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 | NID |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Silveira studied how the brain allocates cognitive effort for lucrative outcomes. His work identified regions and neurotransmitters that bias organisms to put in mental effort for outcomes they want. Such work sheds light on how these processes may be disrupted in disorders characterized by blunted effort exertion, such as depression and schizophrenia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2018 | The fairytale fantasy is a hybrid literary genre that combines fairy tale and fantasy characteristics. Through an examination of two sets of case-studies from different national literatures, Dr. Dreier provided means to the understanding of the narrative apparatus and the revisionist qualities of fairytale fantasy works. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Yoo investigated new computational methods, based on artificial intelligence, that automatically identify changes in brain images. These changes signify how a patient with neurological disorders may get worse over time. His research will help doctors gain more useful information from each patient's MRI and give personalized treatment for each person. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (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. 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. Chan studied differential equations, refining an existing method and developing new techniques for finding solutions, which, as an application, provides a counter-example in an open problem known as fractional De Giorgi conjecture. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Yang used advanced proteomics techniques to characterize cancer drug resistance, and to study the function of a tumour suppressor protein. These studies further our understanding of protein signalling pathways in cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Raisinghani examined teachers' perspectives on students' cultural diversity and responsive science and mathematics teaching. Her research adds to the scant literature on this topic and provides insights into culturally responsive teaching in a Canadian context. It also brings Canadian teachers' voices to the fore in the field of multicultural science education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. McEwen helped characterize an epigenetic process called DNA methylation. She analyzed thousands of genome-wide DNA profiles ranging from newborns to centenarian-aged individuals. Her work increases our understanding of how methylation changes across the life-course and the potential implications it may have on human longevity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Marshall developed a technique to study how human mitochondria trigger cell death. Using this technique, she found new events implicated in cell death as well as unique events triggered during bacterial infection. This work addresses a technical gap in studying the 'powerhouse of the cell' and its control over human cell death. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Miller's research studied the atomic properties of xenon. He produced states in xenon, which are sensitive to the effects of magnetism, and probed these states using ultraviolet laser light. His research will help create xenon-based magnetic sensors that work in the near-vacuum conditions of subatomic physics experiments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Kulkarni studied nanoparticles to enable gene therapies for the treatment of liver diseases. Through his research, he overturned the existing paradigm of the structure of these nanoparticles; proposed a novel structure; and re-engineered the nanoparticles for diagnostics and gene therapy applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (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. Hickmott worked towards the development of new gene-based therapies for the rare genetic blindness known as aniridia. He developed new DNA elements to direct the expression of new therapies, further characterized a mouse model of aniridia, and used that mouse to show that PAX6 gene therapy can, at least, temporarily improve the aniridic cornea. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Boyle examined the role of repetition in a selection of postmodern compositions, proposing new theoretical principles for understanding the perception of musical segments. Her work expands on previous discussions of musical form by explaining not only the emergence of closed segments, but also of more open forms and processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Music, Emphasis Musicology (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Wang analyzed the pricing, competition and investment issues in the transportation industry. His research contributes to a better understanding of the economic impact and the interactions of new transport modes, such as high-speed rail or low-cost airlines. It also has policy implications for transport development in emerging countries such as China. | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Transportation and Logistics (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Dzal's research focused on the physiological responses of mammals in extreme environments. Looking at newborns and adult mammals, she showed that hibernation may have evolved via retention of newborn traits. Her comparative studies enhance our understanding of the adaptations that permit animals to live in extreme environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 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 | Several microorganisms use elasticity to creep around, evade a predator, and to interact with their environment in fluids. Using mathematical models, Dr. Nasouri examined the effects of elasticity on the behaviors of microorganisms and showed that, indeed, elasticity can play a key role in motion of a cell in fluids. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. Elleouet studied spruce populations in Alaska to understand how expanding forests evolve in a changing climate. She found that the trees' long time to maturity and the capacity to disperse pollen across large distances might help these forests keep a healthy level of genetic diversity. She also explored the use of genomic data to infer past demographic changes in natural tree populations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Dr. de Paula studied the effectiveness of riparian buffer management strategies to protect stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes of the Amazon. These strategies were retaining forests in place and land abandonment for natural regeneration. He found that both strategies were effective, contributing to more sustainable agriculture practices | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2018 | Former U.S. President Bush once said, "The world is addicted to oil". To address this, Dr. Zhong examined the possibility of making bioethanol from sustainably sourced wood residues as an alternative to oil for transport. Her research advances the industrialization of lignocellulosic bioethanol production. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (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 | 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. Teichert examined digital literacy practices of children in their homes before and after kindergarten entry. She found children moved fluidly between digital and non-digital activities during play, but that parents had concerns about their children's use of digital devices and preferred that their children engage in non-digital activities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |