Convocation November 2023

Doctor of Musical Arts (Composition)

• Dr. Walker Raymond Williams: "Dr. Williams' thesis oratorio, Sprinkle Coal Dust on my Grave, is based on the West Virginia Mine Wars. Using a mixture of classical and Appalachian musical styles, Williams depicts a violent period of U.S. labor history, employing texts taken from witness testimony as well as songs and poems of the era."
• Dr. Nova Pon: "Dr. Pon composed a piece of orchestral music inspired by her early years with her child. Through the musical evocations and structure, she explored the mother-child-bond and related ideas like attachment, interconnection, awareness, time, and transience. Her work makes explicit a process of artistically realizing these human themes."

Doctor of Musical Arts (Orchestral Instrument)

• Dr. Yuhui Wang: "Dr. Wang studied the value of Chinese art song to Western vocal pedagogy. He introduced a collection of Chinese art song teaching repertoire and created a new Mandarin IPA system to solve the Mandarin pronunciation difficulty in singing. His study will enable Western educators to incorporate Chinese art songs more effectively into their curricula."

Doctor of Musical Arts (Piano)

• Dr. Derek Neil James Stanyer: "Nikolai Medtner was a Russian composer whose large contribution to the art song genre has gone mostly unnoticed. Dr. Stanyer looks at how Medtner set complex Russian and German poetry to music, and how he communicated text and meaning through music. This research will be beneficial to future performers of these wonderful art songs to aid in interpretation."

Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology)

• Dr. Rachel Samantha Roy: "Dr. Roy examined Museum of Vancouver's reorientation to a public engagement focussed institution from 2006 to 2016. Despite resource limitations, museum staff developed new relationships with local community members and audiences. Dr. Roy reveals important insights into the challenges faced by city museums adopting participatory approaches."
• Dr. Emily Jean Leischner: "Dr. Leischner studied what happens to Indigenous voices when they are recorded and held in museums and archives. Guided by members of the Nuxalk Nation, she found that the collection and stewardship of these recordings overlaps with logics of resource extraction. Her findings emphasize the importance of Indigenous law and anti-extractive research."
• Dr. Jad Brake: "Dr. Brake's work focuses on friendships and social relationships among adults diagnosed with autism. His research helps us in understanding the life and social experiences of autistic people and the physical, social, and emotional challenges that they face in their daily lives."
• Dr. Benditso Ji: "Dr. Ji studies the in-process tensions surrounding boundaries that emerge from and respond to the interplay of difference and sameness, with a particular focus on the transformation of ethnic minority identities in post-socialist China."
• Dr. Kendra Leigh Jewell: "Dr. Jewell's research took place in Florida (2019-2020). They argue that everyday experiences of the climate crisis are tied up within cultures of denial and control that have historically served a white supremacist status quo. Responsibly mitigating climate impacts requires reckoning with this, lest they become part of a "new," horrific normal."

Doctor of Philosophy (Applied Animal Biology)

• Dr. Wali Sahar: "Dr. Sahar showed how feeding and aggressive behvaiours during the pre-calving period are associated with disease during the post-calving period in diary cattle. Using such behaviours, Dr. Sahar built predictive models that successfully identify cows at high risk of disease before they are sick."

Doctor of Philosophy (Art History)

• Dr. Robin Simpson: "Dr. Simpson examined the critical reception of video art in the 1970s. Focusing on a landmark and contentious essay diagnosing video as inherently narcissistic, he unpacked the stakes and consequences of this conclusion. The result is an argument for video as an instrument to critically examine expanded forms of clinical thinking and living."
• Dr. Russell Stephens: "Dr. Stephens examined caricature within popular Parisian magazines of mid-19th century France. A major theme in his analysis is how caricaturists secretly used embedded worker's slang to carry hidden messages to evade censorship. His research significantly expands our understanding of the work of artist Honoré Daumier."

Doctor of Philosophy (Asian Studies)

• Dr. Minoru Takano: "Dr. Takano explored how massive population movements around the turn of the fifteenth century influenced Chinese literature by analyzing the writings of Li Dongyang (1447-1516). He found that Li expressed a conflicted geographic identity as a descendant of migrants sandwiched between his ancestral hometown and his place of residence in Beijing."
• Dr. Yuqing Liu: "Dr. Liu has shown the poetics of pidgin in Chinese literature. She challenges the stigmas associated with this language, emphasizing its aesthetics that embrace ambiguities and invite diverse interpretations. Through pidgin, her study reconfigures understandings of transcultural interaction and bridges Sinophone and Anglophone literatures."

Doctor of Philosophy (Astronomy)

• Dr. Yukun Huang: "Dr. Huang's research studies the region of the Solar System beyond Neptune. He explored how the plausible brief existence of an extra "rogue" planet in our early Solar System provides possible answers to some long-standing puzzles in the orbital structure of the distant Kuiper Belt of comets beyond Neptune."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

• Dr. Riley Horvath: "Dr. Horvath worked on host cell factors that regulate HIV-1 replication. By using small molecules to target these factors, he identified novel classes of potential HIV-1 chemotherapies."
• Dr. Nina Radisavljevic: "Dr. Radisavljevic investigated the role of gut bacteria in Parkinson's disease using a mouse model. This work helps with an understanding of which gut bacterial members may play a role in modulating non-motor symptoms of this disease."
• Dr. Jerry Leung: "Using lipid nanoparticle technology, Dr. Leung uncovered novel methods to genetically modify platelets and discovered strategies to improve the efficacy of nanoparticles. His research brings us one step closer to better transfusion products while advancing our understanding of lipid nanoparticles."
• Dr. Mopelola Akinlaja: "Dr. Akinlaja adapted proteomics methods towards understanding the infectious processes of a pathogen of the honey bee midgut. Her work provides new insight into how host protein expression and interactions are altered by pathogen infection, and identifies candidate proteins that could be potential therapeutic targets in the resulting disease."
• Dr. Guillermo Caballero Silva: "Dr. Caballero Silva studied and characterized the molecular structures of bacterial nano-machineries involved in the life cycle of the bacterium responsible for Tuberculosis. This research provides the groundwork into the development of novel therapeutics which can target key steps stopping bacterial infection."
• Dr. Britany Rufenach-Barber: "Dr. Rufenach studied the biophysical interactions and three-dimensional structures of protein complexes involved in calcium signaling pathways. Her research has contributed to understanding the mechanisms of skeletal muscle contraction and rare neuromuscular diseases."
• Dr. Daniel Andrews: "Dr. Andrews studied how RNA viruses evade the host immune response by degrading key host proteins. His research identified host proteins degraded during infection and provided a deeper understanding of how viruses evade host immunity, with the goal of identifying future avenues for treating and preventing virus infections."

Doctor of Philosophy (Bioinformatics)

• Dr. Bradley Robert Jones: "Dr. Jones developed and implemented phylogenetic methods to estimate integration dates of HIV proviruses. His findings have provided a better understanding of within-host HIV dynamics and is beneficial for HIV cure research."
• Dr. William Casazza: "Genetic research implicates virtually every human gene in one or more diseases but cannot state how genetic differences lead to disease. Using statistical techniques, Dr. Casazza discovered the function of many genetic differences across different scenarios. Similarly, he shows that these functions are involved in disease for children and adults."

Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)

• Dr. Tiam Heydari: "Dr. Heydari conducted research on how groups of stem cells behave together. He showed that we can use mathematics to understand and predict their behavior. This newfound knowledge can be used to develop better methods for creating tissues and organs in stem cell research."
• Dr. Prashant Pandey: "Dr. Pandey developed a system, using ultrasound imaging, to guide orthopaedic surgeons to repair bone fractures accurately without the use of X-rays or ionizing radiation. This system could be used in future surgical procedures to more effectively and safely treat fracture patients."

Doctor of Philosophy (Botany)

• Dr. Jungsoo Park: "Dr. Park's research focused on microbiome associated with seaweeds. He found that the ecological distribution of these host-associated microbes is linked to their positive impact on kelp growth and their ability to colonize kelp, as demonstrated through experimental tests. His work advances the application of ecological theory in probiotic discovery."
• Dr. Jiameng Lan: "Dr. Lan identified three genes that regulate an important signal molecule NHP in systemic acquired resistance in plants. The three genes function together and negatively regulate defence-related genes in epigenetic level. These findings assist us in understanding plant defence mechanism and plant disease control."
• Dr. Mariana Alicia Pascual Robles: "Dr. Pascual showed how variation in genetics, habitat and time impact gene exchange in Texan wild sunflowers. Their encounter with Hurricane Harvey revealed the remarkable resilience of the species. These findings provide unique insights into how a single species can diverge into two, and how some species might respond to climate-driven disasters."
• Dr. Haley Anne Branch: "Dr. Branch examined the impact that severe drought has on the plant species, scarlet monkeyflower. Her research found that different populations evolve in different ways but maintain growth and improve water efficiency. Her work highlights that stress can be inherited across generations."

Doctor of Philosophy (Cell and Developmental Biology)

• Dr. Ji Soo Yoon: "Dr. Yoon studied activity-regulated genes that are crucial in both the brain and pancreas for responding to the body's nutrient levels. Her findings showed the important role of a gene in the proper function of brain cells that control appetite and body weight, which highlighted new potential avenues of study for future obesity therapies."
• Dr. Farnaz Pournia: "Immune responses are crucial for protection against diseases. Dr. Pournia's research showed an unconventional role for a protein in various cellular processes that are important for development and responses of one of the cells of our immune system. These findings could be important for development and fine tuning of novel therapeutic approaches."
• Dr. Amanda Lorentzian: "Dr. Lorentzian examined the persistence of therapeutic targets through disease progression in pediatric leukemia using a genomic and proteomic approach. Her research revealed that therapeutic targets are often persistent to relapse and supports the early characterization of drug targets to prepare treatment options in case the child relapses."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemical and Biological Engineering)

• Dr. Lee Dale Rippon: "Dr. Rippon studied operating data from pyrometallurgy and kraft pulping processes to address troublesome process faults. By combining process knowledge and historical data with novel applications of machine learning and data visualization, his research contributes to improving operating outcomes of industrial processes."
• Dr. Yun-Han Huang: "Dr. Huang pioneered a novel instrument for measuring interfacial dilational rheology. Designed, fabricated, and patented, this innovation promises to impact industries by offering unique insights into interfacial properties, with the potential to be the main instrument for future fluid and interface research in dilational rheology."
• Dr. Bingxin Zhou: "Dr. Zhou examined the lithium deposition behavior and lithium corrosion behavior in lithium metal battery. She also applied her conclusion to the modification of liquid electrolytes. Her research promotes the development of lithium metal batteries and energy storage systems."
• Dr. Yiting Tsai: "Dr. Yiting Tsai developed a Deep Learning model to extract latent features for clinical and bio-engineering problems. He applied the method to two cases involving COVID-19 and Scleroderma patients, which resulted in significantly improved diagnosis accuracy, as well as discovering key biomarkers associated with main disease pathways."
• Dr. Joseph Tyler English: "Dr. English developed new electrodes for use in the demanding conditions required for the electrochemical treatment of industrial wastewater. This contribution enriches our understanding of how such materials behave, providing insights into how to design more resilient technologies."
• Dr. Mahsa Masjoudi: "Dr. Masjoudi demonstrated the potential of vacuum-UV advanced oxidation processes as a viable treatment for elimination of micropollutants in potable water reuse. Her research enhances the quality of recycled water, making the reuse strategy more feasible for water-scarce communities."
• Dr. Parisa Chegounian: "Dr. Chegounian studied the biological treatment of oil sands process-affected water from Alberta, Canada. She developed an innovative biological treatment technology that can help oil industries and regulators develop and evaluate a more sustainable approach to treating tailings ponds and safely releasing the water back to the environment."

Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)

• Dr. Trevor Bolduc: "Dr. Bolduc investigated and developed new synthetic applications for two sulfur-fluorine gases as reagents in synthetic organic chemistry. His work surveyed these two reagents in the context of four chemically distinct applications and has enabled the expedited synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant fluorinated organic motifs."
• Dr. Jun Dai: "Dr. Dai explored the intersection of classical machine learning and quantum computing, aiming to enhance algorithms for complex quantum problems. It highlights the development of a quantum-enhanced feature mapping algorithm and the practical application of quantum regression models."
• Dr. Xianzhe Yin: "Dr. Yin developed new methods to improve mass spectrometry based proteomic research. His work enabled more comprehensive and accurate measurement of proteins, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of the state of biological systems studied. The methods he developed has potential future applications in advancing disease diagnosis and therapeutics discovery."
• Dr. Jesse Crescenzo: "Dr. Crescenzo measured the viscosity of airborne aerosol particles formed from the gas emissions from plants. His thesis showed that many of these airborne particles are more viscous than tar pitch, or even solid like glass at many humidities & temperatures. His studies are helpful to improve the accuracy of climate and air quality predictions."
• Dr. Qiuyu He: "Dr. He developed a protocol of multicomponent hetero-Diels-Alder reactions using a type of diene that has notable bench stability and imines. This method could be used to construct functionalized six-membered nitrogen heterocycles that have wide applications in natural products, active pharmaceutical ingredients and light-luminating materials."
• Dr. Vani Verma: "Dr. Verma developed synthetic methods to access various pharmaceutically relevant building blocks. These developed one-pot methodologies can expedite the synthesis of a library of compounds thereby accelerating the early drug discovery programs and resulting in the rapid identification of new therapeutics for various diseases."
• Dr. Kevin Marroquin Madera: "Dr. Marroquin Madera studied the initial density dependence of plasma formation and properties of a Nitric Oxide molecular Rydberg gas, along with the effects of applying radiofrequencies and electric fields."
• Dr. Henry Walsgrove: "Dr. Walsgrove investigated how the incorporation of phosphorus into small molecules and polymers can create functional systems. Through his thesis work he showed that phosphorus can impart useful properties into synthetic frameworks and furthered the active research field of phosphorus chemistry."
• Dr. Cameron William Kellett: "Dr. Kellett examined how small changes to the chemical structure of molecules impact the rate of electron transfer reactions. These results help us understand how transient attractions between adjacent molecules can act as a conduit for electric charge and demonstrate how careful molecular design can control the electronic properties of a material."
• Dr. Andrew Justin Kukor: "Dr. Kukor developed new tools to study the crystallization of small molecules. He applied these tools to investigate and optimize the crystallization of two drug molecules, demonstrating the benefits of continuous crystallization. These new tools are now being used by pharmaceutical companies to study and improve the production of drugs."
• Dr. Daniel Luo: "Dr. Luo developed engineering approaches to apply a protective polymer coating onto the blood vessels of organs that interact with the immune system to improve organ quality and transplantation success. The protective immunomodulatory coating can be adapted for other immune functions, opening up possibilities for the development of novel therapies."
• Dr. Hsin-Yun Tsai: "Dr. Tsai explored how luminescent materials and nanoparticles are useful for detecting biological molecules. In particular, she developed a new and improved method for directly sensing multiple genes, in parallel, in biological samples. She also elucidated important concepts in designing sensors based on more sustainable nanoparticle materials."
• Dr. Ghinwa Darwish: "Dr. Darwish developed, characterized, and applied brightly light-emitting, nanometer-sized particles toward simple and cost-effective detection and analysis of targeted cell types and molecules. Her research contributes new scientific knowledge, methods, and technologies to make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and inclusive."

Doctor of Philosophy (Civil Engineering)

• Dr. Kaleab Woldeyohannes Yirgu: "Dr. Yirgu studied departure airport choices and their emissions implications. He spatially showed how airports differ in attracting passengers, and determined that aviation emissions cannot be directly reduced through higher airfares. His work improves air service planning and our understanding of price-based environmental policies on aviation."
• Dr. Devarsh Dinesh Bhonde: "Dr. Bhonde investigated the potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools to enhance design processes in building construction projects. His study provides practical recommendations for improving communication, efficiency, and collaboration among project stakeholders in the construction industry."
• Dr. Shayan Fahimi: "Dr. Fahimi developed a numerical model for process simulation of polymeric composite materials with innovative techniques for material characterization and modelling gas transport.His research empowers the design of optimized and cost-effective manufacturing processes leading to enhanced quality and better dimensional stability of the final product."
• Dr. Hubert Courteau-Godmaire: "Dr. Courteau-Godmaire advanced simulations used in composites manufacturing. These structures begin as soft stacks of carbon fibre sheets. When heat and pressure are applied, they solidify, but can also wrinkle. His mechanistic model captures the slippery behavior of these layers, streamlining simulations for better design."

Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)

• Dr. Andreas Munk: "Dr. Munk studied scientific simulators, probabilistic models, and their stochastic inversion via probabilistic programming. His research has led to novel contributions to the field of probabilistic programming. These contributions may impact diverse disciplines, ranging from physics to finance."
• Dr. Omar Al Omeir: "Dr. Alomeir developed new ways to simplify database provenance using visual tools and summarization techniques. He focused on relational databases, making provenance easier for users of database systems to explore. His methods also help users gain a clearer understanding of a database's origins in a concise manner."
• Dr. Chenxi Liu: "Artists often start creation by sketching digitally. Dr. Liu studied how humans mentally see sketches without being confused by busy, inaccurate lines and built computational methods to automate this process. These methods benefit various sketch-related computer applications, from colourizing 2D animation frames to lifting design sketches into 3D."
• Dr. Wen Xiao: "Dr. Xiao made notable contributions in the field of text summarization through her innovative application of machine learning techniques. She enhanced AI summarizers with discourse information. Her impactful research is a valuable asset in our data-driven and time-constrained society, offering an effective solution for managing information overload."
• Dr. Wu Lin: "Dr. Lin's work focused on developing the theory and practice of geometric methods in machine learning. His research opens a new direction for exploiting hidden mathematical structures in real-world applications. His methodology was used to win the Bayesian Deep Learning Challenge in Neural Information Processing Systems 2021."

Doctor of Philosophy (Counselling Psychology)

• Dr. Mathew Gendron: "Dr. Gendron explored gay, bisexual, and queer men's narrative positioning in sexual stories using an innovative reflective storytelling method. Focusing on perceived possibilities and pleasures in sex, Dr. Gendron's research offers a critical response to existing frameworks that regulate sex between men and socialize men away from connection."
• Dr. Alexander Hui Sen Huang: "Dr. Huang explored the transition experiences of military veterans as they pursued post-secondary studies. The findings from the research are intended to nurture cultural awareness for the unique needs of this population, as well as to enhance practices and policies on Canadian campuses towards better supporting this student population."

Doctor of Philosophy (Craniofacial Science)

• Dr. Waled Mohammed Alshhrani: "Sleep apnea risks include life-threatening breathing interruptions. Dr. Alshhrani compares Tongue-Stabilizing Device (TSD) to Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD). TSD equals MAD in apnea improvement but falls short in quality-of-life and daytime sleepiness. TSD, while effective long-term, has lower acceptance."

Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum Studies)

• Dr. Travis Fuchs: "Dr. Fuchs examined how secondary science teachers engaged in and with research as forms of professional development. Focusing on socio-scientific issues like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, his work offers frameworks for promoting social responsibility in science learning contexts."
• Dr. Gabrielle Brynne Edwards: "Dr. Edwards explored a school's experience implementing a food education program using a hydroponic shipping container farm (HSCF). This study found that despite substantial initial funding and administrative support, the financial and human capital needs for running a HSCF make it an unsustainable tool for delivering food education programming."
• Dr. Renee Diemert: "Dr. Diemert conducted her research in an international high school located in Costa Rica. A new term 'student-centered community-based learning' evolved with a focus on student agency in decision-making, problem solving, reflection, and community engagement. Students in the K-12 system and post-secondary education will benefit from this research."
• Dr. Kate Thomas: "Dr. Thomas initiated a storefront art practice for art teachers to come together as a collective to contemplate the conditions for teaching. This study contributes to the field of teacher professional practices by offering experimental art and research approaches that permit teachers to deactivate the necessity to always be in a mode production."

Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)

• Dr. Ieda Rodrigues Matavelli: "Dr. Matavelli examined the role of lack of communication in perpetuating misperceptions about social norms, especifically in the context of masculinity norms. She also investigated the role of norms change, proxied by an election outcome, on violence against women. She then showed that psychedelic intake led people to leave the formal labour market."
• Dr. Federico Ezequiel Guzman: "Dr. Guzman studied the behavior of monetary and fiscal policy during economic crises. He showed how fiscal expansions can affect the ability of central banks to use monetary policy against recessions. His work contributes to the understanding of monetary and fiscal policy interactions, and why these policies can exhibit lack of coordination in a crisis."
• Dr. German Vega Acuna: "Dr. Vega Acuna studied, using a field experiment, how leadership roles can improve the academic performance and social integration of low-income students at a top university in Peru. He also shows how low-income students, during the Covid-19 online classes period, faced more difficulties to score higher grades than other students."
• Dr. Catherine van der List: "Dr. van der List studies how the economy interacts with geographic space. She has shown that firms trade off labor-market power and productivity spillovers when choosing a location. Her research has implications for the design of government subsidies affecting specific locations."
• Dr. Mahdi Ebrahimi Kahou: "Dr. Ebrahimi Kahou has developed methods to offer solutions to tackle high-dimensional dynamic models in economics, utilizing insights from economic theory. The methodology utilizes a symmetry commonly found in many heterogenous agent models in economics. This work can be used to study more realistic models of income and wealth distributions."
• Dr. Anubhav Jha: "Political rallies have become a large part of electoral campaigns worldwide. What role do rallies play in shaping elections? Dr. Jha estimates a novel structural model of political rallies and their outcomes. He finds rallies persuasive and electorally pivotal in U.S and that the rallies in India are much more persuasive than in U.S."

Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Studies)

• Dr. Brett Schrewe: "Dr. Schrewe examined medical education policies to understand how physicians are formed to work for health equity in Canada. Based on these findings, he argued that the training system be re-designed to educate physicians as medical citizens who use their medical expertise to work for the equitable distribution of the public good of health care."
• Dr. Suke Padam: "Sanctioned by First Nation organizations in BC, Dr. Padam's pioneering work in online Indigenous educational technology programs led to in-person knowledge sharing with 90 of the 203 Indigenous communities throughout BC. His autobiographical research reflects upon past and current local BC Indigenous realities as exemplified nationally by the TRC."
• Dr. Esraa Al-Muftah: "Dr. Al-Muftah analyzes Qatar University to explore evolving trends in higher education internationalization, emphasizing shifts over time and space. This study urges policymakers to move beyond Euro-American perspectives, promoting localized concepts for internationalization."
• Dr. Sameena Karim Jamal: "Dr. Jamal's study on ethnocultural pluralism and the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme explored how an ethic of respect for ethnocultural diversity may be reflected in educational discourses. The study generated findings around issues of representation and teachers' pedagogical practices in different geopolitical contexts."

Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

• Dr. Jeremy Min: "Dr. Min has played a pivotal role in advancing the e-mobility sector through his innovative work for bidirectional battery chargers, an essential link between renewable energy networks and electric vehicles. His pioneering enhancements have opened up new possibilities for a seamless energy exchange between electric vehicles and the power grid."
• Dr. Franco Degioanni: "Dr. Degioanni explored AC-DC three-phase power converters used in grid-connected systems, developing innovative tools and solutions for their modelling and control. His work enables seamless integration of technologies like renewables, electric vehicles, and battery chargers, shaping the future of the electric grid."
• Dr. Yinjia Huo: "Dr. Huo designed automated diagnostics schemes for electric cables. These studies enable preventative measures to be taken to avoid electricity grid service failure. This lowers the maintenance cost and ensures a smooth operation for the future smart grid."
• Dr. Anahita Shojaei Hashemi: "Dr. Shojaei innovated a camera-based system for the automated detection of indoor fall incidents. Her design balances privacy, accuracy, and real-time performance and accommodates diverse home configurations. Dr. Shojaei's research contributes to home wellness and aging in place by facilitating prompt assistance for fall incidents."
• Dr. Abrar Salahuddin Wafa: "Dr. Wafa advanced light field technology by improving spatial resolution in plenoptic cameras. Using epipolar image insights and deep-learning, she optimized image quality. She also developed methods to reduce light field data by creating virtual views. This work can revolutionize entertainment, VR/AR, and digital health sectors."
• Dr. Sam Park: "Dr. Park studied optical systems used in head-mounted augmented reality devices. The outcomes of his study include novel optics designs that can greatly reduce the size of augmented reality glasses and improve the image quality."
• Dr. Kevin Bradley Dsouza: "Dr. Dsouza's doctoral studies focused on designing representation learning methods for genomic datasets. The genomic representations he designed shed light on the structural and functional activities of the genome and are useful for studying the effect of genetic variants causing disease."
• Dr. Ryan Yu: "Dr. Yu's work focuses on addressing challenges in training models with limited annotation, unveiling strategies to optimize weakly labeled data use. This work plays a crucial role in refining and developing more accurate and efficient multi-label image analysis models, marking a notable advancement in the domain."
• Dr. Asem Ghaleb: "Dr. Asem studied security vulnerabilities within blockchain programs known as smart contracts. He subsequently developed novel methods to analyze the program code for security vulnerabilities with application to smart contracts. Dr. Asem's research thereby contributes to improving smart contract security and the broader blockchain ecosystem."

Doctor of Philosophy (English)

• Dr. Mairi Joanna Stirling Hill: "Dr. Stirling Hill examined the relationship between literary and legal constructions of female voice in medieval England and France. Her research considers the intersection between history and fiction, and shows how the literal policing of women's voices became a literary trope that worked to devalue women's voices in society."
• Dr. Anna Elizabeth MacDonald: "Dr. MacDonald examined a series of nineteenth-century representations of biofluids and epidemics to argue that authors used contagion metaphors in surprising ways - to articulate unexpected sites of contact, connection, and community. Her study contributes to modern conversations about how contagion can put us in touch in the post-COVID era."

Doctor of Philosophy (Experimental Medicine)

• Dr. Hope Lapointe: "Dr. Lapointe extensively employed various DNA sequencing technologies to gain deeper insights into anti-viral drug resistance and the molecular epidemiology of HIV, HCV, and SARS-CoV-2. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of viral public health dynamics, and heloed shape the local and national clinical management guidelines."
• Dr. Freddy Francis: "Dr. Francis mapped the dynamics of antibiotic resistance gene carriage in the healthy newborn infant gut and characterized changes in response to severe acute malnutrition and HIV, in low-resource settings. His findings have major implications for antibiotic prophylaxis, therapy and stewardship practices in global neonatal and infant populations."
• Dr. Sneha Sheth: "Dr. Sheth investigated the neural correlates of two distinct types of dynamic patterns - freely-moving and goal-driven - present in the stream of thought. Her findings offer new insights into the functions of the default and executive networks of brain and have implications for mental health, spontaneous thought, mind-wandering, and creativity."
• Dr. Qiaochu Liang: "Dr. Liang studied how harmful bacteria in the gut exploit our body's natural defenses to reproduce and cause infections. Her work informs future therapeutics beyond antibiotics to treat bacterial infections by targeting pathogen metabolism."
• Dr. Negin Farivar: "Dr. Farivar has designed a laser device that can deploy the heat to the tumor precisely, kill cancer cells and activate immune system minimizing damage to the surrounding tissue.She tested the device in a bladder cancer model in mouse and showed that the heat combined with immune stimulating drugs can decrease tumor growth and increase survival."
• Dr. Paule Bellwood: "Dr. Bellwood developed a novel method to document current medical practices aimed at changing human behaviour and inform strategies to improve such practices using the example of prescribing physical activity in primary care. This method has a potential application beyond physical activity prescribing and beyond primary care in future research."

Doctor of Philosophy (Forestry)

• Dr. Sahar Ahmadvand: "Dr. Ahmadvand developed a robust optimization model that minimizes the costs and GHGs of forest biomass supply chain for production of syngas to replace natural gas at BC Kraft pulp mills. She also presented an optimal pricing scheme to make the investment in renewable fuels such as syngas more appealing to the pulp and paper industry."
• Dr. Laura Super: "Dr. Super studied soil refugia, experimental warming and nitrogen deposition, and pH and climate effects on ecosystem plant and microbial biodiversity. Tree seedling microbiome predictability changed with refugia, warming increased plant growth, clear-cutting impacted biodiversity predictability, and community diversity increased with higher pH."
• Dr. Sophie Nitoslawski: "Dr. Nitoslawski's research explored the role of technology in urban forestry, and tested new ways to collect data on urban ecosystems. This work revealed nuanced relationships between people, nature, and technology, informing both research and practice as we tackle critical environmental issues in this digital age."
• Dr. Meagan Curtis: "Dr. Curtis examined the history of agriculture in the Alberni-Clayoquot region and provincial legislation related to supporting food production in British Columbia. Her work highlights the importance of farmer-government relations and the consequences of underlying values within our food system."
• Dr. Jaco-Pierre van der Merwe: "Dr. Van der Merwe investigated the impact of Pinus patula plantation growing environments on wood properties, product recovery and quality. This work will assist forest growers to match forests to specific plywood and lumber production facilities to improve product recovery and quality."
• Dr. Ira Sutherland: "Dr. Sutherland researched historical changes in the ecosystem services provided by forests of BC. His work advanced theory and methods for studying coupled social-ecological systems and moves forward an understanding of ecosystem services as part of dynamic systems. His work also leaves a legacy of data showing ecosystem services change in BC."
• Dr. Rohit Arora: "Dr. Arora developed mathematical models for scheduling of forest harvesting activities. These models can be used by forest companies."
• Dr. Jonathan Curtis Degner: "Dr. Degner showed how natural hybrids between spruce species are closely adapted to climate. He also modeled how hybrids might have differed in the past and how they may need to change in the future. This research helps us understand how hybridization influences evolution, and will help land managers better match planted forests to future climates."
• Dr. Andrea Joan Lyall: "Dr. Lyall studied peoples' relationships with the forests with the Kwakwaka'wakw of the West Coast of Canada. The research approach was collaborative and inclusive of Indigenous Knowledge. The research explained the cultural and heritage significance of the forests, from ancient stories, traditional foods, forest practices, and western red cedar."
• Dr. Amanda Marie Johnson: "Dr. Johnson produced functional particles and biodegradable packaging from a polymer called xylan (pronounced as XY-lan) from grass cell walls. She showed that the structure and composition of xylans influences their performance in bio-based materials. Her work represents a step towards a more sustainable, resource-efficient world."
• Dr. Sushil Nepal: "Dr. Nepal's work provides unique information on overstory spatial patterns of tree vigor and regeneration in reference conditions, and highlights differences in spatial patterns of overstory conditions between reference and contemporary forests."

Doctor of Philosophy (French)

• Dr. Joel Gospel Akinwumi: "Dr. Akinwumi investigated the concept of forgetting in postcolonial African and Caribbean literatures. He argues that forgetting is at once a tool of oppression and survival. To be sure, his analysis deepens our insight into the workings of forgetting and helps us to grasp more clearly how the equilibrium between memory and forgetting is achieved."

Doctor of Philosophy (Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice)

• Dr. Magnolia Moonbeam Pauker: "Dr. Pauker's cross-disciplinary work sketches intertwining genealogies of philosophy and journalism. Advocating philosophical journalism as a mode of critical questioning in the present, Pauker disrupts normative configurations of truth and truth-telling in journalism, philosophy, and knowledge production in the western tradition, more broadly."
• Dr. Valentina Desideri: "Dr. Desideri reflects on a set of artistic practices which, rather than creating objects, create the conditions for collaborative thinking and making, that is called study. Her Studio Practice proposes a novel approach to artmaking as study and to study as artmaking."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geography)

• Dr. Xinru Li: "Dr. Li explored the dynamics of ocean extreme temperature events, Marine Heatwaves, and their ecological impacts. Her work improves our understanding of the historical and future changes in multiple novel heat stress characteristics globally, and also demonstrates the protective impacts of "training" heat stress conditions on global coral reefs."
• Dr. Johannes Exler: "Dr. Exler studied the hydrology of drained peatlands with a focus on how plant community shifts affect water exchange between the atmosphere and the peat body. His findings help understand how climate change may affect peatland ecohydrology, which is an integral part of ecosystem health in these environments that controls greenhouse gas release."
• Dr. William Booker: "Dr. Booker developed novel analyses to better understand how rivers respond to flooding. Using these methods, he demonstrated how river boundaries influence erosion and deposition in the river during floods. This work will help minimise human-related disturbance to riverine ecosystems."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geological Engineering)

• Dr. Ali Mehrabifard: "Dr. Mehrabifard's research has addressed the problem of human-induced earthquakes resulting from the shift towards cleaner, lower carbon energy resources. By developing a deep understanding of the physics underlying these earthquakes, he has created effective predictive models and identified appropriate mitigation strategies to minimize their occurrence."
• Dr. Masoumeh Ghahramani: "Dr. Ghahramani developed new empirical and numerical methods for predicting the characteristics of tailings flows resulting from breaches of tailings dams. The findings of this study are useful for improving the accuracy of risk assessments and emergency response plans for tailings dam breaches."

Doctor of Philosophy (Geophysics)

• Dr. Brian Irwin: "Dr. Irwin studied how to use computers to solve noisy optimization problems, which are optimization problems where one cannot measure the quantity one wants to optimize exactly. He developed three new computer algorithms for solving noisy optimization problems, including an industrial problem encountered by makers of computer chips."

Doctor of Philosophy (Hispanic Studies)

• Dr. Ricardo Garcia Martinez: "Dr. García Martínez developed the conceptual distinction between accumulation and cumulation. The former is a system of value built on the latter. He proposed that for our contemporary crisis, writing depicts a cumulation, a profuse pile-up, ever more resistant to the imposition of some kind of system of value."

Doctor of Philosophy (History)

• Dr. Eric Michael Johnson: "Dr. Johnson examined the political history of evolutionary biology in England, Europe, and Russia in the nineteenth century. While Social Darwinism has been analyzed as a political application of evolutionary thought, Dr. Johnson argues that this perspective arose in opposition to what he identifies as Socialist Darwinism."
• Dr. Archa Neelakandan Girija: "Dr. Girija explored the history of an Indian port city of Calicut to show that contrary to long held beliefs, the city remained a dynamic commercial hub outside of European colonial system. In fact her work shows that the notion of Calicut's supposed decline has been an artefact of Eurocentricism which continues to shape scholarship up to this day."
• Dr. Niping Yan: "Dr. Yan examined the interactions between the Chinese and Spaniards in the Philippines through the creation of a Spanish manuscript, the Boxer Codex (1590s). Her study illuminates the convergence of sixteenth-century book cultures from China and Europe, offering fresh perspectives on the Sino-Hispanic relations in the Spanish colony."
• Dr. Kaden Mark Jelsing: "Dr. Jelsing examined Indigenous and settler colonial visions of the future as they were articulated through prophecy in two nineteenth-century North American "northwests". He showed how these prophecies expressed divergent modes of relationship that help us understand how settler colonialism unfolded in these two distinct places."

Doctor of Philosophy (Human Development, Learning, and Culture)

• Dr. Rachel Baitz: "Dr. Baitz examined the relationship between early experiences of trauma and later relational problems in young adulthood, such as cyber dating violence, insecure attachment, limerence, and internalizing symptoms. Her work informs therapeutic practice by illustrating how early trauma influences young adult relationships in the context of technology."

Doctor of Philosophy (Human Nutrition)

• Dr. Kelsey Cochrane: "Dr. Cochrane studied natural vs synthetic folate supplementation during pregnancy. Her results showed that maternal folate status can be maintained by using either of the two supplements, but that human milk composition is affected. These findings will inform optimal folate supplementation practices during pregnancy for healthy starts in life."
• Dr. Brock Alexander Williams: "Dr. Williams examined the effectiveness of folic acid supplementation in children with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder. The findings from his clinical trial provide evidence to inform nutritional management and supplementation practices in Canadian children living with this disease"

Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems)

• Dr. Parisa Rinaldi: "Dr. Rinaldi examined public discourse and planning processes involving water science and democracy in extractive frontiers in Colombia. She found that narratives are shifting towards a more nuanced understanding of complexity, uncertainty and the role of expert knowledge at the water-energy nexus."
• Dr. Raahil Madhok: "Dr. Madhok conducted his doctoral studies in environmental and development economics. His work documents how economic activity shapes the environment in developing nations, with emphasis on biodiversity loss, air quality, and land use change. His findings inform the design of policies that balance economic growth and environmental conservation."
• Dr. Tatiana Ginneth Zarate Barrera: "Dr. Zarate-Barrera combines economics and computational methods with large-scale data to understand the effects of environmental stressors on non-health-related outcomes and the causes and consequences of female empowerment in violent contexts."
• Dr. Bianca Ravani Cecato: "Dr. Ravani Cecato studied topics in environmental economics. Her research showed that information dissemination contributes to enforcing environmental regulations. She also showed that migration is an important adaptation strategy to climate change."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Oncology)

• Dr. Daniel Lu: "Dr. Lu's investigation looked at oncogenic splice errors in the human MET receptor. This receptor acts like an engine that drives cancer metastasis, and his results uncovered functional dependencies that can be targeted to properly shut it down. These findings can be translated to improve treatments for those battling advanced stages of lung cancer."

Doctor of Philosophy (Interdisciplinary Studies)

• Dr. Samara Mayer: "Dr. Mayer used critical ethnographic methods to explore how social and structural factors impacted why and how people engage with injectable opioid agonist treatment. Her research examined how people navigate the enabling and constraining aspects of treatment, highlighting the importance of low-threshold, equity-oriented and patient-centred care."

Doctor of Philosophy (Kinesiology)

• Dr. Colin Michael Wierts: "Dr. Wierts examined factors that contribute to the well-being and exercise behaviour, and demonstrated the importance of identity in predicting exercise behaviour. He further examined key antecedents of exercise identity and the feasibility of a group-based exercise program for promoting exercise identity and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic."
• Dr. Jeffrey Lawrence Sauve: "Dr. Sauvé examined the perspectives of national team coaches, National Sport Federation performance directors, and Olympians regarding factors they felt undermined and supported Olympic-level athlete well-being. The findings and recommendations were discussed with influential leaders within the Canadian elite sport environment, with the intention of optimizing athlete well-being in the future."
• Dr. Anthony Chen: "Dr. Chen combined experimental and probability-based computational approaches to study how the brain integrates motion sensations into perceived self-motion. His research advanced our knowledge in sensory processing at both the individual neuron and sensory organ levels, offering insights for future works in neuro-prosthetics and rehabilitation."
• Dr. Mehdi Ahmadian: "Dr. Ahmadian investigated the potential cardiovascular benefits of breathing low oxygen in a rodent model of spinal cord injury. His works lay the foundation for future translational hypoxia therapies to help restore blood pressure control in individuals living with spinal cord injury."

Doctor of Philosophy (Language and Literacy Education)

• Dr. Amir Michalovich: "Dr. Michalovich explored possibilities for language and literacy learning through in-school video production with newcomers from refugee and immigrant backgrounds in Metro Vancouver. He found that students invested in their learning and troubled common deficit narratives beyond what was possible with print-based or language-dominant schoolwork."
• Dr. Yuya Takeda: "Dr. Takeda examined the apparent similarities between the dispositions critical media literacy aims to cultivate and characteristics conspiracy theorists claim to embody. He proposed an approach to demarcate desirable from undesirable critical reading and writing that recognizes the significance of meanings and values in the act of reasoning."

Doctor of Philosophy (Library, Archival and Information Studies)

• Dr. Alamir Novin: "There are many unsolvable debates in the world. How do we use the Internet to make sense of them? Dr. Novin researched how biases on the Internet influenced student inquiries, search strategies, and decisions. He documented the cognitive methods participants used to counter biases. This will help educators with teaching critical thinking skills."

Doctor of Philosophy (Linguistics)

• Dr. Raiane Oliveira Salles: "Dr. Salles advanced the documentation of Pirahã, a vulnerable language spoken in the Amazon, and contributed to destigmatizing a non-standard dialect of Brazilian Portuguese. Her work also provided a fresh take on a long-standing puzzle in the field of linguistics, by proposing that nouns can be licensed by categories other than articles."
• Dr. Rachel Soo: "Dr. Soo examined the perception, recognition and encoding of pronunciation variants in an ongoing Cantonese sound change. Borrowing psycholinguistic paradigms from dialect/language variation, her work offers a contemporary perceptual account of the sound change, showing that listeners distinguish and flexibly map multiple pronunciations to a word."

Doctor of Philosophy (Materials Engineering)

• Dr. Ayush Suhane: "Dr. Suhane integrated atomistic and mesoscale simulations and investigated the effect of alloying on microstructural processes in steels. His work provides new avenues for designing high-performance steels for infrastructure and automotive applications."
• Dr. Dina Badawy: "Dr. Badawy developed a smart fabric made by growing Zinc oxide nano-wires on yarns. This smart fabric can record in real-time applied deformation and identify its location and magnitude. It can be used in the health care system to improve the diagnosis process, create treatment plans, and monitor patients' health conditions during a hospital stay."
• Dr. Nicolas Romualdi: "Dr. Romualdi investigated the effect of chemical composition and thermal cycles on the weld heat affected zone of line pipe steels as a critical aspect of pipeline integrity that will remain significant for future applications including carbon capture and a hydrogen fuel energy matrix."
• Dr. Prashanth Krishnamoorthy: "Dr. Krishnamoorthy estimated how a catalytic solute is distributed when applied to columns of low-grade copper ore. This work helps in optimizing a novel catalytic leach technology developed in UBC to liberate copper from primary copper sulfide ores such as chalcopyrite."
• Dr. Siavash Soltani Bajestani: "Dr. Soltani examined the behavior of materials at the atomistic scale. He used computer simulation of atoms and machine learning algorithms to understand how the dynamic processes derive the evolution of micro-structure of materials and how these processes determine the properties of materials like glasses and metals."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)

• Dr. Damien Huet: "Dr. Huet developed numerical tools that allow fast and accurate simulations of complex fluid systems, ranging from rockfall dynamics to cell-resolved biological flows. His open-source software contributions can be used to better design microfluidic cell-sorting devices, thus speeding up many labour intensive tasks in biotechnology research."
• Dr. Emmanuel Michta: "Dr. Michta studied how phase transitions occur in finite volume for some classical models from statistical physics. This work contributes to a better and rigorous understanding of finite-size scaling theory in high dimensions. This is useful to the wide spectrum of people working at the interface between physics and mathematics."
• Dr. Qidi Zhang: "Dr. Zhang developed the gluing method to construct the bubble tower of the ancient solutions and infinite time blow-up solutions for the critical heat equations, and finite time blow-up solutions simultaneously at any prescribed N points for the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation."
• Dr. Santanil Jana: "Dr. Jana rigorously investigated algebraic invariants of two spaces: Classifying space for commutativity and Unordered flag manifolds. Their research explored algebraic topology, employing algebraic methods to analyze shapes. The core of the research lies in the pursuit of simplification through decomposition, marking its fundamental significance."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering)

• Dr. Xiaoyu Mao: "Motivated by ship-ice interactions in the Arctic environment, Dr. Mao has developed novel methods and a unified mechanics framework to simulate the coupled dynamics between floating ice and moving ships. His research paves the way for accurate resistance and extreme loads analysis, which is crucial to the efficiency and safety of ice-going ships."
• Dr. Zihao Cheng: "Dr. Cheng developed a highly accurate and efficient computational method to simulate the multiphase flows. He conducted a series of direct numerical simulations of particle-laden flows, and employed two data-driven methods to predict the corresponding hydrodynamics. His research will improve the accuracy of the unresolved large-scale models."
• Dr. Sakshi Jain: "Dr. Jain studied the application of low-cost air quality sensors, using them as a tool to improve our understanding of how air pollution varies in space and time. Her research also included assessments of how these variations could impact exposure estimates for humans."
• Dr. Masoud Hejazi: "Aneurysms are localized bulges of arteries and they can rupture with fatal consequences. The rupture risk of an aneurysm is related to its mechanical deformations. Dr. Hejazi's work addresses this intriguing behavior by combining experiments, simulations, and clinical studies. The findings of this study can improve the clinical management of aneurysms."
• Dr. Elizabeth Trudel: "Dr. Trudel's research investigated causes of wellbore leakage in western Canada. The findings of her research will contribute to protection of groundwater and reduction of methane emissions to the atmosphere."

Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Genetics)

• Dr. Sharri Cyrus: "Dr. Cyrus' work focused on the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 syndromes, where she expanded the clinical phenotype of the most recently described syndrome: SUZ-12 Related Overgrowth. She further used Drosophila melanogaster to develop assays that can tell us if human genetic variants of interest can cause these syndromes or not."
• Dr. Sarah Buckingham Thomson: "Dr. Thomson studied the mechanisms that regulate expression of the HTT gene that causes the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease, and developed a method for improving the delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to neurons. Her research informed the design of a new strategy for Huntington's disease treatment that targets its genetic origin."
• Dr. Samantha Lynn Schaffner: "Dr. Schaffner studied the role of epigenetics in Parkinson's disease. She found that rare and common genetic variation, lifestyle, and pesticide exposure were associated with DNA modifications in blood and brain. Her work highlights how molecular pathways to Parkinson's disease may differ between individuals."
• Dr. Shawn Shortill: "Dr. Shortill explored mechanisms of intracellular protein sorting using a budding yeast model. His work led to the identification of the VINE complex, a previously unknown endosomal assembly with similarity to the neurodegeneration-linked retromer complex. These results pave the way for a more complete understanding of endosomal function."
• Dr. Seyedeh Zeinab Mirjalili Mohanna: "Dr. Mohanna worked towards developing a CRISPR gene therapy for the childhood blindness aniridia. She created a mouse model for this disease and subsequently tested two delivery systems. She showed that a non-pathogenic virus successfully targets the affected cells in the eye and can be used for developing a gene therapy for aniridia in the future."
• Dr. Kristen Gibson: "Dr. Gibson identified genetic variants and circulating biomarkers associated with pediatric primary systemic vasculitis, a rare and potentially life-threatening disease caused by blood vessel inflammation. These findings will assist in clinical classification and inform treatment decisions for children suffering from the disease."
• Dr. Tiffany Carlaw: "Dr. Carlaw's research helped improve the efficacy of therapeutic CRISPR Cas9 base editing for the treatment of previously incurable childhood genetic diseases. Her research helped establish some of the first reporter models for studying base editors and paved the way for the next generation of lipid nanoparticle delivered gene editors."
• Dr. Samantha Katarzyna Dziurdzik: "Dr. Dziurdzik investigated a protein family implicated in different neurological disorders that hold together cellular compartments and shuttle lipids between them. Her work uncovered how these proteins target various compartments, improved our understanding of the disease pathogenesis, and also identified novel proteins with related functions."

Doctor of Philosophy (Microbiology and Immunology)

• Dr. Yang Liu: "Dr. Liu explored how plant-associated bacteria influence plant immunity and shield plants from pathogens. She discovered that bacteria dampen immunity through root acidification and protect plants via biofilm formation. Her work advances our grasp of plant-microbe interactions, offering insights into agricultural microbiome engineering."
• Dr. Julia Huggins: "Dr. Huggins studied how microorganisms use nitrogen in low-oxygen marine waters. She found that, in some cases, nitrogen can be recycled faster than it is lost from the environment. Her work adds to our knowledge about the impacts of oxygen loss and climate change in the oceans."
• Dr. Zakhar Krekhno: "Dr. Krekhno investigated mechanisms of pathogenic E. coli-caused infantile diarrhea, providing insights into host-microbe interactions. He employed computational and molecular biology tools to provide the first comprehensive overview of the changes in the regulation of gene expression during infection."
• Dr. Zachary James Morse: "Dr. Morse worked on how a common intestinal virus infection influences the immune system and the gut microbiome to trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes. His research shows how environmental stressors engage in cross-communication with the host to impact development of autoimmune diseases."
• Dr. Melanie Dostert: "Dr. Dostert studied communities of the highly antibiotic resistant bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. She identified genes mediating community growth in diverse environments. Her research demonstrated the strong influence of the growth environment on the entire gene network and provided interesting gene candidates for the design of novel drugs."
• Dr. Daniela Morales Duran: "Dr. Morales Duran found that acidic environmental pH decreased the activity of antibiotics against the CF pathogen B. cenocepacia, and induced changes in the bacterium that are associated with host colonization and pathogenicity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Mining Engineering)

• Dr. Stuart Li: "Dr. Li studied the overall segregation and settling behavior of mine tailings suspension, illustrating various settling modes and revealing the mechanisms behind particle segregation in the sedimentation process. His findings can assist mining industries in developing advanced techniques for tailings dewatering."
• Dr. Hosein Kalantari: "Dr. Kalantari proposed a heat recovery system for mine intake air heating. Conducting experimental and numerical studies he has proven that implementation of the proposed heat recovery system results in significant carbon footprint reduction and energy cost savings."
• Dr. Pariya Torkaman: "Dr. Torkaman studied eco-conscious gold extraction for artisanal mining, aiming for cleaner, more efficient methods and a mercury-free future. Her work offers site-specific, cost-effective alternatives that can reshape the industry, benefit miners, and safeguard the environment."

Doctor of Philosophy (Neuroscience)

• Dr. Todd Peter Kamensek: "Dr. Kamensek's research examined the reciprocal relationship between social interest, visual experience, and face recognition abilities in autism spectrum disorder. His findings challenge the notion of a singular cause for face recognition challenges in autism and may pave the way for potential interventions aimed at improving these abilities."
• Dr. Hong Lu: "Dr. Lu studied the function of a major autism risk gene neurexin-1, showing that losing one copy of this molecule leads to significant synaptic deficits. He subsequently used gene-editing technology to rescue these impairments by altering how neurexin-1 RNA is processed, identifying a potential therapeutic strategy for neuropsychiatric patients."
• Dr. Brittany Zhang: "Dr. Zhang studied the effect of non-invasive stimulation therapies on brain neurobiology. Stimulation therapies are critical for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and her work showed that stimulation therapies can affect the generation of new neurons in the brain to potentially mediate therapeutic and side-effects."
• Dr. Maya Nesbit: "Dr. Nesbit characterized the prefrontal cortex mechanisms of the novel cognitive enhancer d-govadine. Dr. Nesbit's work advances the clinical application of this compound for the treatment of cognitive symptoms in psychiatric and neurological disorders."
• Dr. Alyssa Ash: "Dr. Ash studied adult neurogenesis, the birth of new brain cells in adulthood, in rodent models to examine how new brain cells integrate into neural circuitry. She also studied neurogenesis and memory in a rodent model of Alzheimer's Disease, characterizing structural changes and plasticity of brain cells during early stages of disease pathology."
• Dr. Tristan Dellazizzo Toth: "Dr. Dellazizzo Toth developed imaging techniques and technologies enabling rapid recording of all activity across a complete neural arbor in an awake animal and applied these tools to interrogate how individual neurons are modified by experience."

Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing)

• Dr. Melissa Moynihan: "Dr. Moynihan tested the theoretical framework of a nursing intervention designed to reconnect sexually exploited runaway adolescents to supportive family and school relationships. Findings suggest the intervention works as theorized. Promoting supportive relationships may improve health problems, such as emotional distress and substance misuse."
• Dr. Scott James Ramsay: "Dr. Ramsay explored concussions among children and youth in British Columbia. He found that most children and youth with a concussion do not receive follow-up and those with a delayed follow-up visit were more likely to experience poor health. This research provides new evidence to support the importance of timely follow-up after a concussion."
• Dr. Courtney Bridget Devane: "Dr. Devane examined youth peer support services in a mental health service context. Using a research community partnership model, she identified key opportunities to strengthen and scale youth peer support services across the provincial organization, Foundry. Her research positions Foundry as a strong leader for further innovation in this field."

Doctor of Philosophy (Oceanography)

• Dr. Birgit Rogalla: "Dr. Rogalla developed ocean models of the concentrations of the micronutrient manganese and the pollutant lead in Inuit Nunangat. These simulations highlight the importance of dirty sea ice for manganese in the Canada Basin, the extent of glacial and continental river water in this region, and the impact of lead pollution."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)

• Dr. Kevin Kuchinski: "Millions of undiscovered viruses circulate in wildlife and many of them threaten to spillover into humans and livestock, causing outbreaks and pandemics. Dr. Kuchinski developed new genome sequencing techniques for discovering these threats and monitoring their spread. These tools will help protect our health and livelihoods from these viruses."
• Dr. Haisle Moon: "Dr. Moon developed enzyme-mediated cell surface engineering techniques that modify both major blood antigen A and minor blood antigen RhD to generate universal donor red blood cells."
• Dr. Rachel Cederberg: "Dr. Cederberg interrogated the role of myeloid cells in the tumour microenvironment. Her dissertation work enhances our understanding of the interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells in solid tumours and identifies novel intervention points for the treatment of primary and metastatic disease."
• Dr. Lauren Melissa Forgrave: "Dr. Forgrave conducted biomarker discovery and verification efforts for frontotemporal dementia with TDP-43 pathology. She revealed the need for improved classification and improved biomarkers for diagnosis are needed. Moreover, She identified disease-specific TDP-43 proteoforms and potential biomarkers for TDP-43 pathology."
• Dr. Lorenz Nierves: "Dr. Nierves explored the application of mass spectrometry in the interrogation of pediatric leukemia cells and microenvironment. His study assists in the characterization of leukemic cells and the pursuit of better therapeutic options for children with cancer."

Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

• Dr. Tanya Saxena: "Dr. Saxena developed a novel oral delivery system called sorbops that can improve the oral delivery of compounds and biomolecules which would normally get degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. She subsequently tested the efficiency of sorbops in different cell lines and mice using SPECT/CT imaging thereby, showing higher amounts of drug uptake in the target sites."
• Dr. Ariana Saatchi: "Dr. Saatchi examined outpatient antibiotic use in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. Appropriate antibiotic use is integral to mitigate the impacts of antibacterial resistance. This epidemiological research elucidates new targets for antimicrobial stewardship efforts and offers the first interpretations of inter-provincial prescribing quality."
• Dr. Lukas Hohenwarter: "Dr. Hohenwarter developed a painkiller derived from an endogenous opioid peptide. He demonstrated the effectiveness of this novel compound in reducing pain and depression, without inducing dangerous opioid-related side effects. This new painkiller may be a safe alternative to opioids for persistent pain treatment and help fight the opioid crisis."
• Dr. Lennart Bohrmann: "Dr. Bohrmann used click chemistry to generate tumor specific nanoprobes and to evaluate novel radiotracers for pretargeted imaging. His research showcases opportunities and challenges for the further development of aptamer-based imaging probes and may contribute to the further development of technetium-99m labeled radiotracers."

Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy)

• Dr. Jelena Markovic: "Dr. Markovic examined unchosen transformative experiences, particularly transformative grief, an experience that deeply alters a person's sense of what is significant in the world and calls on them to reorganize themselves as an agent. Her research links challenges to identity and agency in transformative grief with those of other major life events."

Doctor of Philosophy (Physics)

• Dr. Connor Bevington: "Dr. Bevington developed image processing and analysis algorithms for human brain imaging data. These algorithms help provide more accurate and precise images of the healthy and diseased brain. They are being applied in clinical research studies that are discovering alterations to dopamine release and brain energy production in Parkinson's disease."
• Dr. Paul Ripoche: "Dr. Ripoche studied evolved stellar populations, from giant stars to their remnants. He developed new tools to analyze data from X-ray space telescopes, measure distances in space, and identify dead stars, called white dwarfs, in large surveys. His findings will help us better understand the structure and history of our Galaxy and the Universe."
• Dr. Rafael Haenel: "Dr. Haenel studied the signatures of the Higgs mode in exotic superconducting materials. The Higgs mode emerges as a quasiparticle in the framework of superconductors. It is the condensed-matter-analogue of the Higgs Boson in the the Standard Model. Research on these collective excitations in superconductors can lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of high temperature superconductors."
• Dr. Tristan Pinsonneault-Marotte: "Dr. Pinsonneault-Marotte participated in the realisation of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment telescope and analysis, which resulted in a preliminary detection of hydrogen located nearly 11 billion light-years away."
• Dr. Stepan Fomichev: "Dr. Fomichev developed computational methods for predicting the properties of materials with strong electron-lattice interactions. Applying these methods to organic solar cell materials, he showed that lattice vibrations can break apart excitons to generate electricity, potentially explaining how this novel technology operates on an atomic scale."
• Dr. Luke Reynolds: "Dr. Reynolds used experiments in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to correct assumptions made in clinical practice about how fats and water interact in the human brain during an MRI scan, affecting accurate measurements. In doing so, he further developed a model of nuclear relaxation leading to a potential new form of contrast in MRI images."
• Dr. Ruoxi Wang: "Dr. Wang devised and carried out landmark experiments using radio-frequency and millimeter-wave fields to control and probe the evolution of ultracold molecular plasmas. His findings have provided new insights into ultracold neutral plasmas specifically, and into disordered many-body systems in general."
• Dr. Andrew Jacobs: "Where do the chemical elements come from? Using the nuclear physics technique of mass spectrometry, Dr. Jacobs investigated potential astrophysical sites where some of these elements are produced. The findings point to binary neutron star mergers as a prime candidate for explaining a range of elemental abundances observed in stars."
• Dr. Christopher Neil Waddell: "Quite surprisingly, some quantum systems can encode gravitational physics in a higher dimensional space. Dr. Waddell used this fact to study a key quantum system arising in string theory, to show that information about a black hole's contents is not destroyed when it evaporates, and to propose a quantum description of universes similar to our own."

Doctor of Philosophy (Planning)

• Dr. Paul Akaabre: "Dr. Akaabre studied traditional leasehold tenure in Ghana and found that the leasehold model is not equitable and secure, and in consequence, undermines investment in housing improvements and redevelopment. His study led to the development of a "famivest 80-20" model, aimed at securing improved tenure and financing housing redevelopment in cities."

Doctor of Philosophy (Plant Science)

• Dr. Yifan Yan: "Dr. Yan investigated the production of waxy layer on fruit surfaces that protects fruits against environmental stresses such as UV Light and dehydration. Her work revealed the critical roles of wax compounds in improving fruit quality and shelf life. Her work will have significant implications on agriculture and horticulture crop development."

Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science)

• Dr. Nathan Peng: "How might we better alleviate poverty and mitigate inequality? Dr. Peng studied how satellite data reveals local political dynamics that impact developmental outcomes, how the success of global superpowers could influence the political attitudes of foreign citizens, and why those who qualify for social assistance might not take it up."
• Dr. Kaleigh Sarah Heard: "Dr. Heard examined how the effectiveness of civilian harm response and compensation influences the ways in which the legitimacy of counterinsurgency operations are perceived by affected communities. This research illuminates the strategic role of survivor-centric approaches to harm mitigation and response in contemporary conflict."
• Dr. Lilit Anna Klein: "Dr. Klein studied moral intuition's impact on experts' conceptualizations of international order via interviews, establishing that moral foundations influence their notions of change, progress, and threat. This substantiates the idea that moral intuition shapes both the scholars' theoretical leanings and the practitioners' foreign policy stances."

Doctor of Philosophy (Population and Public Health)

• Dr. Marie Paul Nisingizwe: "Dr. Nisingizwe investigated access to Hepatitis C testing and treatment in Rwanda and internationally. Her dissertation described HCV cascade of care, and patients' barriers to HCV care in Rwanda. Globally, she highlighted countries and regions with high and low access to HCV medicines and the effect of COVID-19 on HCV drug utilization."
• Dr. Zishan Cui: "Dr. Cui delved into the escalating drug overdose epidemic involving opioid and methamphetamine use. Her research emphasizes the crucial need for comprehensive and integrated treatment and harm reduction strategies to address both opioid and methamphetamine use."
• Dr. Sameer Desai: "Dr. Desai revealed that despite better CF prognosis in recent years, people with CF still face substantial burden from lung impairment and other complications. Rising healthcare costs due to expensive medications pose additional challenges. These findings will help improve their service planning and resource allocation in the future."
• Dr. Federico Andrade Rivas: "Dr. Andrade-Rivas studies pollution in globalized food systems. Using systems thinking, planetary health, and geospatial sciences, he evaluated the nationwide risk of pesticide exposure and adverse birth outcomes in Ecuador. He also collaborated with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, co-leading a marine toxicology study of their traditional food systems."
• Dr. Jia Qi: "Dr. Qi examined associations of widely used classes of antihypertensive medications and their subclasses with overall and site-specific risks of colorectal cancer using advanced statistical methods. His research has addressed a gap in the evidence for safety of widely used antihypertensive medications with respect to colorectal cancer risk."
• Dr. Yixian Chen: "Dr. Chen unravelled relationships between diabetes medications and breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer risk, suggesting potential risk variations with common diabetes medications. Her study underscores the significance of understanding the long-term health impacts of prescription medications, advocating more research."
• Dr. Angie Wing Sum Ip: "Dr. Ip studied the development of children assessed for autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Ip found that, regardless of diagnosis, these children all had developmental differences compared to neurotypical children. The findings stress the importance of moving towards needs and function-based funding and services in school and in the community."

Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)

• Dr. Yu Luo: "Dr. Luo examined the underlying cognitive mechanisms of behavioural interventions. He developed a framework that organizes interventions according to cognitive principles and helps inform the design and development of future interventions based on cognitive insights."
• Dr. Alison Elizabeth Tracy: "Dr. Nutini examined the association of self-compassion with emotional and biological markers of stress in youth. Evidence showed that greater self-compassion was associated with less negative emotions across a variety of stressors."
• Dr. Gabriel Brooks: "Dr. Brooks examined the relationships between gambling and video games, specifically "loot boxes", a feature where players pay for in-game randomized rewards of varying values. He found that gambling-related cognitions associate with loot box use, and that loot box use also predicts subsequent gambling. These results support regulation of loot boxes."
• Dr. Anita Schmalor: "Dr. Schmalor's research shows that subjective SES and economic inequality influence self-centeredness. High inequality and high SES both make people more self-centered, and the gap in self-centeredness between high and low SES is bigger when inequality is high. This suggests that the selfishness of the rich depends on their economic environment."
• Dr. Brent Stewart: "Dr. Stewart's thesis investigates how the perception of mind in inanimate entities affects moral judgments. His studies suggest that perceiving the 'mind' of such objects, ideas, and emotions can shape our moral decisions and emotional regulations. These insights have implications for advancing our understanding of human moral psychology."
• Dr. Denitza Dramkin: "Dr. Dramkin investigated how we map number words to perceptual magnitudes. Her work shows that by understanding the shared logic between number words and perceptual scales, young children can readily attach number words to their perception of number, length, and area, and even perform intuitive mathematic computations (e.g., division)."
• Dr. Alex Terpstra: "Dr. Terpstra differentiated Major Depression and Bipolar Depression using computer-based measures of cognitive-affective processing. He also found that, for individuals who received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat their depression, cognitive-affective processing predicted future symptoms and improved following treatment."
• Dr. Audrey Elizabeth Aday: "Dr. Aday led a program of research investigating how essentialist explanations for gender gaps in interest lead people to create affordances that confirm those beliefs. Their research shed light on a self-fulfilling process that, at scale, drives broader patterns of gendered occupational segregation."
• Dr. Adri Khalis Bin Abdul Karim: "Dr. Khalis examined how social media usage and psychopathology impact one another. He found that certain aspects of social media usage can increase risk for depression, anxiety, and ADHD symptoms, and that psychopathology can also influence how we use social media. This research underscores the importance of mental health in the online context."
• Dr. Holly Rose Engstrom: "Dr. Engstrom explored how someone's social class affects how much we trust them. She found people see lower-class people as more moral - but they also implicitly associate low social class with immorality, and believe lower-class people are more tempted by financial need to betray trust. This research shows the complexity of class stereotypes."
• Dr. Eric Mercadante: "Dr. Mercadante's research provides evidence to suggest that one reason why greedy people always want more and are never satisfied with what they own is because they feel a brief boost of pride upon acquisition, such that the act of acquiring something is a highly positive emotional experience, but owning the item afterward does not elicit pride."
• Dr. Yeeun Lee: "Dr. Lee explored how engaging in prosocial behavior, including acts of kindness and helping others, can help individuals restore their social connections. Her research suggests that an intervention promoting prosocial behavior is a promising approach to address loneliness and social isolation, particularly for individuals experiencing chronic loneliness."

Doctor of Philosophy (Rehabilitation Sciences)

• Dr. Linda Truong: "Dr. Truong's research demonstrated the important role of social support on exercise adherence after traumatic sport-related knee injuries. These studies assist us in understanding the best ways to facilitate exercise behaviours to prevent inactivity, weight gain and early-onset osteoarthritis in this at-risk group."

Doctor of Philosophy (Resources, Environment and Sustainability)

• Dr. Rocio Maria Lopez de la Lama: "Dr. López de la Lama explored the deep bonds Peruvian landowners share with nature through privately protected areas (PPAs). She unveiled diverse intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values driving their commitment to conservation. Amid structural challenges and tenure insecurities, these relationships underscore the importance of citizen-led conservation."

Doctor of Philosophy (School and Applied Child Psychology)

• Dr. Rachel King: "Dr. King studied the experiences of youth returning to high school and re-engaging in their education after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury/concussion. This research helps us understand the barriers these students face, what is helpful to them in this time, and what can be improved to better support their transition back to school."
• Dr. Melanie Teresa Nelson: "The Squamish Nation afforded Dr. Nelson a collaborative community project exploring how youth identify and access support for mental health and wellness. Concrete examples of what youth do to support themselves through engagement in Indigenous practices and the use of Western strategies help us learn how to provide more responsive support to youth."

Doctor of Philosophy (Social Work)

• Dr. Erika Ono: "Dr. Ono explored how mothers facing violence navigate child protection and family law systems. Her research uncovered how practices are ideologically-driven by the legal principle best interests of the child, causing more harm to women and children. This contributes to social work by highlighting how texts can be tools of resistance not complicity."

Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology)

• Dr. Julia Goldman-Hasbun: "Dr. Goldman-Hasbun examined perspectives on the free speech and hate speech debate online and on university campuses. She identified complex meaning-making processes and status dynamics, challenging common-sense views of the debate. This research illuminates the importance of examining first-hand perspectives to understand polarized topics."
• Dr. Xingshu Liu: "Dr. Liu examined the characteristics of the emerging pink market and the institutions within the pink economy in China. His research demonstrates how the state, sexuality, gender, sociocultural norms, and cultural trends shape market economies."
• Dr. Kyle Sutherland: "Dr. Sutherland investigated the complex lived experiences of trans men, trans women, and nonbinary people, with a focus on intergroup dynamics, healthcare challenges, and strategies of resilience. His findings showcase how these populations are navigating stigma-related barriers and working to improve their health outcomes."

Doctor of Philosophy (Special Education)

• Dr. Eun Young Kwon: "Dr. Kwon's research focused on the education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing with disabilities. She investigated considerations of parents and teachers regarding educational eligibility, placement, and intervention. Her studies increase knowledge and understanding of how to effectively support these learners, their families, and schools."
• Dr. Kimberley MacNeil: "Dr. MacNeil Sinclair studied teachers' learning through an approach called collaborative inquiry. She found that balancing supports, resources, and opportunities for teachers to make decisions for their own learning shows promise for enhancing student learning. Her research advances understanding about effective professional development."

Doctor of Philosophy (Statistics)

• Dr. Mallory Flynn: "Dr. Flynn developed statistical methods of using structured networks of data to estimate the size of hidden or hard-to-reach populations, and created corresponding software for these techniques to readily be used by researchers across diverse fields. These methods were used to illuminate the true scope of the opioid epidemic in British Columbia."
• Dr. Creagh Dyson Briercliffe: "Can we find structure in complex systems, like social networks or the interactions between cell proteins? Dr. Briercliffe designed a class of statistical models for discovering hidden structure in networks.By harnessing probability theory, his research created practical tools that allow scientists to reveal order and structure in our complex world."
• Dr. Shenyi Pan: "Dr. Pan investigated new conditional inference and prediction methods after fitting a joint distribution based on vine copulas, including prediction of an arbitrary variable given others, prediction of a right-censored response, and prediction of an ordinal or continuous response when some explanatory variables are nominal categorical."

Doctor of Philosophy (Teaching English as a Second Language)

• Dr. Asma Afreen: "Dr. Afreen investigated Bangla heritage language teachers' transcultural identities in greater Vancouver. Teachers' investment in promoting Bangla as a mother tongue was informed by children's transcultural identities in Canada. This research advances knowledge about the identity of heritage language teachers in multicultural communities worldwide."

Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology)

• Dr. Sandra Michelle Emry: "Dr. Emry examined how the distribution of marine species across environmental gradients mediates response to climate change. She found that species often respond to abiotic stress in ways that correlate with their environmental conditions, and that the indirect effects of this stress can have significant impacts on the structure of communities."
• Dr. Charlotte Nelson: "Dr. Nelson's work focussed on the role of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme within the unique respiratory system responsible for the success of the teleost fishes. Her work advances our understanding of the function, development, and evolution of a respiratory system present in half of all vertebrate species."
• Dr. Katherine Clayworth: "Dr. Clayworth studied how glial cells in the nervous system wrap and protect neurons. She found a novel role for the dystroglycan protein, which is disrupted in muscular dystrophy, in glial wrapping of neurons. Her work improves our understanding of the mechanisms of glial protection of neurons and their potential involvement in muscular dystrophy."
• Dr. Kaleigh Davis: "Dr. Davis studied the effects of temperature and resource availability on ecosystem functioning. She showed that rates of nitrogen supply usually accelerate with warming, and documented two important ecological effects of this pattern. She also identified a key limiting resource in a seagrass ecosystem recovering from decline."

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Finance)

• Dr. Iris Wang: "Dr. Wang studied the role that the key stakeholders such as institutional investors and firm owners play within a firm's ecosystem, with a primary focus on understanding how corporate governance and ownership structures might influence firm policies."
• Dr. Xing Liu: "Dr. Liu studied how AI affects intermediary agents' decision making in insurance markets. He found that AI prediction on consumer demand improves insurance agents' sales productivity, but also reduces agents' efforts in assessing consumer risk. His research advanced our understanding of the impacts of AI on workforce in financial services industry."

Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Management Science)

• Dr. Meichun Lin: "Decision making under uncertainty and limited information has been a critical challenge in operations. Dr. Lin's research tackled this challenge and shed light on how to sequentially collect and exploit information over time."

Doctor of Philosophy in Music (Emphasis Musicology)

• Dr. Marina Janette Gallagher: "Dr. Gallagher examined the visual and musical features of pastoral landscapes (forests and fields) and anti-pastoral areas (ruins and caves) in the video games Final Fantasy X, XII, XIII, and XV. Her research shows that music significantly impacts players' perceptions of these areas, making them feel more relaxed and apprehensive, respectively."