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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. Deschambault examined the impact of fee-paying international students on BC's public schools. His analysis calls into question current understandings of international students in educational policies and practices, and acknowledges the important role English language learning plays in their school experiences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English as a Second Language (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Khosravi introduced a novel design for a constrained model predictive control system for the automatic control of hypnosis during general anesthesia. The proposed control strategy can potentially reduce the risk of inadequate anesthesia and improve safety for most patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fridkin explored issues surrounding the meaningful involvement of First Nations people in health policy decision-making in BC and Canada. She analyzed the findings to identify seven key elements of meaningful involvement and developed a framework for fostering meaningful involvement of First Nations people in a range of health policy contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Rostamzadeh developed a comprehensive mathematical model to study the different factors that impact information dissemination in Intelligent Transportation Systems. He also proposed a new framework where safety-related information is exchanged among cars. Results from this work can help save lives, reduce traffic accidents, and lower congestion. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ji studied reasons for the preventive shift in Chinese criminal law. She claimed that the rise of risk control through criminal justice methods was a state response to uncertainties generated by reforms. Her research not only promotes Chinese socio-legal study, but also makes contributions to international comparative study of criminal law. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2016 | Identifying worsening individuals in on-going clinical trials and treatment responders in completed trials are important tasks in the area of personalized medicine. Dr. Kondo developed statistical models to identify such individuals in comparative longitudinal studies. Her methods are implemented as a publicly available software, and they will help clinicians understand the complex nature of the disease progression in multiple dimensions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (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 | An important question in biology is how our genomes inform who we are and the diseases we get. Dr. Sanders developed new tools to visualize the organization and structure of DNA in a single cell. With this advance, she found the structural composition of human genomes is highly complex and unique. Now, we can test how these differences impact human health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Schwartz developed a new theory to explain why only some Canadian cities create policies that are likely to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She identified the influence of dedicated environmental departments within the city administration as an important factor. Her work will help cities to fight climate change more effectively. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Intrigued by the learning possibilities that food gardens offer, Dr. Urueta explored the identities constructed by urban youth who had participated in a one-year, intergenerational garden-based learning project at the UBC Farm. Her findings contribute to understanding the pedagogical possibilities and challenges of food gardens. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Petley-Ragan studied how glial cells support the development and function of the nervous system. Using the fruit fly, Lindsay found that an outer layer of glial cells produces a key component of the extracellular matrix and that these glial cells maintain the structure of the nervous system and animal health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Smyth used the techniques of string theory to study poorly understood phases of matter. The resulting models represent another step forward in our effort to understand these systems within the context of string theory. This research has also advanced our understanding of the connections between condensed matter physics and string theory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (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 | Dr. Skipper studied how teachers develop insights and knowledge about their practice. He examined personal, professional and social influences that contribute to individual understandings of teaching. His research addresses the complex considerations that drive teacher professional identities. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Naddafzadeh Shirazi studied different aspects of wireless communication technologies and optimized them for supporting large networks and automated communications. He developed novel communication protocols for reducing the cost of operations and increasing the lifetime of wireless devices. Dr. Naddafzadeh Shirazi holds 7 US Patents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kridel studied two scenarios that are associated with poor survival in follicular lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His research highlighted contrasting evolutionary processes driving these processes, as well as novel genetic markers associated with prognosis. This work advances our understanding of the disease behaviour. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kreger examined the philosophical and religious aspects of the Chinese text the Liezi. His findings show that the text takes Nonbeing, or absolute nothingness, as not only the basic nature of reality, but also as an ethical teaching. This research clarifies our understanding of philosophical discourse in early medieval China. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Raj investigated whether the human enzyme known as GAP-DH is important for the lifecycle steps of human viruses that cause serious illness. She discovered that the enzyme is needed for hepatitis C virus and dengue virus infections in human cells. This research may lead to development of new antiviral drugs to fight the infections. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Actions of sex steroid hormones in humans are regulated by a transporter protein in the blood. Dr. Wu's research revealed how genetic variations alter production and functions of this protein. In the era of personalized medicine, his research may improve current counselling, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of endocrine or metabolic disorders. | |
| 2015 | Dr. Sterling completed her research in Materials Engineering and studied magnesium-neodymium alloys for use in automobiles. She found that neodymium drastically alters the behaviour of magnesium during forming, when the initial heat treatments are varied. These results show new ways to use magnesium to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhang studied Reproductive and Developmental Sciences. She showed how oocyte-derived growth factors in the human ovarian cells regulate sex hormone production and ovulation. This knowledge will aid in the understanding of ovulation and the findings will help therapies of female infertility and improve In-Vitro Fertilization protocols. | |
| 2015 | Dr. French investigated how the philosopher Rudolf Carnap understood logic as a kind of conceptual technology. The result is philosophy as conceptual engineering: scientific concepts can be designed and constructed to satisfy the pragmatic demands of scientists. His work has implications for how to view the conceptual foundations of the sciences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ford studied the properties of thousands of galaxy clusters in large astronomical surveys. She developed new techniques for measuring the amount and distribution of dark matter, using the gravitational bending of light rays. This work contributes to our understanding of structure formation in the universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ramogida developed new medical imaging agents for positron-emission tomography scans, to detect cancer and heart disease using radioactive metals. She studied methods to safely incorporate the metals into pharmaceuticals. These non-conventional metals have the potential to mitigate the global shortage of the metal used in current imaging agents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | The marine gas dimethyl sulfide plays a role in natural climate regulation by bridging the atmospheric and oceanic sulfur cycles. Dr. Asher developed new methods to measure the variability and production of this gas across time and space. Her work advances our understanding of the marine sulfur cycle and informs climate change research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |