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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Pfaffen studied algae from the open oceans. She examined the way in which proteins in the algae store iron from the water to help the algae's later growth. This work contributes to our understanding of how algae survive in iron-limited oceans and bloom upon exposure to iron inputs, thereby having an impact on the global carbon cycle. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Nik Rozlin produced nanocrystalline cobalt-iron alloy coatings through the electrodeposition process. Her work showed that these nanostructured coatings had significant improvements in their corrosion behaviour in both acidic and alkaline environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Van Dongen's research was in the area of atomic, molecular and optical physics, working with ultra-cold trapped atoms. She studied trap loss from a magneto-optical trap due to collisions with non-trapped background gas. Progress was made on a novel pressure standard based on the loss rate of trapped atoms due to background gas collisions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Howarth designed and studied new, highly luminescent materials for use in organic light emitting diodes. Her work, performed in collaboration with chemists in both England and Italy, has contributed to the overall understanding of these materials, which are commonly used in digital displays and solid-state lighting technologies around the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Ghoshal studied how plants recover from viral infection. He found that during recovery of the virus infected plants, production of the viral proteins is prevented. He also discovered a plant enzyme involved in this mechanism. The study identifies a novel antiviral defence response and provides new insights into plant-virus interaction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Benton studied biomarkers in two serious pregnancy complication: pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Her studies identified a protein in the mother's blood that identifies placenta dysfunction, a critical cause of these complications. New blood tests for diagnosing placental dysfunction will improve clinical care of mothers and babies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Chapagain compared two food production systems: growing one crop alone versus growing multiple crops together. He demonstrated that together, multiple crops improve land and ecosystem productivity and water use efficiency. These studies will assist farmers in transitioning from chemical intensive production to eco-friendly production systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Farhang completed her doctoral studies in the field of Materials Engineering. She studied alternative processes for manufacturing composite structural parts in the aerospace industry. She developed a simple aid which can be used to enhance the manufacturing process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Trim explored the history of renewable energy and sustainable development in Canada. He showed that sustainability emerged from a combination of factors: environmentalists' embrace of science to fight the Cold War, Canadian concerns over American neo-colonialism, and the Trudeau government's efforts to rationalize policy making during the 1970s. | Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Gibson examined the ways in which history teachers approached ethical judgments about controversial events in Canadian history, and the impact this had on the responses of students. His research shows that there were vast differences between what teachers believed and how they actually taught about ethically controversial events in the classroom. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Lim examined two interlocking dimensions of change in the Chinese political economy. The study revealed institutional continuities between the Mao and post-Mao era and critically evaluated post-2007 socioeconomic policy experimentation in the Pearl River Delta and Chongqing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Leung studied a new drug delivery system for gene therapy, called lipid nano-particles. His research revealed the structure of these nano-particles and explained the mechanism of their formation. This has strong implications in the rational design of nano-medicines aimed at silencing specific genes for treating various diseases, including cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Michan developed a Lyman-alpha light source suitable for performing spectroscopy and laser cooling of magnetically trapped antihydrogen. He subsequently developed a hydrogen beam to test this light source and performed spectroscopy of hydrogen. This research contributed towards experimental testing of matter/antimatter symmetry in the universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Nitsan worked with the Guatemalan campaign to end violence against women, to examine tensions between theory and practice within the women's human rights discourse. She argues that, to promote transformative social change, those rights are framed in terms of dignity, grounded in women's diverse life experiences and emphasize agency and self-worth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Andema explored the role that digital technology and digital literacy can play in improving teacher education in a rural Ugandan college for primary teachers. The study assists us in understanding the possibility of using digital technology innovatively, to achieve educational change in other poorly resourced contexts like that of Uganda. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Semeniuk investigated how naturally occurring chemical forms of copper in seawater affect the growth of microscopic plants in the northeast Pacific Ocean. His work demonstrates that copper plays a significant role in determining the success of different microscopic plants in marine ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Sandilands studied two statistical methods used to establish whether it is feasible to compare groups in large scale educational assessments. She showed that the methods may not perform accurately when there are missing data, due to assessment design. Her findings will benefit educational policy makers, researchers and assessment designers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Yang proposes a new framework for numerical modeling of electromagnetic data in geophysics. This approach is able to dramatically speed up the processing of data, making the interpretation much more efficient than before. His research provides geoscientists with a more powerful tool for imaging the earth's structure in a variety of problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Randles studied the psychological processes underlying the experience of uncertainty. He discovered that feeling uncertain may best be described as a form of painful distress, where pain medication such as acetaminophen can reduce people's defensive reactions to anxiety-inducing events and inhibit their ability to monitor their own mistakes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Hosking's doctoral studies focussed on decision making: why some individuals choose differently from others, and the neuro-biology underlying those differences. His research revealed brain regions and neuro-chemistry responsible for our "worker" or "slacker" preferences, and suggests that therapeutic interventions will not be one-size-fits-all. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Bhathal studied the history and status of marine fisheries in India. She reconstructed fishing catch and effort and revealed, using bio-economic models, that the operation of Indian fisheries is not sustainable. Her work sheds light on an overlooked problem and suggests policy options to safeguard the resources and increase efficiency of fisheries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Okbinoglu studied the electronic structure of molecules known as sulfona-mides. She examined the ways in which changes to their structure affect the way the molecules react and function. This research helps to further our understanding of molecular structure, and aids in designing more effective sulfona-mide based drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Poon studied the generation of new brain cells in the adult brain. She discovered genes that modify how frequently adult stem cells in the brain divide to give rise to new brain cells. These genes may be targeted to promote stem cell division and combat cell loss in brains that are injured, or suffering from neuro-degenerative diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Ahmed's research focussed on the advancement of wireless communications. He developed energy efficient algorithms for systems that harvest renewable energy from the environment, and work in harsh and noisy atmospheres. His research findings will help in manufacturing wireless devices that can communicate without having a dedicated power supply. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Vazifeh developed simple theoretical models to explain interesting electronic phenomena in solids. He was also part of an effort among theoretical physicists to find a simple platform for experimentalists to discover Majorana fermions, an electronic state which can be used in future quantum computing devices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |