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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dr. Shah developed accurate and efficient statistical models to detect genetic alterations in cancer. This work provided an important set of bioinformatics tools to cancer researchers in order to identify and characterize chromosomal alterations in various types of cancer, and a statistical framework upon which to develop more accurate methods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Williamson identified the circuitry mediating sex steroid effects on the brain's reaction to stress. His research provides a framework for understanding the bases for individual differences in stress resilience and predisposition to disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Kennedy conducted research with First Nations to examine what is required for fair and successful land management in B.C., particularly in the absence of treaties. She developed key principles for negotiations that would lead to power redress with non-Aboriginal governments and include First Nations' distinct values and governance methods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Seid-Karbasi studied the mechanisms involved in earthquake-induced large deformations and failures of structures such as dams, bridges and pipelines founded on sandy strata. He developed a practical approach to predict these failures. His work assists us in understanding the seismic response of sandy slopes, and provides a design tool for mitigation measures. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Caldecott used novel elicitation methods to improve our understanding of the mapping between prosodic domains and the acoustic signal. This research focusing on Lillooet Salish contributes to the documentation of an endangered First Nations language and provides converging evidence for previously untested aspects of the Prosodic Hierarchy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Rai investigated phylogenetic relationships of the major living vascular plant groups. He used DNA sequence data collected from the chloroplast genomes of a broad sampling of plant species. His work has provided insight into past events that have given rise to the diversity of plants we see today. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Li identified new plant-gene regulatory mechanisms that control cell-wall formation. Plant fiber and wood cell-walls provide the world¹s most abundant source of biomass for forestry and bioenergy. Results from this study can be used to generate or select plants with improved bioenergy and wood properties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Ma studied immune system B cells, and the mechanisms by which signals from their environment are transmitted via secondary messengers within the cells to activate them. The information gained has improved our understanding of the biochemistry of B cell regulation and has implications for the understanding and treatment of B cell malignancies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Deb has studied a new drug metabolizing enzyme known as cytochrome P4502S1 in rats and has provided insight into the factors that control the expression of CYP2S1 and CYP1B1 enzymes. The findings of his PhD work demonstrate that CYP2S1 is present in rat lungs and stomach and its levels are controlled by environmental toxicants and that pituitary hormones control the expression of CYP1B1 in rat and mouse testis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Fulsom studied decays of a recently discovered subatomic particle called the X(3872). This research provides insight into the internal structure of this new particle, and deepens our understanding of the fundamental force in nature that binds quarks together to form matter. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Kolind implemented and developed a method of measuring the content of myelin, the material which insulates nerve fibers, on an MRI scanner. This was used to study myelin in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis. His technique was shown to complement other imaging techniques, and provided insight into changes to myelin in multiple sclerosis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Raeisinia formulated a computer model capable of simulating deformation of metals. Using the model, the interplay between the microstructure of metals and their mechanical behaviour was examined. The results were used to construct microstructure-property maps for microstructure selection and design purposes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Edwards examined a plant-based approach for the management of carbon dioxide in commercial greenhouse tomato production. She discovered plant and crop level responses were useful to improve grower decision-making for dosing supplemental carbon dioxide. Implementation of this research will increase the sustainability of these farms. | Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Yu developed a new statistical criterion for making good decisions based on a different way to evaluate the cost of bad decisions. His method provides improved performance over other methods for data analysis in some parameter estimation and model selection contexts | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Using post-structural feminist and Jungian psychoanalytic theories, Dr. Gregor demonstrates how women's experiences might be understood through close readings of night dreams and reading literary text as dream. This study contributes to imaginative learning and critical feminist understanding of the hidden trauma in women's lives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Zhang has designed and evaluated new simple high performance resource allocation algorithms for cognitive radio systems. These are intelligent wireless communication systems that allow unlicensed sharing of the radio spectrum. Her algorithms provide substantial energy savings or improved quality of service for ad hoc or infrastructure networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Bebamzadeh developed new computer software with novel sensitivity capabilities. He applied his software for reliability, optimization, validation and verification analysis in composites manufacturing. His work fosters increased use of sensitivities in engineering analysis and provides new tools for the aerospace and automobile industries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Angelbeck examined the archaeology and oral history of Coast Salish warfare. He found that, during the last sixteen hundred years, conflict intensified after periods of heightened social inequality. His research suggested that warfare among the Coast Salish served to resist concentrations of wealth and power among networks of powerful chiefs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Tong examined how sulfur dispersing-agents are effective in solving the sulfur-wetting problem in the pressure-leaching of nickel concentrate. This research is helpful in developing new production processes of nickel from its sulfide ore. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Jalali Mazlouman has innovated a new architecture for analog to digital converters that is fabricated on a chip using deep submicron technology. This converter can operate at Gigahertz speeds and can be used to enhance the performance of measurement instruments such as real-time oscilloscopes, and wireless communication circuits such as ultra-wideband systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Huang investigated inverse problems arising from 2D image and 3D surface reconstruction. She has not only derived several highly efficient algorithms for deblurring and denoising images and for smoothing and regularizing surface meshes, but also justified and demonstrated the effectiveness of these algorithms on a variety of examples. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Handelsman, a mining engineer with global mining experience, researched significant socio-economic risks to mining companies held responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses. He determined how industry could engage positively with stakeholders, recommending policies, principles, best practices, monitoring, verification & reporting. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Asadi developed the synthesis of a number of DNA-inspired heterocycles, and characterized a series of novel supramolecular assemblies derived from self-organization of these molecules. Among the structures obtained, a unique tetrameric cyclic array was described. This work bears important implications and has high potential for applications in the preparation of organic nanotubes, and in the sequence specific recognition in RNA and DNA. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Wang analyzed the molecular changes associated with terminal prostate cancer and identified pathways and genes involved in advanced disease. His work has potential clinical implications that may aid development of new therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Barrington-Leigh used geographic statistical analysis of survey data to measure the degree to which the well-being benefit we get from consumption and wealth lies in status comparisons with the wealth of our neighbours. His work helps to challenge the widespread assumption that pursuing economic growth will tend to make society happier. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |