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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dr. Reid described developing practices of grassland conservation in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, British Columbia. This research shows how different social groups -- ranchers, Aboriginal community members, and conservationists -- understand and value grasslands in different ways.The research explores emerging land use compromises and supports cooperation in conservation initiatives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr Cohen studied the nuclear entry of a poorly characterized group of viruses called parvoviruses. Many viruses must enter the nucleus of the host cell in order to replicate. Dr Cohen discovered that parvoviruses use a unique mechanism involving disruption of the nuclear membranes. Her work may lead to the development of novel antiviral therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. McWalter developed an imaging method to study three-dimensional motion of the kneecap in individuals with osteoarthritis. Using this method, she showed that current bracing strategies are not effective at correcting abnormal patellar motion in this population. This work will help to improve treatment strategies for patellar osteoarthritis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Li showed that the tumor suppressor ING4 inhibits melanoma occurrence and growth. ING4 may serve as a predictor for melanoma patient outcome, as well as a novel therapeutic target in melanoma treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr Li studied efficient numerical solvers for the time-harmonic Maxwell equations and incompressible magnetohydrodynamic problems. She developed parallel solvers for the Maxwell equations in complex 3D domains. She also proposed a new finite element method for magnetohydrodynamics problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Misri developed an imaging agent comprised of magnetic nanoparticles and radioactive antibodies for imaging cancers with SPECT and MRI. Such an imaging agent has application in the early detection and monitoring of mesotheliomas, pancreatic and ovarian cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Rutgers developed techniques for natural Illumination invariant imaging, allowing images to be taken that appear to be substantially free of shadows due to natural illumination, such as the sun. He demonstrated that his techniques improve some important machine vision processes in the presence of strong natural illumination. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Hipolito explored the use of chemically functionalized nucleotides in DNA enzymes. The linker length of the chemical augmentations was studied in the context of DNA enzyme activity. Contributions include an improved synthetic route to modified nucleotides and identification of natural enzymes' decreased ability to use modified nucleotides. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Gerhard examined how an undergraduate student's identity developed with participation in an interdisciplinary science degree program. Her research provided insight into how university programs enable interdisciplinary learning and foster students' engagement in undergraduate science. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Arena was the first to fully characterize a bacterial infection of the gallbladder. Her work led to the development of an in vivo epithelial cell infection model, used to identify novel phenotypes for Salmonella virulence factors. This discovery provides a new tool for investigations into the cell biology of Salmonella infection within. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Frost studied how a group of young Punjabi men from Surrey, British Columbia self-identified and how their identities in turn influenced their educational performances. Her research demonstrates the important role played by family and community in the lives of these young men and contributes to our understanding of the experiences of the Canadian-born children of one of Canada's largest immigrant groups. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr Jackson examined how the near-surface waters in the Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean, changed from 1993-2009. This was a period of rapid warming and Dr Jackson showed that heat from the sun became trapped year-round in the Canada Basin. This heat could then be used to melt ice through winter and can partially explain why sea ice has melted so rapidly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr Supernant explored the relationship between ancient cultural landscapes, built rock features, and indigenous identities in the Lower Fraser River Canyon. She concluded that archaeological rock features created important places on the landscape where individual and collective identities were negotiated at many scales, both in the past and present. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Dionne's research focused on barriers to the use of formal priority-setting processes in healthcare management. The key finding was that the determination and communication of acceptable service reductions, at the outset of process implementation, can neutralize organizational incentives that are the most significant barriers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Bergstrom showed that goblet cells, the main mucus-producing cells in the intestinal tract, play a critical role protecting the intestine against pathogenic bacteria. These results highlight a new role for goblet cells in host defense in the gut, and point to them as novel targets for therapy during bacterially-induced intestinal diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Arstikaitis examined nerve cells that communicate at specialized physical contacts in the brain, called "synapses". Since synaptic deficiencies can be linked to neurological disorders such as autism, her research may lead to a better understanding of these diseases and, ultimately, to the development of effective treatments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Ghafghazi studied the suitability of using wood pellets as the primary energy source for district heat generation in BC. He showed that despite upstream activities required for production and transportation of wood pellets, it is economically and environmentally advantageous to utilize this emerging energy source in BC when compared with other available options such as natural gas or heat pumps. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Biron examined how the blood vessels that feed the brain become damaged during Alzheimer's disease. Understanding how this damage occurs will allow for the development of future treatments for this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Wittfoth examined theories of language associated with sceptical and rhetorical traditions of thought dating back to ancient Greece. Her research uncovered coincident linguistic insights in sceptical-rhetorical theories of language, linguistic-pragmatics, experimental psychology, and cognitive science.These findings have philosophical implications relevant to all areas of linguistically meditated research. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Chen discovered that gonadotropin-releasing hormones activate estrogen and progesterone receptors in a ligand-independent manner in mouse pituitary cells. This influences the gonadotropic hormone levels before ovulation. Dr Chen's findings may help us understand the human menstrual cycle. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Buschhaus examined the outer waxy surfaces of plants: He discovered several novel wax components and further resolved the spatial arrangement of waxes. He also piloted the manipulation of wax composition to learn how waxes block undesired water loss from plants. Put concisely, Dr. Buschhaus waxed eloquent over bald, incontinent plants | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Fritz tackled problems associated with information overload in software development. He introduced techniques for enabling developers to answer questions from integrated information and to identify relevant information. He demonstrated the efficacy of these approaches through studies with professional developers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr Starr studied proteins that direct the white blood cells in inflammation. By identifying and determining the functional consequences of naturally occurring modifications of these proteins, she proposed a mechanism that promotes the switch from an acute inflammatory response to a chronic response. Her work has implications on our understanding of the progression of diseases including arthritis and cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Patankar is helping to fight recurrent ovarian cancer. He demonstrated the benefit of incorporating the anti-cancer drug topotecan into lipid nanoparticles in order to improve its activity either as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with an existing formulation of doxorubicin which is already approved for use in patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2011 | Dr. Coros developed algorithms that couple motion planning with motor control models. Together with physics-based simulation, this approach emulates the processes that give rise to motions in real-life. Applications of this work extend to the fields of character animation, robotics and biomechanics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |