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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Kraft studied how students experienced a lab in the first-year physics lab sequence. He found that students struggled to correctly interpret statistics and implemented an intervention to address this. These results, along with his other investigations in this lab, provide valuable feedback for designing open-ended physics labs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Xu's research pioneers sensor-based ore sorting using machine learning. Dr. Xu's expertise results in valuable improvements to sorting models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Zhang's doctoral work focused on the mechanism study of phosphorus polymer materials. It resulted in a a competing cyclization-decyclization and isomerization-addition steps in the polymerization. These findings will benefit the future study of these novel phosphorus containing polymers which could potentially be used in fire retardant materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Li examined the impact of climate-linked pay on firms' supply chain management. She found that firms with climate-related metrics in executive compensation outsource carbon emissions to their supply chain by initiating fewer and terminating more contracts with the "hard-to-shift-emissions" suppliers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Accounting (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. John showed that the division between loggers and environmentalists over old growth forests has been created by mass media marketing and forest industry publicity campaigns. Environmentalism has been a part of woodworker cultures on South Vancouver Island since the early twentieth century, the "War in the Woods" was partially constructed by forces wishing to splinter a united front between forest workers and eco-activists. | Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Okoye examined the structural drivers of HIV risk behaviour among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa considering other social factors and HIV-related knowledge. She found that several contextual factors had additional links with young people’s HIV risk behaviour. Her findings will guide structural interventions for HIV risk reduction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Metcalfe-Roach identified a connection between specific dietary patterns and the onset of Parkinson's disease, and showed that this connection may be partially due to the influence of diet on bacterial populations present in the intestinal tract. This work may lead to new interventions to reduce the burden of Parkinson's disease pre- and post-diagnosis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Knight's work looks at the author's personal lived experiences of gender and sexuality through the lens of an original music composition that tackles these issues and presents them in a new way for audiences to engage with. The music explores virtuosity in vocal writing with the addition of movement interwoven into the music to aid in expression. | Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition (DMA) |
| 2024 | Dr. Stewart’s research found that being likeable during initial impressions is a stable trait that directly predicts educational attainment and social class, and indirectly predicts cardiometabolic risk. Her research increases our understanding of the importance of initial interactions during childhood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Brown analyzed the long-run effects of historical Bible translations in Africa. Areas where the Bible was translated demonstrate today higher literacy rates and improved child health outcomes. Bible translations broke down language barriers leading to an influx of missionaries and infrastructure while promoting the language for use in schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Schild investigated recycling options for wood composites that would otherwise be discarded. She showed that the use of sensor-technologies could enable for reliable differentiation of waste wood, that could then be used to manufacture cement-bonded wood panels, facilitating a transition toward more sustainable wood material industry practices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Shah's doctoral work focused on energy-efficient compute acceleration for autonomous robotics. In her work, she proposed hardware-algorithm co-design approaches for robot perception and motion planning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Chan is dedicated to helping improve mental health and quality of life in children with developmental disabilities and their families by investigating the effectiveness and feasibility of mindfulness and self-compassion programs for children of Autism and their parents. Her study found promising results of such an intervention. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Rapos used neuroimaging and kinematic analyses to examine collision avoidance strategies in children with and without developmental coordination disorder. Her findings suggest children with DCD have difficulties in perception-action coupling, as evidenced by a reliance on visual information and a conservative approach to collision avoidance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Jaswal's research explores misokinesia, the discomfort caused by others' repetitive movements. Her findings reveal that misokinesia affects a significant portion of the general population, not just clinical cases. By shedding light on its social impact, her work paves the way for better understanding and support for those affected. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Shariatzadeh developed a wearable device equipped with sensor fusion technology to capture complex muscle activity dynamics and measure fatigue during dynamic exercises. His research establishes a muscle activity monitoring and fatigue prediction method, contributing significantly to sports science, rehabilitative medicine, and ergonomics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Jiao’s research examines factors that influence the provision of harm reduction services in the emergency room. Her work highlights systemic tensions and demonstrates that staff’s efforts are impacted by inconsistent education and unsupportive policies. These findings can inform harm reduction implementation in emergency rooms across Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Chu investigated insulin producing pancreatic beta cells, which help maintain blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes. He found that the production of insulin can vary and fluctuate from cell to cell. His work furthers our understanding of diabetes pathology and introduces new methods for controlling insulin production in beta cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Litzow conducted research in environmental and development economics, specifically studying how environmental change affects populations in low-income settings. She documented how pollution and economic crises negatively affect educational and labor market outcomes and highlighted the need for careful policy design to slow environmental change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Rahimi used discursive methodologies to study prevalent ideologies and emotion talk in psychologists' and immigrant parents' discussions of their experiences. The results of the study contribute to our understanding of the impact of ideologies on the psychological construction of emotion talk of psychologists and immigrant parents in feedback sessions. | Doctor of Philosophy in School and Applied Child Psychology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gong looked at how fluid environments affect the dynamics of swimming microorganisms with different shapes. He developed analytical models using low Reynolds number hydrodynamics to study viscotaxis, and propulsions in complex fluids. His work offers insights into microrobotics for biomedical uses and the design of advanced microrheometers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gledhill used timeline life history methodology to examine the concept of trust for women principals in secondary schools in Canada. She developed a visual metaphor based on mycorrhizal threads to explain how trust builds or declines within a gendered substructure. Her research provides insight into ways principals can build trust and recognize low-trust situations. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Poirier examines the role of university practitioners responsible for engaging with local communities. His study is one of the first to look at the roles, tensions, and perspectives that mark the life of such practitioners within Canadian universities. His research adds to dialogue around how public universities can best fulfill their mission. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hua researched chemical modification routes for creating bio-based polymer materials from lignin. He developed a sustainable method to use the modified lignin in producing food packaging films and carbon fibers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Chao developed immune-boosting lipid nanoparticles to enhance therapy for peritoneal metastasis. His formulations demonstrated improved immune activation, tumor eradication, and long-term anti-tumor immunity. This research offers significant potential for advancing cancer immunotherapy through nanomedicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |