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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Poor data collection protocols can severely bias statistical methods. Dr. Watson developed elementary space-time statistical methodologies for detecting and mitigating sampling bias. He applied his work to tackle issues in the fields of public health and endangered species conservation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Sweeney Magee researched health behaviours associated with risk and survivorship in colorectal cancer. She identified population groups needing support to make changes to these behaviours, and strategies to best provide this support. Her work will inform future behaviour change intervention design at all stages of the cancer control continuum. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Jansen's research analyzes the absence of women's childbirth as a subject for medieval Christian art. Identifying the visual and textual mechanisms utilized to manipulate gender in the figuring of the Virgin and Christ demonstrates that the visual language of female procreation was displaced onto the male body of the crucified Christ. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2021 | Nowadays, there is a growing concern over the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. Dr. Rodriguez-Arelis' research has used statistical computer experiments to simulate complex natural phenomena and engineering processes. These tools have improved the prediction accuracy of different systemic responses such as hurricane hazards. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Montenegro Alonso studied a specific small protein that is secreted by the smut fungus when it infects barley. She revealed its timing of expression, localization in the plant and the role it plays in weakening the plant defenses. These findings can be used to better understand plant-fungal interactions and to develop resistant crop varieties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Kabiri Far studied cementitious interfaces and Fiber Reinforced Concrete, or FRC, for repairing deteriorated concrete structures. This study found FRC effective at mitigating pre-loading damage and improving tensile behavior, and proposed semi-empirical models for use by field practitioners and in numerical simulations of composite elements. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Zhang coined the Integrated Respiratory Assessment Paradigm for accurate, precise, repeatable and comprehensive respiratory phenotype characterization for individual fish. This high throughput method allows biologists to develop and integrate a metabolic model with a genomic-physiology-ecology axis, leading to a better understanding of evolution. | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Baer investigated the development of our sensitivity to confidence, the subjective signal that tells us when we are right. She found that children's confidence combines multiple sources of information to create broadly-usable assessments of truth. Her work informs our understanding of the core cognitive properties of the mind and of learning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Dwyer examined the lasting impact of the 3rd century BCE playwright Apollodorus of Carystus, whose work survives only in fragments and Latin adaptations. His dissertation reshapes our understanding of comic theatre from Hellenistic Greece and offers crucial insight into the afterlife of Apollodorus in Roman drama. | Doctor of Philosophy in Classics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Horianopoulos characterized the roles of heat shock proteins in the disease-causing fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, focusing on the family of co-chaperone proteins containing the J domain. She identified proteins that allow this fungus to grow at human body temperature and adapt to the human host environment in order to establish infection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Paterson explored how educators in Alberta engage with queer, trans, and gender non-conforming diversity in elementary education. Her findings illustrate the limitations of current approaches to change in schools. Her work contributes to a better schooling future for queer and trans students, thereby improving conditions for all students. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Li studied the structures of several key enzymes required for the production and degradation of a bacterial cell wall polymer known as wall teichoic acid. His research provided mechanistic understanding of the enzymes' functions and revealed structural features that can guide the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Chun studied deadly paediatric cancers called rhabdoid tumours using sophisticated DNA sequencing and computational tools. She revealed diverse molecular characteristics of these cancers and discovered that a subset of tumours had more immune activities than others, thus revealing the potential use of immunotherapy for rhabdoid tumour patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Firmino discovered that during the immune response to cancers, a low oxygen environment develops among B cells that helps fine-tune the B cell immune response. She associated characteristics of the B cell response with overall survival in breast cancer patients. This work may help develop new biomarkers of immune responses in cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Many of the artificial-intelligence-powered products that we use daily rely on a family of methods called "deep learning"'. Dr. Shafaei presented solutions that enable a broader and safer application of these techniques. He also introduced a new application of deep learning for automated portrait editing that produces high-quality images. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Enkhbaatar proposed a method that estimates household preference and hidden stock market participation costs from micro-panel data, and used it to analyze how the stock market collapse impacted household consumption. This research is useful for policymakers measuring the impact of financial crises and monetary policy on household consumption. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Mora studied how DNA is taken up from the environment by two bacteria that are characterized as Gram-negative based on the characteristics of their cellular walls. His analysis was able to predict DNA uptake and explain several factors that influence this process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Dzah studied how Africa influences and is influenced by the concept of sustainable development. He argued that ethics and customary and Indigenous norms can revitalise the legal dimensions of this concept. He proposed ecological law as a new way to theorise and implement sustainable development and to reorganise links between society and nature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Verhaven studied the surface of DNA biosensors. She examined the relationship between applied electrical voltage and DNA melting. Her findings could contribute to the improved fabrication of future biosensors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lan developed an ion trap to separate and identify atoms through their mass and light emission. His research contributes to understanding whether one of the most mysterious fundamental subatomic particles known as neutrinos behave as their own anti-particles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Twa characterized the pathobiology and sequelae, or consequences, of chromosomal rearrangements in lymphoid neoplasia, which arise from cancerous lymphoid cells. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Izadi-Najafabadi's doctoral study focused on understanding brain changes following rehabilitation in children with developmental coordination disorder. Her results showed that rehabilitation is effective for improving motor performance and induces changes in brain regions underlying self-regulation, emotion regulation, and attention regulation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wiebe studied whether China's economic growth can be explained by meritocratic promotion, where leaders with higher GDP growth are rewarded with promotion. Focusing on prefecture leaders, he found no evidence for meritocracy, and found that the evidence from the literature is not robust. This research improves our understanding of modern China. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Knowledge about inequities and social determinants of health points to opportunities for evidence-informed action across a range of contexts. Dr. Shaw's research offered a model to identify context-specific barriers to action such as lack of infrastructure, capacity, or political will and provided a menu of approaches to address these challenges. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2021 | Charging electric vehicles produce unwanted heat loss. Dr. Valipour investigated different approaches to limit generated losses in chargers and power converters in these vehicles and solar panels. He proposed flexible architecture to increase efficiency by re-configuring itself and providing smart and optimized performance at each operating point. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |