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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Deeg discovered and characterized several unusual pathogens that infect and kill aquatic microbes: an abundant giant virus and a highly reduced bacteria that infect eukaryotic plankton and a vampire-like bacterial predator of bacteria. His work revealed evolutionary innovations that allow these remarkable pathogens to exploit their hosts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | How do fish transport oxygen in the blood? Dr. Harter's work describes a special mechanism in salmon that enhances oxygen unloading to the exercising muscles. Thus, salmon hearts need to pump less blood, which may be central to their iconic spawning migrations. This mechanism may apply to most fishes, a group that comprises half of all vertebrates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Barrick examined the politics of United States immigration enforcement practices towards Central American asylum seekers, including the denial of common asylum claims and family separation through detention. This research offers insights into how public policy could better support this population's well-being and access to asylum. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2018 | Sepsis is a life-threatening illness. Dr. Arora discovered a novel pharmacological target for sepsis immunotherapy and identified specific substrates, which can be modulated to control the disease prognosis. He also clarified a mechanism to better understand the disease progression. This work will help save 10 million lives every year. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Hazin developed an improved method for producing rubber used in tires. The existing process is conducted at minus 100 degrees Celsius; however her discoveries, involving the synthesis of strong Bronsted acids, show that rubber can be produced at temperatures above minus 100 degrees Celsius. Findings promise cost savings and more environmentally friendly rubber. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Vila investigated the role of the apoliprotein E gene in schizophrenia patients. He demonstrated that this gene has both positive and negative effects in the presentation of schizophrenia, highlighting the complexity of genetic influences. These studies expand our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Zmurchok used mathematical models to show that links between forces and chemical signalling in cells can lead to cell size fluctuations. His research suggests mechanisms at play in waves of contraction in a developing tissue, highlighting the importance of feedback between forces and signalling in models for cell dynamics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Stecula examined the relationship between the news media and political polarization on important topics, like climate change, in the United States. He found that the news is increasingly politicized, and that propels polarization. This has implications for how important topics should be covered by the media to avoid political conflict. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Kumar developed novel antimicrobial peptides, which are effective against antibiotic resistant bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. He also investigated different strategies to deliver the peptides in a skin infection model. These studies pave the way to combat superbugs in the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Musto explored how Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) acted as moral agents in acute care mental health settings. Her findings highlight the joint responsibility between HCPs and healthcare organizations in providing ethical care by creating relational spaces to explore the impact of policies and practices on people struggling with mental illness. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Bell studied a missionary exhibition of First Nations art at the Vatican in 1925. Through an analysis of beadwork, statuary, and children's games, Bell presents a new historiography of the mobility of Indigenous visual culture drawing on Indigenous theories. This research illuminates the ongoing confluences of archives and Indigenous histories in Rome. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Berry developed a new class of organic catalysts, and studied their mechanism of action in detail. These studies will aid in the development of better catalysts and new modes of reactivity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Contreras investigated claims of a hemispheric asymmetry of power in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), showing some models can be ruled out with the current data, but very sensitive polarization data are required for many others. He also showed that the CMB is consistent with no parity violation at the tightest precision available with current data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | A longstanding question in the study of language development is how infants understand their first object words. Dr. Campbell found evidence that infants as young as six months have a capacity to learn words with individual scope and words with categorical scope. Her findings reveal a previously undocumented richness in early word comprehension. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Zhang examined the financial reporting of foreign firms and foreign auditors in the U.S. He found that foreign firms are subject to less frequent monitoring than U.S. firms and foreign auditors provide quality as good as the U.S. non-Big4 auditors. Findings address recent concern over the quality of foreign auditors practicing in the U.S. | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Accounting (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Levay explored the implementation of British Columbia's school food and beverage sales policy. This research provides insight into the complexity of implementing food systems-related public health policy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Nayebzadah studied the representation of Afghan-Canadian Muslim diaspora in postcolonial fiction through the practice of a/r/tography. Her work raises questions about biases, presuppositions, and world-views on Muslims. This research informs discussion around the role of authors as constructing and consolidating notions of "self" and "other". | Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD) |
| 2018 | Drawing from national data, Dr. Tugault-Lafle characterised the determinants of diet quality among Canadian children on school days and how diet quality has changed from 2004 to 2015. These findings provide evidence to inform policy debates about the potential roles schools could play to influence the diet of Canadian children. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Yu Ko explored the connections between masculinity and radical prostatectomy in the context of men returning to work after being treated for prostate cancer. Findings advance understandings about the processes used by men to secure a graduated return to work post radical prostatectomy and guide the design of gender-sensitive interventions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2018 | The human body is home to approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms including bacteria and other microbes. Dr. Cait examined how this microbiome impacts asthma susceptibility and highlighted the importance of microbially-derived metabolites in preventing this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Aubry investigated how weather conditions during an eruption control the rise of explosive volcanic columns. His research unravels how long-term climate changes affect the delivery of volcanic gases into the atmosphere and suggests that global warming will hinder volcanoes' ability to cool Earth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Dubland studied smooth muscle cell foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. He found that a deficiency in lysosomal acid lipase, a key enzyme used to break down fats, was implicated in cholesterol accumulation in these cells. These results provide new insights into lipid build up in atherosclerosis and identify a new potential therapeutic target. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Aijazi examined how people have flourished following natural disasters in the mountainscapes of Northern Pakistan and Kashmir. He highlights the diverse ways his participants sustain themselves despite conditions of violence. He reveals that lived and felt experience are sites of knowledge, and theory is not just about seeing, but also feeling. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Sommerfeld investigated how two specific protein complexes regulate the cell division process in cervical cancer cells. His studies identified novel functions for these protein complexes, and showed how loss of their activities may contribute to uncontrolled cell division and cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Du investigated the attention and navigation control of a mobile robot for carrying out dynamically challenging tasks involving humans. She made significant contributions in the development of an integrated attention model with self-awareness, and a biology-inspired method of robot planning and obstacle avoidance for a mobile robot. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |