation of spatial networks for confronting socioeconomic marginalization and urban segregation. This research contributes to thinking and promoting urban inclusion and indigenous decolonization. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Piltan developed a model for evaluating the performance of business partnerships as well as a model for evaluating factors influencing the partnership performance over time. He applied his models to a partnership in the Canadian forest products supply chain. His results help managers make more informed decisions for their business partnerships. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hu created a crowdsensing platform which addresses the research challenges in the overall workflow of crowdsensing in vehicular social networks (VSNs) in terms of task allocation and task execution. This platform supports the creation of different context-aware mobile crowdsensing applications and facilitates their real-world deployments in VSNs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kong explored the design of biomaterials based on engineered polyprotein. She designed hydrogels with dynamic, mechanical properties and discovered novel strategies for crosslinking hydrogel networks. This research expands the horizons of materials that can be applied to tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. McMullin constructed a set of artificial languages for people to learn in the laboratory, and showed that the way humans learn linguistic sound patterns influences the range of patterns found across the world's languages. His dissertation argues that current linguistic theory cannot account for this, and proposes a mathematically principled definition of what constitutes a possible language. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sepulveda explored how the suffering provoked to a colony of black-necked swans by an ecological disaster occurred in a protected wetland, in Valdivia, Chile, became a landmark event that forced historical changes in the country's environmental frame and its until then dominant business model. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hamdi employed statistical learning, signal processing, and graph-theoretic tools to analyze and develop algorithms that are aimed at estimation and learning problems in social networks. His research focused on building information aggregation protocols that improve the performance of social sensors in online social networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Chatalova Sazepin conducted her research in Organic Chemistry. She developed new ways of connecting fluorine atoms to organic molecules, and used copper as a catalyst to allow a rapid access to complex structures from readily available feedstock. Ultimately, her research should enable the development of more efficient drugs and materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Littell investigated dialogue patterns in Kwak'wala, a critically endangered aboriginal language of British Columbia, based on field interviews with Kwakwaka'wakw elders. This research helps future learners of conversational Kwak'wala know how to ask and answer questions, draw parallels and contrasts, and express agreement and disagreement. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ngoh examined the role of a protein called Interleukin-1 in intestinal inflammation. He found that a subgroup of Crohn's disease subjects develop intestinal auto-inflammation because they fail to regulate this particular protein. Dr. Ngoh's research demonstrates that these subjects could benefit from therapy that targets Interleukin-1. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kennedy examined how carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology became the central plank in Alberta's climate change strategy. She found that CCS evolved from decades of support from government, industry and research communities, but failed to address industry emissions, as well as social legitimacy and market access concerns. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Alloying elements play an important role in determining a metal's properties. Dr. Huber used computer simulations to study the interaction between solute atoms and defects in the structure of a host metal. His research provides insight into important atomistic mechanisms and new tools for computationally aided alloy design. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ostevik's research focused on the ways in which populations adapt to new habitats and how those changes can facilitate the creation of new species. She found that this process can happen quickly and that these changes can be similar during repeated events. Her work helps us understand the creation and maintenance of biological diversity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lund studied how licensed insolvency trustees, the professionals who administer personal bankruptcies, determine whether or not an individual is entitled to debt relief. This research illuminates the impact that financial and emotional constraints have on legal actors when they interpret and apply the law. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2016 | In this age of digital technology, the information content of the display and how we present it can have an impact on our health and safety. Dr. Eskandari studied the effectiveness of displayed information. Her research will contribute to safer and more efficient methods for designing user-interfaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Epstein-Barr virus (also known as EBV) causes serious and life-threatening consequences for individuals with weakened immune systems. Dr. Huang has investigated how immunity against this virus is achieved. The knowledge acquired from her studies will aid in the design of novel immune therapies for severe EBV infection and virus-associated cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Agrawal developed new methods to generate realistic, animated, character motion efficiently. His work uses physics-based simulation, motion-capture and optimization in order to create motion for applications including games, film, and training simulations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Robinson studied the integration of Indigenous knowledge at three Aboriginal post-secondary institutes in BC. Her research highlights the critical role of Elders in academia, the role of partnerships, and the resiliency of Aboriginal post-secondary institutes. This research will benefit Aboriginal education policy in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lorenzi examined how sexual violence is represented in contemporary Canadian literature and drama. By focusing on authors' innovative uses of silence, she developed a methodology for understanding how trauma can be articulated to both readers and audiences. Her research also benefits survivors seeking new ways to tell their stories. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2016 | How are large systems such as particle accelerators studied? Dr. Gong created a new software platform for global optimization. He used it to model and study a particle accelerator-based laser. His work reveals the dynamics of the machine and forms the groundwork for the new accelerator to be constructed in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Anderson examined the academic socialization dialogue of international and permanent resident Chinese PhD students at a Canadian University. His research highlights the importance of providing support and mentorship opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse doctoral students to increase access into their respective academic communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lai used computer science to study how RNA molecules fold inside of the body. By reviewing the latest methods, he published new benchmarks and guidelines for the prediction of RNA structures. This knowledge can help researchers in finding and understanding novel RNA molecules within unexplored regions of the human genome. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Jales developed a statistical method to estimate the economic effects of the minimum wage in developing countries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. He studied the unfolding and folding of proteins at the single-molecule level. He combined single-molecule force spectroscopy and steered molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the topological changes of a protein slipknot during its unfolding and folding. This research will help understand the folding mechanism of slipknot proteins. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |