Michael Yin
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD)
Supporting and extending virtual entertainment experiences
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At UBC Science, outstanding scientists and students strive to unravel the principles that underlie our universe - from the subatomic to the macroscopic, from pure mathematics to biotechnology, from ecosystems to galactic systems. Through the breadth and depth of our academic endeavours and the calibre of the people who make up our community, we take pride in discovering new scientific knowledge and preparing Canada’s and the world’s next generation of scientists.
A diverse range of highly ranked programs
With access to master’s and doctoral degrees through nine departments and 350 research groups, our graduate students work with world-class faculty to explore the basic sciences, and to pursue interdisciplinary and applied research across departments and units. UBC’s research excellence in environmental science, math, physics, plant and animal science, computer science, geology and biology is consistently rated best in Canada by international and national ranking agencies.
Committed to outstanding graduate training
UBC Science houses a wide range of prestigious NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience and related industry programs: from atmospheric aerosols to high-throughput biology, from biodiversity research and ecosystems services to plant cell wall biosynthesis, from quantum science and new materials to applied geochemistry. The options for enriched graduate training in industry related fields are almost endless.
World-class research infrastructure
Our affiliated institutes and centres include UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories, Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Life Sciences Institute, Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, Mineral Deposit Research Unit, and TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics.
Top research talent
UBC Science boasts more than 50 Canada Research Chairs, 12 fellows of the Royal Society of London, and has been home to two Nobel Laureates. Our graduate students have won 15 prestigious Vanier Scholarships.
A diverse, supportive community of scholars
UBC Science is committed to excellence, collaboration and inclusion. Women account for 41 per cent of the Faculty's graduate enrollments, and the percentage of international students has increased to 50 per cent over the past decade.
Mission
To nurture an exceptional scientific learning and research environment for the people of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.
Research Centres
Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology
- Biodiversity Research Centre
- Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research
- Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution
Computational Sciences and Mathematics
- Data Science Institute
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Institute of Applied Mathematics
- Statistical Consulting and Research Laboratory
- Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Geophysical Inversion Facility
- Lithoprobe: Canada's National Geoscience Project
- Mineral Deposit Research Unit
- Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research
- Seismic Laboratory for Imaging and Modeling
Genomics and Biological Sciences
- Centre for High-Throughput Biology
- Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics
- Michael Smith Laboratories
Human-Computer Interaction
- Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems
- Vancouver Institute for Visual Analytics
Life Sciences
- Centre for Blood Research
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries
- Life Sciences Institute
- Michael Smith Laboratories
- Neglected Global Diseased Initiative
Chemistry and Materials Science
- Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory
- Max Planck-UBC Centre for Quantum Materials
- Quantum Devices Group
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute
Physics
- Antihydrogen Trapping and Spectroscopy at CERN
- Pacific Institute for Theoretical Physics
- TRIUMF: Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics
- UBC ATLAS Project at Large Hadron Collider
Sustainability
Research Facilities
Designed to inspire collaboration and creativity across disciplines, the new Earth Sciences Building (ESB) lies at the heart of the science precinct on UBC’s Vancouver Campus. The $75 million facility is home to Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Statistics, the Pacific Institute of the Mathematical Sciences, and the dean’s office of the Faculty of Science. ESB’s updated teaching facilities will help Canada meet the challenges of a transforming and growing resource sector. Just as importantly, the researchers and students working and learning in the new facility will offer a valuable flow of well-trained talent, new ideas, and fresh professional perspectives to industry.
Research Highlights
Receiving more than $120 million in annual research funding, UBC Science faculty members conduct top-tier research in the life, physical, earth and computational sciences. Their discoveries help build our understanding of natural laws—driving insights into sustainability, biodiversity, human health, nanoscience and new materials, probability, artificial intelligence, exoplanets and a wide range of other areas.
UBC Science boasts 50 Canada Research Chairs and 10 fellows of the Royal Society of London, and has been home to two Nobel Laureates.
Schools / Departments
Graduate Degree Programs
Research Supervisors in Faculty
or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
| Name | Academic Unit(s) | Research Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Chen, Jiahua | Department of Statistics | Statistical theory and modeling; empirical likelihood; finite mixture model; sample survey; asymptotic theory; imputation |
| Chen, David | Department of Chemistry | Instrumentation |
| Chen, Jingyi | Department of Mathematics | Algebraic and differential geometry; Differential Geometry, Partial Differential Equations |
| Cheung, Wai Lung | Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries | Global change biology; Ecological impacts of climate change; climate change; Marine Ecosystems; sustainability; biodiversity; Interdisciplinary |
| Choptuik, Matthew | Department of Physics & Astronomy | Theoretical physics, Relativity/Computational Physics |
| Chou, Keng Chang | Department of Chemistry | Chemical physics |
| Christensen, Villy | Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries | Fisheries management; Global change biology; Ecosystem function |
| Chritz, Kendra | Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences | Anthropocene, Onset, tempo, and trajectory of human impacts on biological processes and environmental change |
| Clune, Jeff | Department of Computer Science | |
| Cohen Freue, Gabriela | Department of Statistics | statistical genomics (focus in proteomics), robust estimation and inference, linear models with endogeneity |
| Colliander, James | Department of Mathematics | hamiltonian dynamical systems; partial differential equations; harmonic analysis |
| Conati, Cristina | Department of Computer Science | artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, affective computing, personalized interfaces, intelligent user interfaces, intelligent interface agents, virtual agent, user-adapted interaction, computer-assisted education, educational computer games, computers in education, user-adaptive interaction, Artificial intelligence, adaptive interfaces, cognitive systems, user modelling |
| Condon, Anne | Department of Computer Science | Algorithms; Molecular Programming |
| Cooke, Ilsa | Department of Chemistry | Role of icy dust grains in interstellar chemistry; Constraining aromatic and carbon chemistry during star formation; Observational Astronomy |
| Coombs, Daniel | Department of Mathematics | Mathematical biology; Cellular immunology; Complex physical systems; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Cell Signaling and Infectious and Immune Diseases; Cell biophysics; Disease models; Epidemiology; Immune cell signalling; Mathematics |
| Cronk, Quentin Charles | Department of Botany | Comparative genomics, molecular developmental biology and evolutionary biology to study plant form |
| Crowe, Sean | Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences | Geobiology, biogeochemistry, microbial evolution |
| Cytrynbaum, Eric | Department of Mathematics | Bacterial cell division, Microtubule and cellular organization, Wave propagation in excitable media |
| d'Arcy, Mitch | Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences | Earth and related environmental sciences; Geomorphology; Climate/palaeoclimate; Sedimentology; Geochronology; remote sensing |
| Dake, Gregory | Department of Chemistry | Organic, bioactive, metal as catalyist |
| Damascelli, Andrea | Department of Physics & Astronomy | Electronic structure of solids, strongly correlated electron systems, low dimensional spin systems, thin films and nanostructures, transition metal oxides, high-Tc superconductors, linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopies, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron based spectroscopies., Electronic structure of novel complex systems in nanostructured materials |
| Dao Duc, Khanh | Department of Mathematics | Genomics; Mathematical biology; Neurocognitive patterns and neural networks; Agricultural spatial analysis and modelling; combine mathematical,computational and statistical tools to study fundamental biological processes; regulation and determinants of gene expression and translation; Machine Learning for Biological Imaging and Microscopy; Database development and management; Biological and Artificial Neural Networks for geometric representation |
| Davies, Jonathan | Department of Botany, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Phylogenetics & Biodiversity. Development and application of phylogenetic methods in ecology and conservation biology |
| Dierker, Steve | Department of Physics & Astronomy | Physical sciences; Collective dynamics of condensed matter systems; Dependence on reduced dimensionality, strong interactions, disorder, and mesoscale structure |
| Ding, Jiarui | Department of Computer Science | Bioinformatics; Basic medicine and life sciences; Computational Biology; Machine Learning; Probabilistic Deep Learning; single-cell genomics; visualization; Cancer biology; Computational Immunology; Food Allergy; neuroscience |
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Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Science.
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Vanessa Auld (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Cold Spring Harbor protocols
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Benjamin Matthews (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 2024
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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Publication: Astronomy and Astrophysics
UBC Author(s): Ilsa Cooke (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 687
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ilsa Cooke (Chemistry / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046361
Volume: 687
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Biotropica
UBC Author(s): Kaitlyn Gaynor (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00063606
Volume: 56
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kaitlyn Gaynor (Zoology / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00063606
Volume: 56
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Journal of Number Theory
UBC Author(s): Zinovy Reichstein (Mathematics / Faculty of Science), Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0022314X
Volume: 260
Page Range: 103-119
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Zinovy Reichstein (Mathematics / Faculty of Science), Dragos Ghioca (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0022314X
Volume: 260
Page Range: 103-119
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Colin Gay (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
View Publication
Publication: Astronomical Journal
UBC Author(s): Michelle Kunimoto (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046256
Volume: 168
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Michelle Kunimoto (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00046256
Volume: 168
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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Publication: Fitoterapia
UBC Author(s): Raymond Andersen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0367326X
Volume: 176
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Raymond Andersen (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 0367326X
Volume: 176
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
UBC Author(s): Brian Leander (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10557903
Volume: 196
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Brian Leander (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10557903
Volume: 196
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Alison Lister (Physics & Astronomy / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03702693
Volume: 854
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: International Journal of Multiphase Flow
UBC Author(s): Anthony Wachs (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03019322
Volume: 177
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Anthony Wachs (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 03019322
Volume: 177
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Communications in Mathematical Physics
UBC Author(s): Sven Bachmann (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00103616
Volume: 405
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Sven Bachmann (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 00103616
Volume: 405
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
UBC Author(s): Joel Edward Saylor (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 25
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Joel Edward Saylor (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 25
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: Geobiology
UBC Author(s): Harold Bradbury (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14724677
Volume: 22
Publication Date: July/August 2024
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UBC Author(s): Harold Bradbury (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 14724677
Volume: 22
Publication Date: July/August 2024
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Publication: Environmental DNA
UBC Author(s): Brian Hunt (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 6
Publication Date: July–August 2024
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UBC Author(s): Brian Hunt (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries / Faculty of Science)
Volume: 6
Publication Date: July–August 2024
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Publication: Molecular Ecology
UBC Author(s): Loren Rieseberg (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09621083
Volume: 33
Publication Date: July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Loren Rieseberg (Botany / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 09621083
Volume: 33
Publication Date: July 2024
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Publication: International Mathematics Research Notices
UBC Author(s): Omer Angel (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10737928
Volume: 2024
Page Range: 10425-10448
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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UBC Author(s): Omer Angel (Mathematics / Faculty of Science)
ISSN: 10737928
Volume: 2024
Page Range: 10425-10448
Publication Date: 1 July 2024
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Pages
Recent Thesis Submissions
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Diet and the microbiome in Parkinson's disease (MIIM - PHD)
Doctoral Citations
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Deep in our coastal seas, ocean water moves, mixes, and transports heat and matter. The eventual fate of these properties supports, or sometimes impairs, the health of coastal ecosystems. Dr. Stevens investigated deep water pathways in Canada's seas, with implications for wastewater management and climate change mitigation strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Can's research showed that stacking two thin sheets of superconducting materials with a twist leads to a novel quantum phase of matter, called a topological superconductor. This discovery also led to an original design of a superconducting qubit, a device that can be used for quantum information processing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Carpentier developed a novel treatment planning technique for liver cancer patients receiving radiation therapy with real time tumour tracking. She created planning strategies and dose calculations that use the patient's anatomical information over their breathing cycle to ensure the organs near the tumour do not receive too much radiation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Vining studied how computers operate on geometry and shapes, and how geometric problems can be solved with discrete optimization algorithms. By combining numerical optimization techniques with combinatorial search frameworks, he devised new algorithms that solve challenging problems in simulation, computer graphics, and video games. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Chignell combined human and physical geography to analyze the relationships among biodiversity conservation, water, and the politics of environmental science in Ethiopia. His work demonstrates how disparate methods across the sciences and humanities can be brought together to produce new ways of understanding and responding to complex eco-social questions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD) |
| 2024 | Guided by members of the Nuxalk Nation, Dr. Gavenus studied the ways fisheries governance can affect food justice. She found that the governance of First Nations fisheries imposed by the Canadian State contributes to multiple food injustices. These findings emphasize the importance of reassertions of Indigenous fisheries governance to food justice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Wei used biochemical and biophysical approaches to investigate the biosynthetic enzymes employed in the assembly of nitrogen-containing natural product molecules, including ±-amino acids Piperazic Acid and Azaserine, and nitroimidazole antibiotic Azomycin. The elucidated novel pathways and key steps lead to strategies for medicinal treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Ritschel studied the design of programming tools for end-users without previous coding experience. He investigated block-based programming languages and enriched them with visual features that help end-users write larger, more complex programs. His findings can guide the future development of more expressive end-user friendly programming tools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hardman studied immunity to intestinal viruses. By contrasting related viral strains, subtle factors could be characterized which balance immunity between controlling infection and limiting inflammation. This work contributes to future vaccine efforts, and treatments for inflammatory disorders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Mirza explored connections between gut bacteria and multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and youth. He identified differences in gut microbes and genes between those with and without MS, noting a potential link between MS and high-fiber diets. His findings offer insights for future MS research and possible treatment or prevention strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |