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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dr. Zarei studied and implemented machine learning techniques for cancer detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. She developed technology to analyze and detect abnormalities in the cervix, and to classify and grade prostate cancer. Her work will ultimately help to reduce healthcare costs and increase patients' quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kady-Rachid critically examined constructions of people of Arab descent in educational text and talk in secondary schools in British Columbia. Analysis revealed a discourse of othering, barriers to teaching about peoples of Arab descent, and the importance of supporting teachers' efforts to teach in culturally relevant ways. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD) |
| 2020 | Educators make numerous judgments that affect vulnerable people every day, a responsibility for which there is little institutional training or support. Dr. Jensen explores Hannah Arendt's ideas about thinking, willing, and judging, and how these resources inform educational practice, helping educators to make ethical-political judgments. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Salvatore designed and fabricated a reactor to convert waste carbon dioxide to carbon-based fuels at high efficiencies. Her research has furthered the development of cost-competitive energy storage technologies which are critical to enabling a renewable energy economy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jones characterized the risk factors, dynamics, and consequences of psychosis experienced by adults living in precarious housing in Vancouver over a period of five years. These longitudinal studies contribute to our understanding of how psychotic symptoms evolve over time, and illustrate opportunities for intervention. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Patchin examined the cultural and geographical politics of the Zika public health emergency. Her findings show that Zika intervention was deceptive and coercive, with the potential for destructive consequences in environmental and reproductive health. This work contributes to theorizing human reproduction amidst growing ecological uncertainty. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Vig examined an important literary genre within the Sikh tradition called gurbilas, written in Brajbhasha, and located it within the cultural and religious context of early modern North India (c. 1500-1850). Her research opens up a rich world of shared imaginaries between the Sikhs and other religious communities, as well as cultural worlds. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Polyelectrolyte hydrogels are materials that combine electrical properties of solid materials, like in our iPhones, with flexibility of organic materials. Dr. Triandafilidi studied the behaviour of electronic devices made of gel to find a way to improve their characteristics to be used in robotics and prosthetics as artificial skin. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | The Arctic Ocean is tightly linked to Earth's climate and one of the least understood oceans in the world. Dr. Chanona used large datasets to produce the first pan-Arctic map of ocean mixing rates and robustly describe their patterns in space and time. Her work is critical to improving our ability to forecast and understand the future Arctic Ocean. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Wilson used volcanoes that erupt beneath glaciers to reveal the existence of ancient continental-scale ice sheets in Southern British Columbia. His work helps us to understand the nature of rapid climate fluctuation and suggests that melting glaciers may be an important trigger for global volcanic eruption rates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Hallenbeck worked in collaboration with Coast Salish and Sahtu Dene storyteller, playwright and fisherman Rosemary Georgeson, to develop a decolonial approach to archival research. The thesis decenters the colonial archive and retells the history of the endurance of Indigenous women's connections to water, fish, and family along the Salish Sea. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zhao identified patterns of mutations in cancer genomes which can reveal whether cancer cells are repairing their DNA properly. He developed a method to analyze the evolution of these mutation patterns over time. He also showed that certain patterns of mutation predict treatment effectiveness and may help oncologists make clinical decisions. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Fawcett developed a Family-Centred Positive Behaviour Support (FCPBS) approach for families of young children with Down syndrome and behavioural challenges, the first of its kind at the secondary tier. This program was effective in improving the children's behaviour, decreasing parental stress levels, and enriching family quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dong studied the integration of renewable energy into electric power systems. He proposed several renewable energy controller designs that have adjustable response speed, reduced output-power coupling, and fast synchronization speed. His research results will enable power systems to integrate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Diaz-Diaz studied how young children learn about diversity and social responsibility through their relationships with place. Her research demonstrates that uncritical multicultural pedagogies can prevent children from learning about and from Indigenous knowledge. These findings will inform policy and pedagogy development, particularly in BC. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Workman used X-ray crystallography to study the structure-function relationship of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall. His structural data revealed an unexpected topology and suggested an additional function for a key membrane protein. This knowledge provides a foundation for the development of novel antibiotics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. MacPherson examined the effect of disease epidemiology on coevolution between hosts and their infectious diseases, exploring how coevolution affects disease spread. She also developed a method for identifying genes underlying these coevolutionary interactions. This research will improve our ability to predict disease susceptibility. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chu improved the process of using computers to extract meaningful information from biological sequences such as DNA. He designed computer programs to store data in probabilistic data structures, which purposely store data as approximate signatures in order to surpass the computational memory and speed limits of representing the data perfectly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Moore investigated the causes of catalyst breakdown in renewable energy systems and strategies to improve catalyst lifetime. He found that dissolution of iridium catalysts is connected to durability in hydrogen fuel cells and that lead stabilizes tin in CO2 electroreduction. This research is crucial to strategies for mitigating climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kester explored the treatment of anxiety among students with autism spectrum disorder in a school setting. She evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based cognitive behaviour therapy intervention delivered by educators in schools. Her findings will help to apply clinically-controlled research to real life settings such as schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Robinson identified new chemical leads that he developed as therapeutics for the tropical parasitic disease, Chagas. These drug-candidates aim to block the parasite's ability to camouflage inside the body, thereby enabling the host immune system to effectively fight the disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chiu studied the reactivity of nickel complexes towards breaking and forming chemical bonds. This fundamental work will help researchers to understand how nickel can be used to make complex molecules from simple starting materials, and will lead to the development of catalytic transformations that are more efficient and sustainable. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Shamash examined Video in the Villages (VNA) and argues that VNA is one of Latin America's most significant cinematic archives and a critical producer of knowledge. This work helps broaden the field of film studies to include Indigenous and Latin American cinema, not as an addendum to film studies, but as integral to film history and culture. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Falch developed methods to optimize the design of multidisciplinary mechatronic products, considering both qualitative and quantitative design criteria. This work will help designers to develop more accurate, reliable, esthetically appealing, and cost effective mechatronic products for use in industrial and engineering applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Leung examined candidate obesity and diabetes genes, and found that reducing the amount of one gene, called Pdk1, affects lipid metabolism and the heart. Further, this research shows that the metabolic effects of Pdk1, as well as environmental factors, are important to consider when using inhibitors of this gene as a potential therapeutic. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |