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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dr. Hoiles completed his doctoral studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He constructed predictive models of engineered tethered bilayer lipid membranes. These models provided novel insights into biological membrane dynamics and the development of tethered membrane based bio-sensors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Using computer models to study how asteroids orbit the Sun, Dr. Greenstreet discovered they can sometimes orbit the Sun backwards. She also determined how often comets strike Pluto and its five moons, which can be used along with data from NASA's historic New Horizons mission to understand characteristics of the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2015 | People in conversation tend to adopt each other's speech patterns. Dr. Abel explored whether working on a difficult task would affect that tendency, and found that partners building a more difficult Lego construction showed less convergence than those building an easier one. This research gives insight into the mechanisms behind speech convergence. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Goessling studied the ways in which youth activists in a social justice organization construct meaning from their experiences. This research resulted in a set of narratives describing what it means to be a youth in a neoliberal society. These stories of young people's engagement with society reveal ways in which youth transform it, and themselves. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD) |
| 2015 | Fluid motion is incredibly complex and detailed, making it difficult to analyze and simulate. Dr. Gregson developed methods to capture and reconstruct fluids and fluid motion from videos obtained with conventional video cameras. The methods can be applied to graphics, simulation and the sciences to better understand fluids and their motions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zlatanov completed his studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering and focussed on wireless communications. During his research, he developed novel communication protocols for wireless relay networks. These protocols may have applications in next-generation mobile phones and wireless networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Dujakovic studied the development of the printing industry in France in the late 15th and early 16th century. Focusing on a specific series of illustrated books, she examined the complex transition from scribal to printing culture. Her research highlights the importance of the illustrated book in the artistic practices of the period. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Vinall demonstrated that greater exposure to neo-natal pain was related to slower growth, altered brain development and poorer cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children born very pre-term. Positive parent interactions helped to ameliorate the effect of pain on behaviour. This work contributes to understanding the development of pre-term infants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Liu completed his doctoral studies in the field of Chemistry and he focussed on the mechanisms of gastritis and peptic ulcer. He discovered the structure of a new protein important for the survival of the bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, which trigger ulcers. His findings identified a new target for gastrointestinal drugs development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Blinov studied extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics to understand the origins of dark matter and of the matter-antimatter asymmetry. He developed new models addressing these issues, making use of phase transitions in the Early Universe. These ideas will be tested at particle colliders and in experiments searching for dark matter. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Nourbakhsh constructed electrical molecular decelerators for the first time in Canada, at UBC. Using these decelerators, called Stark Decelerators, the molecules can be slowed down and trapped, and then their interaction with light and matter can be accurately investigated. These results can help in making future molecular quantum computers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Tu's research focuses on using sound waves to detect the internal structure of the earth. He developed a method that uses echoes from the sound waves to reveal more details of the shallow earth structure. By producing a more accurate prediction of geological hazards near the surface, this new approach will lead to much safer drilling operations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Laliberte explored the influence of socio-economic processes on the mental health of young people. She studied the experiences of thirty youth between fifteen and twenty-eight years of age and from diverse backgrounds, in relation to mental health policy. Her work offers guidance for youth mental health promotion from a socio-economic perspective. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Alexandersen used the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to discover and track outer Solar System asteroids. Through a careful observing strategy and detailed understanding of observational biases, he studied the size and number distributions of the various underlying sub-populations, properties that carry evidence of how the Solar System formed. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Berndt showed how the specialized functions of brain neurons are controlled by signals from targets that the neurons contact. He defined how these signals are interpreted at regulatory regions of DNA. His work contributes to our understanding of brain development, and describes processes that are disrupted in degenerative neurological diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Banitalebi explored the ways in which the quality of 3D video is assessed. He designed quality metrics and visual attention models for 3D video. His work can help camera and display manufactures and network providers determine 3D capturing parameters, improve 3D playback perceptual quality, and ensure Quality of Service during transmission. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. El|anowski examined the relationships between violence and culture in post-World War Two Warsaw, Poland. He showed how destruction maps, photographs of ruins, museum exhibitions, and memorials influenced reconstruction. His research exposes the extreme cultural and material complexities of postwar urban environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Tong studied forecast evaluation in financial markets from an investment perspective. He proposed a structural approach, which assessed the portfolio value of forecasts when there are limited historical data. His study advanced our understanding of the economic value of forecasts when there is limited previous information available. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Holmes developed a framework for physics labs that engages students in authentic experimentation. She found that a quantitative decision tree to structure experiments improves the scientific reasoning of students and their understanding of the nature of science, even when the structure is removed, developing them as independent critical thinkers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Liu studied the high temperature electrochemical behaviour of titanium in UBC's Corrosion Group. Her research findings are helpful in predicting corrosion rates of titanium in the leaching industry. She developed a chemical oxidation method to improve the corrosion resistance of titanium and extend the service time of titanium-made equipment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Chen developed an active damping method for machine tools, using a novel linear magnetic actuator. This actuator and active damping method can be used in manufacturing industries, to damp the vibrations of large and flexible boring bars or shafts in the machining process. These innovations improve machining stability and increase productivity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Swenson examined the evaluation process for disability management programs that assist people with impairments to overcome employment barriers. She found that evaluation was based on criteria such as successful job placement and client satisfaction, and drew on multiple perspectives, including the workplace, medical, psychological and social. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Severance studied and designed circuits and algorithms in UBC's System-on-a-Chip research group. He improved the usability and efficiency of tools for programming computers embedded in electronic devices. His work helps engineers to work at an advanced level when designing algorithms such as video processing and face detection for these devices | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Fotsing examined the concept of culture in the contemporary African novel. His analysis demonstrates that there is a mixture of local and global cultures in fictional books written by African authors. It is therefore difficult to refer to that literature as if it had one single identity. This research challenges assumptions about African writing. | Doctor of Philosophy in French (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Fabbi developed an innovative initiative to support Arctic Studies and Indigenous language programs at the Canadian Studies Center at the University of Washington. Considering the Arctic as a distinct world region, informed by Inuit concepts of territory and sovereignty, reconfigures the approaches used for research and practice in the area. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |