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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dr. Gore explored the educational experiences of Aboriginal former inmates of federal prisons. The findings highlighted the importance of providing support, educating staff on Aboriginal perspectives of justice, and incorporating culture. Dr. Gore concluded that making education mandatory and changing the curriculum for Aboriginal inmates, will lead to a transformation in prison education. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Sang proposed a strategy to optimize the use of chemical additives in communications-grade paper, such as the paper used for printing newspapers and magazines. In addition, he improved our fundamental understanding of the processes of wood fibre floc formation and manipulation which are used in high-quality paper production. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Zhang discovered novel mechanisms in which inflammatory stressors alter communication between neurons in the brain. Her findings assist us in understanding cognitive dysfunction in various brain disorders, including stroke, traumatic injuries, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Ormiston interviewed Indigenous students, faculty and elders to explore ways in which traditional concepts of Indigenous leadership are applied within post-secondary institutions. He identified the importance of centering Indigenous knowledge, commitment to building relationships, and self-determination of Indigenous people, communities and Nations. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Jin investigated the micro-cutting process in UBC's Manufacturing Automation Laboratory. He developed models to predict the cutting forces and tool vibrations of metals, for example brass, steel, aluminum and titanium. The models provide guidance for engineers to select the optimum cutting conditions for manufacturing miniature parts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Ding investigated a type of fuel cell known as Polymer Electrolyte Membrane or PEM. He developed a model to study the simultaneous flow of gas and liquid in PEM fuel cells and showed how the two-phase flow can be adjusted to improve cell performance. This research advances fuel-cell design, which will benefit industries such as transportation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Krentz's research on drinking water safety showed that some bacteria can act as early warning indicators of a system failure, and others can be used to trace contamination back to a particular source. These findings will contribute to the development of better water protection measures for small water systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Zamorano developed a comparative reading of Octavio Paz's poetics in light of existential philosophy. His reading shows that Paz's belief in the poetic essence of being has links to the tenets of Martin Heidegger and José Ortega y Gasset. Such comparisons help to clarify Paz's ambiguous statements on Mexican identity, the poetic existence of individuals and his critique of modernity | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Bischoff investigated a novel approach to preventing the auto-immune response in Type 1 diabetes. She demonstrated that specific immune cells can be directed to particular locations in the body, to protect tissues from inflammation. Her findings offer new insights into immune processes and have implications for treating Type 1 diabetes and organ transplant rejection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Madera examined ways in which synthetic proteins can strengthen the human immune response. These proteins were found to enhance the beneficial activity of immune cells taken from the blood of human participants. These findings are valuable since they contribute to the development of new medicines against infectious diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Chan studied conventional and newer types of upper limb prostheses for adult amputees. He reviewed design and safety, prostheses performance and usage. He formulated a process for verifying performance and risk assessment, with the goal of enabling patients to return to independent living, reducing service frequency, and lowering the number of patients who abandon their prostheses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Herrera opened new possibilities for scientific and technological applications of molecules prepared at ultracold temperatures. He developed simple but robust theoretical schemes that will allow experimentalists to tackle in a controlled way some of the outstanding problems in chemistry and physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Lee studied the removal of excess cholesterol from the body. He researched a transporter protein that is produced in the liver and in the intestinal tract and found that it contributes to regulation of cholesterol . This finding may impact our understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Belfry-Munroe examined why many Canadian firms and associations supported a national carbon price, either a cap-and-trade program or a carbon tax, after 2006/07. Her work helps us understand why businesses adopt preferences for particular government policies, and sets the stage for future research into business influence on government policy choices in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Garrison used linked BC Ministry of Health databases to show that three commonly used medications are strongly associated with the development of nocturnal leg cramps. Replacing or discontinuing these potentially cramp promoting drugs is now a treatment option physicians can consider for some sufferers of frequent night-time leg cramps. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Parolin investigated the response of the element Palladium to an applied magnetic field by using a specialized technique that employs radioactive impurities. The studies were conducted using the beta-detected nuclear magnetic resonance facility at TRIUMF, located at UBC. The results provide further insights into the origin of Palladium's unique magnetic properties . | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Yu solved the crystal structure of an enzyme that is critical to the spread of infectious E. coli bacteria, such as those found in the beef that was recalled last month. The crystal structure provides insights into how this enzyme attacks and disrupts host proteins that provide a defence against the bacteria. It is hoped this work will lead to the design of new treatments for E.coli. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Mazur used numerical simulations to explore the behaviour of empty space in some of the most extreme environments in astrophysics, such as the early universe and the intense magnetic fields of neutron stars. His results contribute to our understanding of astronomy and fundamental physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Hughes developed a software-based method for medical imaging, with the aim of improving the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Dr. Hughes's technique resulted in improvements in diagnosis, compared with a leading commercial method. This has led to an interest in future clinical development and implementation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Vashchenko studied the way the human body absorbs iron using a protein called hephaestin. By using genetic engineering techniques, she showed that hephaestin is able to oxidize iron. New details about the structure and function of hephaestin revealed by Dr. Vashchenko's research advance our current knowledge of the iron metabolism in humans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Stead developed new, high-efficiency, laser-based methods for the generation and detection of light at long optical wavelengths. Such radiation is of particular interest for the accurate characterization of gas mixtures and atmospheric samples due to the highly unique way in which molecules absorb this long wavelength radiation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Levin investigated ways in which individuals with prostate cancer cope, psychologically, at a time of having to make critical treatment choices. Patients struggle with uncertainty, in particular, and Dr. Levin's work strongly supports the idea that each patient has unique information and support needs that health professionals need to uncover and respect. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Belogurova studied the history of the Malayan Communist Party in the 1920s and 1930s, leading to a devastating anti-British insurgency in the 1950s. She explored unintended consequences and contingencies of the revolutionary connections between China, Southeast Asia and the Third Communist International in Moscow, and showed that those connections resulted in the rise of Malayan nationalism among the Chinese communists in Malaya | Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Starzyk investigated the controls governing the interaction of surface water and groundwater along a stream. Through a combination of field work and numerical modelling, her work improves our ability to understand and predict the interaction between groundwater and streams. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Gervais studied the psychological causes and consequences of religious belief and disbelief. His dissertation work explored the psychological foundations of prejudice against atheists. His findings demonstrated that the prejudice mostly stems from moral distrust. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |