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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr. Berjisian studied how cyclists balance time and energy during daily trips. Using GPS data, she found that road grade, sex, traffic controls, and facility types influence cyclists' choice of speed. Her research supports designing infrastructure for riders of all ages and abilities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Leckenby studied exotic nuclear decay that occurs in the core of stars to understand how the heavy elements were created. The experiment he analysed on thallium-205 was essential in predicting the amount of lead-205 in the first meteorites formed in our Solar System. These meteorites indicate that our Sun took 10 million years to form. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Singla engineered diagnostic methods to assess kidney health non-invasively using ultrasound and machine learning. His work advanced tools for kidney disease detection and management, accurately predicting kidney decline. This benefits people with chronic kidney disease, which affects one in ten Canadians, and those with organ transplantation. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Brass explored the experiences of skilled immigrant women language teachers. Her findings revealed systemic inequities in the Canadian workforce. Her research also highlights how non-humans, such as pets and objects, support these women navigate their lives in Canada, challenging traditional human-centered analyses of immigration and identity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Squier conducted pioneering research on tendon health, focusing on hypercholesterolemia, hormonal influences, and mechanical loading. His work revealed novel insights into tendon function, adaptation, and injury mechanisms, providing a foundation for innovative research and clinical applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Lee’s research revealed that pregnancy history has opposing effects on various biomarkers of brain health depending on genetic risk for late-onset sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. Her work advances our understanding of women’s health and underscores the importance of considering within-sex factors in research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Black developed a novel method for tele-ultrasound exams, to improve healthcare access for remote communities. Instead of using an expensive and complex robot, he built and studied a system in which a novice person is remotely guided with similar precision and efficiency, but much improved practicality, through mixed reality and haptics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Stankiewicz studied how sex-based differences influence T cell development in the human thymus. Using stem cell models, she mapped thymus niches to guide T cell growth, revealing new insights into immune development. Her work offers a novel tool to study and improve T cell therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Athié Martínez studied how non-Indigenous teachers from the greater Vancouver area are integrating Indigenous perspectives and reconciliation acts in their classroom. Her research shares insights on teachers’ perspectives, recommendations and approaches to reconciliation education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Xu investigated how climate change influences tree species distributions and developed ecological niche models to support climate-smart forestry. His research provides insights into species selection in afforestation and conservation, helping mitigate climate change impacts on forests. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Manoff explored how the experience of error in language learning can transform students’ subjectivity, since it discloses a tension between the requirement for students to learn the conventions of the new language and their need to challenge those very norms to express themselves linguistically. As such, it demands unique ethical attention. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Kinach studied particle-like objects called 'solitons' which arise in many areas of Nature. Using supercomputer simulations, he showed that electromagnetic fields can significantly alter the behaviour of these objects in some mathematical models. This research advances our understanding of solitons in fundamental theories of physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Rueda-Espinosa studied some of the mechanisms by which platinum, palladium and nickel activate carbon-hydrogen, carbon-sulfur and carbon-fluorine bonds. His research provides insights that will aid in developing more efficient and sustainable methods for bond cleavage in chemical transformations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Chantapakul studied the use of bacteriophages, viruses that target bacteria, to manage stem gall disease in blueberries in British Columbia. He found that phages can reduce soil-borne bacteria, offering an eco-friendly alternative to chemical treatments. His research supports blueberry growers and promotes sustainable farming practices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Jiang studied how Chinese huaju (spoken drama) actors professionalized in the mid-20th century. His historical research demonstrated that this process presupposed systematic training in characterization, voice, and deportment, underpinned by a theatrical science of mind and body. | Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Owolabi’s research focused on enhancing the comfort of building users with timber-based floors. He examined how the flooring system vibrates due to human activity and developed a method to mitigate annoying vibrations that occupants may feel in such buildings. Insights from the study promote the adoption of timber-based floors in practice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Kabacinska studied the use of social robotics to improve mental health across lifespan. Her research focused on exploring the perspectives of current and future robot users to improve robot mental health interventions and make them better suited to user needs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Desjarlais-Smith’s research explored wholistic leadership perspectives of Indigenous women in the K-12 education system. Her research shows that Indigenous women leaders struggle to maintain their Indigeneity while navigating decolonizing education systems. The research calls for systematic changes to educational organizations. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2025 | In a longitudinal study, Dr. Drew followed 500 infants’ socio-cognitive development from birth to preschool, to assess whether a mature moral sense can be traced back to rudimentary behaviours exhibited during infancy. Her work contributes to our understanding of individual differences in the earliest stages of moral and social development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Diggin developed a theory of the nature of improvisational agency, to understand a way in which human action can be structured in time. He used this theory to make progress on the existential question of how humans can take responsibility for their entire lives by means of creative narration. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Caverhill studied Niitsitapi, settler, and European artists who formed an art colony in the 1930s. She explored the new strategies for art and design that emerged from intercultural exchange within the colony. Her research centres past and present. Niitsitapi artists and expands our understanding of artistic modernisms in North America. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Kanigan studied how bull trout maximize consumption of resource pulses provided by sockeye salmon. He found that bull trout migrate to areas of high salmon density, gorge on salmon juveniles and eggs, and regulate digestive capacity to match salmon availability. His work advances the fields of animal movement ecology and trophic ecology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2025 | In Dr. Oveisi's research, a multi-method approach was used to examine cancer’s impact on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Quantitative analysis showed higher risks of early menopause, painful sex, and infertility. Qualitatively, patients discussed impacts on personal, relationship, and community levels, and barriers to receiving appropriate care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2025 | Working with Indigenous Peoples who use illicit drugs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Dr. Lavalley co-developed a relational methodology rooted in Cree law. Her work centers experiential knowledge and highlights how IPWUID reimagine the Red Road through acts of care, resistance, and cultural resurgence. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2025 | Dr. Salles Tsay's research focused on improving how important building information is created, shared, and used during construction projects and building operations. By studying real-world examples, he developed tools and a frameworks to help asset owners manage information better, ensuring higher quality and value. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |