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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Ames studied the Talmud Yerushalmi, demonstrating that it was carefully constructed and deliberately edited. Contrary to traditional claims that the Talmud Yerushalmi was improperly and hastily compiled, Dr. Ames concluded that biblical and rabbinic traditions were subjected to an interventionist editorial process, with novel creative input. | Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Thachuk studied how nucleic acids, such as DNA, can change their structure to perform computation. His research proved fundamental limits for these systems and also their potential for being space and energy efficient. These molecular computers are a foundation of DNA nanotechnology and can, in principle, be used to create 'doctors within a cell'. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Huang studied the effects of the US Lacey Act Amendment, the EU Timber Regulation, and the Chain of Custody certification on China's wood products industry. These initiatives aim to reduce illegal logging and legitimize the associated forest products trade. This research explains the impact at the individual producer level and at the industry level. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Parmar examined a dispute over water between indigenous peoples in India and CocaCola, using ethnographic, legal and historical research. This study shows that meaningful resolution of such disputes requires recognition of the historical and social contexts that are often overlooked in legal analysis and popular reporting of such disputes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Lauck studied changes in the quality of life of people with permanent defibrillators implanted for severe heart disease. Physical functioning, mental health, and social functioning improved over time, with significant gender differences. This work contributes to mounting evidence that health care must be delivered in a gender-specific manner. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Brosseau-Liard explored children's use of cues to people's knowledge. Young children prefer to learn from people who seem knowledgeable, for example people who previously provided correct information. However, children's trust in people who seem less knowledgeable varies across situations. This work furthers our understanding of early learning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. AlSharidah developed an active method to improve the Standard Unintentional Islanding Test for electrical systems. A power switched inverter is used to replace the bulky capacitor and inductor banks. This method makes it more portable and efficient and easier to reproduce, in addition to reducing the size and cost of the standard islanding test., | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Gutierrez studied the process of extracting bitumen from the Canadian oil sands and how the presence of humic acids affect the process. This novel research showed that these organic compounds strongly modify the process efficiency. These findings will help the Canadian economy and lead to better predictions of the Canadian oil production. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Ove studied child sponsorship programs, the advertising they produce, and sponsors they attract. His project examined ways in which sponsorship programs and sponsors represent themselves as trying to make a difference in the world, and how these representations relate to contemporary understandings of poverty and development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Haj Ghanbari examined muscle atrophy, pain and physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Her research provides evidence that some muscles are more affected by this disease, and secondly, pain is very common and often limits physical activities in people affected by this chronic respiratory condition. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Chang assessed a group of similar paintings produced in 16th-to-18th century China. She proved that they visualize many upper- and middle-class people's changing and diverse views of an ideal society. Her study establishes the art-historical value of the paintings, and argues for copying as a form of improvised new creation rather than mere imitation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Begum explored the health seeking practices of women with reproductive complications in rural Bangladesh. This research will help health policy-makers and public health officials to understand women's reproductive complications, and the ways women manage those complications, in order to adopt gender sensitive healthcare policies and action plans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Bond studied the evolution, regulation, and function of the cell membrane proteins known as Pannexins. This work advances our basic understanding of the origins of these proteins and what they do at the molecular level. The research identified a relationship between Pannexin 3 and normal fetal bone development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Fazly studied the behaviour of the solutions to various mathematical equations. Starting in 1914, pure mathematicians have been interested in classifying and reducing the dimensions of solutions to differential equations. This study introduced two new concepts regarding classifying and reducing the dimensions of certain systems of equations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hui developed methods to measure a few target molecules in patients receiving heart surgery. This research helped clinicians to understand the underlying mechanisms of surgery-related injuries and select suitable drug doses to reduce those injuries. He also enabled the trace analyses of target molecules, which may have broad clinical applications | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Lv studied the design of biomaterials based on proteins that are engineered to mimic natural biomolecules. He found that the materials do mimic their natural counterparts. The study provides new possibilities for designing materials with novel features. The materials can potentially be used in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. MacDougall investigated teaching and learning beliefs of art educators working in higher education. Informed by the philosophical work of Gilles Deleuze, he studied how art educators come to know what they know, and how they demonstrate that knowing in their teaching practices as they create meaningful learning encounters for their students. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Carey developed a new personality variable and measure called "Need for Mystery" which describes individual differences in spiritual beliefs. This measure predicts different patterns of religious and non-religious spiritual belief as well as conversion experiences. It will be useful in many areas of psychological research dealing with religion. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kuo studied a human enzyme that degrades Tryptophan and contributes to the persistence of tumours. Using biophysical methods, he discovered and characterized new chemical reactivities of this enzyme. His work advances our knowledge of how this enzyme works and that may enable new strategies to suppress these activities and thus combat cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Harland conducted his research in the field of analytic number theory. He focussed on two functions which help with testing prime numbers: the Carmichael Lambda function, and the Euler Totient [Oiler Tote-ent] function. The methods he created to study these specific functions can be used by mathematicians to study other arithmetic functions as well. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Chadha examined the role played by economic changes in recent political developments in India, including the emergence of peasant and ethnic parties. This research highlights the important role played by economic imperatives in either dampening or amplifying social divisions existing in societies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Chen's research lies in the area of high-dimensional statistics and machine learning. He developed novel statistical methods for reliably extracting information from large amounts of data and applying them to construct brain connectivity networks. His work has broad implications for the field of statistics and neuroscience communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Lo's grounded theory study provides insights into the dynamic labelling process among gifted children with learning and behavioural challenges. His findings suggest that it is the interplay of labelling practice, individual agency, contextual factors and developmental considerations that leads those students to identify their own learning needs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Lawrence studied database integration and developed new methods for translating changes between independent databases. His case study focussed on the problem of updating a building's construction cost estimate, following changes in architectural design. His approach allows database owners to more easily keep their data in sync with related databases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Nelson examined the ways in which social workers help urban Aboriginal children in foster care maintain connections to their culture, family, and community. This research illuminated the complexity of balancing permanency needs with cultural rights and the ongoing importance of family and culture for Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD) |