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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dr. Gaudet explored a potential therapy for peripheral nerve injury in rodents. He found that the molecule galectin-1 is crucial for development of connections in the spinal cord, and that the protein may impact nerve repair by recruiting immune cells. These results suggest that galectin-1 could benefit humans after peripheral nerve or spinal cord injury. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Using population-based health data from BC Ministry of Health, Dr. De Vera conducted pharmacoepidemiologic studies of statins in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. Applying state-of-the-art methods, she demonstrated statins cardioprotective effects in preventing heart attacks. She also showed that discontinuation of statins adversely affected clinical and mortality outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Weber worked toward pushing back boundaries limiting the amount of information obtainable by the interaction of light and matter by using evolutionary computing. The information obtained was in turn used to better understand non-gas matter, known as the condensed phase, and the effect of such phases on individual molecules. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Liu studied the function of a newly identified inflammatory gene and showed how it promotes cell survival during viral infection as well as under cell stress conditions. The finding may improve our understanding of virus-host interaction and the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Karim Ismail worked on road safety analysis, in hope of saving some of the approximately 2500 lives lost yearly on Canadian roads. Dr. Ismail developed a technique for road safety evaluation by automating traffic conflict techniques. Dr. Ismail's work had a special focus on vulnerable road users. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. van Straaten studied the geology of ancient diamond-bearing volcanic rocks at the Victor Mine in Northern Ontario, and provided models for how these volcanic systems erupted. The research highlights the similarities between common present-day volcanoes and diamond-bearing volcanic rocks, and will aid the ongoing worldwide search for diamond mines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Robillard studied the impact of aging on a cellular model for learning and memory in the brain. She found that oral supplementation with an antioxidant can restore some of the plasticity deficits observed in aged animals. Her research gives new insights into healthy aging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Fossett examined the effectiveness of a staff-training program in behavior assessment and intervention for deaf children with additional disabilities. Following training, a Deaf staff implemented the procedures with a deaf child with multiple disabilities and his family. Improvements in child behavior and participation suggest an avenue for supporting this unique population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Kindrachuk investigated antibiotic resistance in the Cystic Fibrosis pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She identified over 100 genes capable of affecting aminoglycoside resistance in this organism. Her work highlights the complexity of drug-bacterial interactions, a concept that is becoming increasingly important in pharmaceutical development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Stumm examines the nature and role of ethical responsibility in witnessing the lives and stories of vulnerable subjects. She reveals how the philosophical ethics of Emmanuel Levinas and Paul Ricoeur can be brought to bear on one's relational practices with others in the process of narrating their lives. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Jackson studied the effects of ethnic diversity on public good provision. He finds that local and regional diversity are associated with reduced access to piped drinking water and electricity respectively, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Critical for future policy design, this effect is not due to discrimination against local minority groups. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Blakesley conducted an analysis of how non-Indigenous Yukon school principals define and enact educational leadership in remote Indigenous communities. Their role-perception as leaders and the complex policy contexts affecting their practice was examined. This research sheds light on the cross-cultural tensions of educational leadership in the Canadian North. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Wong has developed a model system with yeast for studying the combinatorial effects of two human proteins involved in iron export. She confirmed that the two proteins physically interact and found that they may also be involved in the transport of other essential trace metals in the body. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Zarate developed mathematical tools and methods that allow for the variational treatment of inverse and homogenization problems in certain types of partial differential equations. Such problems play an important role in modern science and engineering. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Al-Athel developed new equations and implemented them in an in-house computer code to analyze and simulate metal forming and metal cutting applications. The new code overcomes most of the drawbacks and difficulties associated with commercial codes dealing with this type of analysis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Relying on the coordination chemistry of platinum, zinc, and cadmium, Dr. Frischmann discovered a variety of self-assembling nano-architectures including capsules, nanotubes, and liquid crystals. These materials are promising candidates for developing molecular wires, sensors, and catalysts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Moradifam worked in the area of partial differential equations. He developed a general framework for Hardy and Hardy-Rellich inequalities. Dr Moradifam obtained various results for fourth order nonlinear elliptic eigenvalue problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Sharman studied the recruitment and retention of Community Health Workers in small cities, towns, and rural communities on Vancouver Island. Her research was informed by a commitment to fostering the design of health human resources policies that include the perspectives of marginalized workers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. von dem Knesebeck developed fast and highly-efficient motion estimation methods for encoding digital video on mobile devices. His research facilitates low power consumption while delivering high compression efficiency for digital video encoding. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Maloney showed how the gene Korrigan is important for the intricate ultra-structure of the secondary cell-walls in poplar and spruce trees. She subsequently revealed that Korrigan is functionally conserved between gymnosperms and angiosperms, thereby increasing what is known in regards to cell-wall synthesis in plants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Maeshima characterized the interaction of the protein CD44 with its carbohydrate ligand hyaluronan during an immune response. CD44 is expressed on the surface of immune cells and hyaluronan is found in the tissues surrounding cells. This work showed that this interaction occurs on proliferating T cells and regulates immune cell migration. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. LaCroix examined the roles of language, gestures, and material artifacts in mathematical thinking and learning within workplace training. His findings further the understanding of social process and communication involved in mathematics learning in a wide variety of contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Drouin developed techniques to better understand and improve the performance of continuous mammalian cell culture processes, called perfusion culture. He was the first to define conditions that improved culture productivity using a growth-associated cell line, and to describe how cells aggregate. These advances contribute to addressing the increasing demand for therapeutic protein products from biotechnology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Minor showed that changes in DNA methylation are associated with male factor infertility. Knowledge of these changes may be useful for infertility treatment and for predicting pregnancy outcome. The insight gained may prove useful for genetic counseling of couples evaluating infertility treatment options. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Mah examined cultural differences in mothers? attitudes towards parenting techniques for managing child behavior problems. She found that both Chinese-immigrant and Euro-Canadian mothers respect and intend to use behavioural techniques, but differ in their views towards punishment. This research informs strategies for promoting culturally sensitive and effective psychological interventions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |