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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dr. Chatzichristos developed a novel experimental technique that uses nuclear physics to study the diffusion of lithium ions in solid materials. Using this technique, he was able to resolve several questions about lithium diffusion in materials such as rutile titanium dioxide (a crystal), which may be used in a next generation lithium-ion battery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Miranda Barrios documented Latin American exiles' use of radio to recreate cultural and political identities and forge solidarity in a west coast Canadian context. Her work sheds light on the efforts of diasporic groups to use bilingual community media to engage diasporic and non-diasporic audiences in social, cultural, and political issues. | Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Nkansah-Boadu studied the treatment of selenium-contaminated coal mine-affected water using microbial consortia from mine-affected sediments. He discovered novel selenium-reducing bacteria and selenium removal pathways. His findings contribute knowledge for designing systems for remediating selenium-contaminated mine waters. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ishikawa demonstrated that people make health decisions based on stereotypes of health conditions and diseases, and developed a new approach to risk communication in health. His findings advance current strategies to reduce unintentional child injuries and fatalities, and help to address vaccine hesitancy and other health misconceptions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Carter explored the variation between individuals in endurance exercise performance during acute exposure to altitude by examining the impact on the pulmonary vasculature. His findings show the effect of simulated altitude on sleep quality and athletic performance, as well as the role of sildenafil in endurance cycle performance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jayhooni developed a novel side-viewing Raman endoscopic catheter enabled with a micro-stepping actuator for detecting cancers in the respiratory system and other human organs. This catheter works for angle-resolved local Raman analysis with no aid of tissue labeling and can detect lesion-induced biochemical changes in vivo and in real-time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Eskandari investigated major ontological foundations related to the concepts of nature, environment, and ecology, focusing particularly on environmental education in a Shia Islamic village in Iran. Her findings offer insight into how we might reconceptualize and teach sustainability as a way of life grounded in contextual ethics and ontologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Moosvi did his research at the intersection of physics and medicine. He developed new techniques to probe the tumour microenvironments in mice. The most promising technique is oxygen-enhanced MRI, which supports the delivery of cancer therapies targeted at tumours whose lack of oxygen makes them particularly difficult to treat. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dunn examined the relationship between real estate and theatricality in downtown Vancouver. Through case studies that detailed the urban histories of theatre spaces, she showed that downtown Vancouver is unique in its inability to sustain large-scale locally-produced theatre, and that this gap has perhaps been filled by real estate development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Button investigated the role of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), particles in the blood made of fats and proteins, in protecting brain blood vessels in Alzheimer's disease. Her work shows that raising the levels of functional HDL through drugs or lifestyle changes may protect against brain blood vessel changes and prevent Alzheimer's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chen studied numerical algorithms for stiff elastodynamic simulation, a key procedure in computer graphics applications. He developed models for natural physical movements that would maintain stability and produce lively simulations at a lower cost. This work will improve the efficiency and accuracy for physically-based computer simulation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Richard Albert studied how each of our two copies of DNA, one from mom and one from dad, are treated differently deep within our cells. His research furthers our understanding of human reproduction and inheritance and will inform biomedical applications such as artificial insemination, stem cell therapies and cloning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Sengupta focused on retrieving the suppressed accounts of the histories of early modern kalamkari makers from the Coromandel region, India, and recognized their integrity. His study identified the cruciality of bringing the active presence of contemporary artisans into this investigation to reconstruct the agency of historical kalamkari makers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Sanford examined brain activity and working memory deficits in schizophrenia. Using a novel multi-dataset approach, she found that a brain network that activated during initial memory encoding predicted both verbal and visual memory capacity. This will inform the development of treatments to improve working memory in schizophrenia patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. McFadden studied the dynamics of lithium ions at ultra-dilute concentrations inside single crystalline materials. The results from these novel experiments will help to refine models of ion transport in solids, which can be applied in the operation of many practical devices, such as lithium-ion batteries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Atkins developed a new type of practical display to simulate the visual sensation provided by a window overlooking a distant space. This research will help inform the design of indoor environments such as shopping malls, working spaces, and living spaces, especially in underground and confined locations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Reza developed a highly-scalable, distributed solution to support practical pattern matching based analytics in large graph datasets. He demonstrated the effectiveness of this technique through scaling experiments on massive real-world graph datasets and at platform scales, orders of magnitude larger than used in the past for similar problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Booth investigated the development of small airways disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He showed that patients in the early stages of COPD already have chronically inflamed airways and tissue destruction. His work increases our knowledge of small airways disease in COPD and provides new avenues for treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. de Zwaan demonstrated that parental care among alpine songbirds can buffer nestlings against extreme weather and predation risk, improving early-life growth conditions and benefitting survival and life-time fitness. A capacity to respond to variable constraints has critical implications for the future of birds under rapid environmental change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Roberson investigated the impact of immigration background on social belonging. Situating the measurement of social belonging in schools within an international comparative context, he shows that immigration background and national multicultural integration policy are valuable explanatory variables in the ecological validity argument. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Karimibiuki studied security solutions for dynamic systems within the Internet-of-Things (IoT), such as drones and rovers. He developed mathematical-based methods to detect software vulnerabilities in mobile computer systems such as drones. His work enables the detection of malicious behaviors in autonomous IoT systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Pesteie explored machine learning algorithms to improve image-guided procedures in healthcare. He devised models that can learn from partial or limited expert supervision in environments, where data annotation is costly and time consuming. His methods can provide automatic feedback for more accurate decision making in clinics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ai developed a photo-acoustic imaging system through optical excitation and acoustic detection to illuminate the prostate from within the urethra using a transurethral probe. This technique will improve the detection and imaging of malignant tissue and prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mohseni studied matrix defects in aerospace composites manufacturing. He developed analytical models and approaches for process optimization to minimize waste and reduce the manufacturing cost, especially for small enterprises. This research will inform improvements to cure cycle design, which will enable defect-free part manufacturing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lemon conducted a narrative examination of school-based trauma-informed practices. This is one of the first Canadian studies to investigate trauma-informed practice implementation from the perspective of school counselling professionals. This research supports the continued development of trauma-informed practices in the education system. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |