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 | Soils play a crucial, but often under-estimated, role in the water cycle. Dr. Roa-García analyzed the properties of common soils in the Colombian Andes, and found that nano-particle size minerals increase the ability of these soils to hold and release water. This knowledge informs management practices to optimize water for food and communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. San-Miguel developed a novel framework using Landsat satellite data to improve our understanding of historical fire patterns across the Canadian boreal forest. When applied, the framework produced new information for 507 fires. This work increases our understanding of fire mortality and fire burn behaviour that was not previously known. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Munoz created an Indigenous Fronterizo Pedagogy of Water by documenting the life stories of elders in her home community of Laredo, Texas. Her work revitalizes the ancestral relationships between the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo and the diverse Indigenous peoples of the Texas Mexico border communities, connecting youth to elders through water stories. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Frewing evaluated three methods for providing rewards when teaching new skills to children with autism spectrum disorder. All participants demonstrated a clear and stable preference for one method over the others. Children's preferences for teaching strategies may inform treatment selection, particularly when two or more strategies are similarly effective. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Tsai studied how the immune system in the gut responds to ingested particles. He found that gut leakiness can impact the development of the immune system. This work furthers our understanding on how ingested particles can potentially shape our immune system to control its responses towards food and the environment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Trenaman evaluated patient decision aids, which are tools designed to help patients make better quality health care decisions. He found that patient decision aids for individuals considering total hip and knee replacement improved outcomes and reduced costs. His research will help policy makers invest in cost-effective tools for patient-centred care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Polonijo studied how income, education, and race-ethnicity shape inequalities in human papillomavirus vaccination. Her research identifies the importance of vaccination policy, mother-daughter communication, and community-focused attitudes for both creating and preventing social inequalities in vaccination among adolescents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Thaper studied the malleable nature of epithelial prostate cancer cells, specifically the ability of these cells to survive hormone therapy by moving up the differentiation ladder to a more aggressive neuronal state. This research identified an important protein for this process and new therapies are currently under development for clinical use. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Laptiev used modern econometric methods to find that improved access to foreign intermediate inputs, generated by tariff reductions, fosters domestic producers to upgrade the quality of their exports. His research contributes to a better understanding of the benefits of trade liberalization at the microeconomic level. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Road collisions are a severe epidemic that cause the loss of millions of lives. Dr. Ahmed introduced measures of road safety for less-organized traffic environments. He developed evasive action measures to detect road users in close collisions. His research helps practitioners to objectively assess road safety in less-organized traffic environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Matinkhoo developed the first ever synthesis of alpha-amanitin, the main toxin of the notorious death cap mushroom, since its discovery over 60 years ago. This toxin recently provided effective treatments for several cancers in mice, namely pancreatic. This work provides insight into the synthesis of targeted amanitins and derivatives thereof. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Houlahan designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated a competency-based program for municipal police recruit training in British Columbia. Recruits trained in this program have a more accurate view of their abilities compared to recruits in a lecture-based program. This program is now standard for municipal police recruit training in BC. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Capraro studied the impact of subduction motions on the seismic performance of buildings. Her research showed that the long duration of subduction motions leads to higher collapse probabilities and that the magnitude of this effect depends on the fundamental period, the ductility of the structure and the intensity of the motions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Sannan studied the fovea, a region in the retina essential for our central sharp vision. He published novel mutations in patients with abnormal fovea and defined the cellular and molecular cues deriving fovea development in green anoles. The latter has opened a new path of research toward treating the untreatable foveal abnormalities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. DuMerton described what helps and hinders early parenting women who are impacted by substance use. This research contributes a practical understanding of the needs of this vulnerable population and will assist professionals who treat mothers' addiction issues while they remain together with their babies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Integrating a global, intercultural dimension into higher education is complex and challenging for institutional leaders. Dr. Soodeen studied college executives' understandings of internationalization and found these understandings to be not fully reflected in policy or practice. He offered recommendations for achieving a more comprehensive internationalization consistent with stated values. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Lam studied the neurobiological basis of mental health problems associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. She found that alcohol exposure increased vulnerability to stress by changing how the brain and endocrine systems regulate emotion and respond to stress. Her work contributes to understanding the connection between early alcohol exposure and mental health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Bala-Miller studied institutional investors as a potentially strong but neglected lever for advancing corporate compliance with human rights norms. Addressing the democratic deficits that she identifies within investor-led human rights activism, has the transformative capacity to ensure capital serves the needs of society, rather than the reverse. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Islam developed a novel temperature prediction model for machining of metals. The model sheds light on how heat is generated and distributed on metal cutting tools. His work helps with the designing of metal cutting tools and planning more cost effective manufacturing operations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Wang studied the microscopic structures and evolution of liquid crystalline tactoids formed by cellulose nanocrystals. He developed an in-situ photopolymerization method to capture these soft ordered microdroplets for direct electron microscopy observations. His work provides new insights into the early evolution of self-assembly processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Wang studied one of nature's great puzzles: what is dark energy which causes the accelerating expansion of our Universe? He proposed that dark energy is the vacuum energy of quantum fields, which curve the spacetime in a particular way to drive the accelerating expansion of the Universe. This work is a crucial step towards a theory of everything. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Fuel cells are promising devices to sustain our increasing need for clean energy. Dr. Chan developed a novel catalyst component using nanofibrous materials to study the impact of material and structural properties on fuel cell performance. The findings from her research can reduce costs and increase efficiencies in future fuel cell designs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Najjar provided new evidence of how firms change their operations in response to environmental policy. His work showed how these changes contribute to a cleaner economy, but may disadvantage domestic firms relative to foreign firms. These results give new insights into the environmental and economic consequences of environmental policy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Train studied the influence of pleasure in Physical Education. He examined the natural desire young people have to move for pleasure and the developmental lens through which an educator tends to view their movement. He provides an alternative framework for educators interested in investigating the value of pleasure-based physical education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Comak studied the virtual process modeling of turn-milling operations used in aerospace and automotive industries to produce complex engine parts. He developed the novel physics-based mathematical models of the turn-milling process that maximize the productivity of the manufacturing process and accuracy of the machined parts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |