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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dr. Chen validated the use of MRI based myelin imaging technique with electron microscopy. His work enhanced our understanding and interpretation of this technique in studying white matter damage following spinal cord injury. He also developed an accelerated version of this technique that has the potential to increase its clinical applicability. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2017 | People have been eating jellyfish for centuries; however, the magnitudes of catches are uncertain. Dr. Brotz performed the first global 'catch reconstruction' for jellyfish and found that consumption is more than double previous estimates. He also demonstrated that tools from traditional fisheries science are adaptable for application to jellyfish. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Nanoscopic transport of liquid is critical to many fields of material science and technology. Dr. Liu investigated water and ion transport through carbon nanotubes. He used molecular dynamics to investigate the influence of the water model in simulations. His research helps us understand the mechanism of liquid conduction through nanoscopic channels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Tasawar studied the hydrometallurgical process, by which metals are leached from ore. He established a clear understanding of the key process variables responsible for metal loss to the iron precipitation product. His findings offer a simple way to reduce metal loss in copper hydrometallurgy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Polymer behaves like both solid and liquid in its melt state. Thus, controlling product dimensions in polymer processing applications is challenging and requires thorough understanding of molten polymer. Dr. Konaganti developed a novel mathematical model that can predict the extruded polymer dimensions while accounting for the complex flow phenomena. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Baier investigated the evolutionary divergence of enzyme functions. He revealed that many enzymes have an intrinsic evolutionary potential that is shaped by environmental and biophysical constraints. His research provides insight into the molecular basis of adaptation and will help with the design and engineering of proteins with desired properties. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Granek investigated the application of advanced machine learning algorithms to the field of mineral mapping. In particular his work focused on the development of supervised learning models and artificial neural network algorithms for the exploration of copper-gold porphyry, a type of rock with large crystals found in British Columbia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2017 | Using laboratory models, Dr. Toren investigated novel combination treatment strategies against prostate cancer that is resistant to the best current treatments available. His work identified two promising strategies, which subsequently progressed to clinical studies in patients with treatment-resistant prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2017 | One in ten people lack access to safe drinking water. Dr. Rezaei studied the effectiveness of photocatalytic processes on the removal of chemical contamination of water supplies and developed a kinetic model for better understanding photocatalytic reactions. His work will improve our ability to provide small and rural communities with safe drinking water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Stiemsma studied the intestinal microbiome and identified specific bacteria associated with the development of asthma in children. Her work suggests the microbiome as both an early life marker of asthma and a potential preventive treatment against this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Liu's doctoral studies focused on further uncovering the underlying causes of chronic myeloid leukemia. He discovered a novel protein complex in the leukemia cells and investigated the functional roles of the protein complex in disease development. His research advances our knowledge and understanding in leukemogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Okawa explored how people in the past created order by overcoming conflicts, using the example of the Buddhist temple of Koyasan in Japan. He argued that the indescribable power of divine beings morphed onto their geography and was the source of order for a regional society before the advent of the early modern state at the turn of the 17th century. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Gamal El-Dien studied Quantitative Genomics. She focused on infusing genomic information in White Spruce Tree improvement programs using a novel concept called Genomic Selection. Her research increases our knowledge of how genomics can shorten the breeding cycle of organisms and provides insights into increasing the benefit of such programs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Moscrop asked 'Can we make good political decisions?' and 'How can we make better ones?' His work bridges the gap between political theory and social psychology, and helps us understand how we might change ourselves and our institutions in order to produce rational and autonomous judgments and decisions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Ghasemi's doctoral work focused on the development and monitoring of smart power grids. In his thesis, he proposed mathematical formulations and algorithmic solutions for the integration of renewable energy sources and distributed energy storage systems into modern power systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Adeli studied the conversion of solar energy to clean fuels. He developed novel materials that reported among the highest global artificial photosynthesis efficiencies. His research provides an in-depth understanding of photochemistry and nanotechnology that will contribute significantly to continued development of alternative fuel technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Wang studied the networking problems in the Internet of Things, device-to-device, and 5G cellular networks. His work improves the efficiency of the 4G networks for a huge number of users, enables the P2P file sharing in mobile social networks, and increases the aggregate users' experience by considering the diversity of running applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2017 | Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient for healthy growth and brain development, especially during pregnancy and infancy. Dr. Schroder developed a novel method for convenient and minimally invasive diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency. This method has been clinically translated and used in newborns here in Vancouver as well as in field studies in Indonesia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Crosby studied 19th century Salish Passion Plays - a public form of live religious theatre. Her findings revealed that local and global news coverage of these plays indicated an overlap with religious and secular practices of First Nations and that Indigenous leaders exploited this media interest and inter-cultural exchange for political benefit. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Vidler examined community perceptions of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy through ethnographic studies in Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan and India. She further explored these perceptions using two methods of evidence synthesis. Her work aims to improve detection of these disorders and ultimately reduce maternal and perinatal mortality rates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Romengo examined the paratexts, work that accompanies a text, of sixteenth century French writer, Marguerite de Navarre. Her analysis brought to light not only the material and historical conditions of their publication, but also the literary and extraliterary stakes involved in the early editions of Marguerite de Navarre's works. | Doctor of Philosophy in French (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Li examined how stories and events emerge and evolve in social stream websites like Twitter. He used a graph-based approach and invented algorithms to extract cohesion, context and evolution patterns from raw social media data. This research enhances our understanding of analyzing patterns and trends in social media networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Pokrishevsky developed an innovative method for studying protein misfolding and aggregation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He then used it to identify novel pathological mechanisms in ALS which may lead to the generation of new drugs. His studies may also provide a framework for understanding other neurodegenerative diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2017 | Dr. Afsahi looked at the willingness and capacity of people to discuss cultural and religious values and practices. She designed and tested new and promising methods of facilitation for such conversations. Her research has important implications for both theorists and practitioners interested in finding ways of talking about deeply-divisive issues. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2017 | Neutrino oscillations may hold the key to understanding the fundamental physics laws governing the universe. Dr. Tobayama analyzed the oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos detected at Super-Kamiokande, a large neutrino detector in Japan. The new analysis techniques he developed also benefit other on-going and future measurements at the detector. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |