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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Imanian studied symbiosis in unicellular organisms. Symbiosis occurs when the lives of two cells tie together and, in the process, both cells change over many generations. His research on two oceanic phyto-planktons, one living inside the other, shows that despite their long-term relationship and unlike other cases, they have changed very little. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Floyd studied what happens when rain falls on snow in recently harvested and regenerating forests on Northern Vancouver Island. He compared these rain-on-snow events using a sophisticated model and a new method he developed to observe snow melt. Results from his research are being used to help minimize the effects of forest harvesting on floods and landslides. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Goldson studied enzyme activity in a micro-organism, specifically a form of yeast. She investigated the way in which the enzyme known as PAL reacts with two specific amino acids. Dr. Goldson's findings contribute to our understanding of the enzyme's ability to react with both, which has implications for how the enzyme is able to differentiate between them. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Salas-Fernandez studied new drugs for the treatment of malaria. She designed and evaluated a series of ant-imalarial drugs to explore the connections between structure and activity. This research contributes to the understanding of structural features that might help to overcome resistance to anti-malarial drugs. . | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Donaldson studied the physiology, behavior, and survival of migrating Pacific salmon captured by fisheries. Laboratory and field studies revealed that even a brief fisheries capture resulted in a high stress, prolonged recovery and delayed mortality. Fisheries managers are using these results to enhance survival estimates for migrating Pacific salmon. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Satin demonstrated that yoga practitioners and runners show similar advantages over inactive individuals on both physical and psychological determinants of cardiovascular health. Her research suggests that yoga has the potential for significant health benefits and deserves additional rigorous research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Cheung developed computer methods to describe the properties of genes, diseases and drugs in quantitative profiles. In performing billions of computer comparisons, his methods for comparing profiles from different topics reveals new associations between genes and diseases, and new disease applications for existing drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (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. Redlich investigates how Yoko Tawada's German literary texts can be read as politically charged cultural criticisms. In particular this research reveals how the unstable production and perception of 'race' is a central literary theme in nearly all of Tawada's literature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Lal explored how youth recently diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder develop resilience, that is the capacity to cope with adversity. Her research showed that participants restore, maintain and enhance their resilience through the types of stories they tell in relation to their illness and the types of activities in which they engage. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Skourtes investigated everyday practices of working-class, teenage girls, living on the urban fringe. She studied ways in which classist, racist, and sexist institutions work to reproduce the negative social positioning of the girls, and keep them in poverty. This research shows how the symbolic and tangible elements of social class affect the lives of young people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Charest's doctoral research investigated the ways in which children of different ages plan and produce sentences. Her research examined how the time needed to call up words from the lexicon affects the grammatical planning of young children. This is one of few existing studies to explore these processes in very young speakers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology and Speech Sciences (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Wong studied various problems in the field of number theory. His work sheds light on statistical properties of random matrices, and provides an explanation for certain patterns that had been empirically observed in the integers represented by a quadratic form. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Jardon studied factors that affect the ability of genetically-engineered cells to produce proteins to treat diseases such as cancer or stroke. He showed that by inhibiting the process called autophagy, which causes cells to "eat" themselves, protein production could be increased, without affecting its quality. This research can benefit patients in need of modern biotechnology products. . | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | The rhythmic beat of the heart relies on electrical signals. Dr. Sarhan studied ways in which a specific electrical signal is regulated when it is conducted along pathways known as sodium channels. Through his research he uncovered a new pathway which was found to be disrupted in patients with cardiac arrhythmia, and this confirms its physiological relevance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Majumdar worked on methods to increase the speed of Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans. His methods do not require any alteration in the hardware of the scanner; the acceleration can be achieved by modifying the software associated with it. His methods can be used to speed-up existing scanners with minimal cost. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Barha found that certain estrogen replacement therapies alleviated age-associated cognitive decline and stimulated production of new brain cells in older female rats. The effects were dependent on factors such as the type of estrogen and previous reproductive experience. Results indicate that hormone replacement therapy for women should be individually tailored. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Hernandez studied the aesthetic disfiguration that reduces the value of wood products when they are exposed outdoors. His work revealed that weathered wood surfaces are grayed by the interactive effects of solar radiation and fungal colonization. This knowledge can be used to develop new and less toxic treatments to stop the graying of weathered wood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Wong showed how high-elevation whitebark pine trees have become endangered due to an introduced fungal disease and native insects. She discovered irrecoverable shifts in species composition due to poor pine regeneration, decreased competition among adult trees, and increased growth of alternate tree species. Her research shows how global environmental change, such as introduced diseases, puts native species at risk. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Unda investigated the role of a group of carbohydrates in poplar trees. Changes in these carbohydrates resulted in trees with increased cellulose content. Enhancing the characteristics of the wood produces trees which can store carbon more effectively and therefore produce better biofuels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Holtham developed geophysical methods to image the sub-surface of the earth. Measurements due to electomagnetic sources from lightning and solar events, were modelled to understand the physical properties of the earth. The research results can be used for resource exploration and environmental applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Svensson studied how Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium that causes food poisoning, adapts to stressful conditions. She discovered that Campylobacter forms stress-tolerant communities called biofilms, and two particular genes allow it to sense and respond to environmental challenges. This work will help control C. jejuni in the food chain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Gill investigated the existence of Axion-like particles, that are strong contenders for the dark matter in our Universe. He developed a novel method for measuring the mass of these particles by studying their signature in the light observed from strongly magnetized stars. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Rosborough studied the relationship between language and Indigenization through stories of individuals engaged in Kwak'wala revitalization. Conducted through an Indigenous methodology, the research deepens understandings of Kwak'wala learning and finds that Indigenous language revitalization must take into account the impacts of colonization. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |