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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. Fobear examined the settlement experiences of LGBT refugees in North America. Her work contributes a queer perspective to refugee settlement that unsettles homonational narratives of Canada as a safe haven and the Western discourses surrounding "saving" LGBT refugees. | Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD) |
| 2016 | Infants who are born to HIV positive women but remain HIV uninfected, are among the world's most vulnerable to infectious disease. Dr. Reikie discovered a number of transient anomalies of these infants' immune system. His findings have been used to help uncover causes of increased suffering from disease in this already vulnerable population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | If thieves and burglars that begin to appear in a once crime-free city are not working together in a coordinated manner, why then are certain neighborhoods more attractive to criminals than others? Dr. Tse studied why such crime hot-spots emerge, persist and evolve. His work provides insights into how police might respond. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Abouzar studied factors affecting energy consumption of wireless sensor networks. He designed algorithms and protocols to improve energy conservation while considering previously unaccounted for channel impairments (such as movements and blockage). Results from his work will be used on existing commercial modules. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Riedel explored how international practicums in Teacher Education impacted the understanding of good teaching practices for beginning teachers. She found these settings challenged assumptions in ways that rarely happen in home-country settings. Her findings emphasize the value of internationalizing Teacher Education in substantive ways. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2016 | Dr. McNamara examined how culture and cognition sculpt psychology across development. Norms prohibiting mental state inference lead Fijian adults to punish accidents more than Westerners, while children in Fiji and Canada show similar intent focus. Therefore, mental state reasoning may emerge early and differentiate based on culture into adulthood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Cayley's research explored narratives of people who identify as non-binary, highlighting errors of the female-male gender system. Included were stories of violence, resistance, intersectionality and systemic oppression. This project represents trans voices and offers inclusive language, which widens the space of belonging for people of all genders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Maity studied the situation of women and a historically marginalized group called the Scheduled Tribes in India. She found that women's participation in workfare and historic property rights enhance women's and children's well-being at present. Her research shows the need to improve healthcare delivery to reduce health inequality faced by tribes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Frey investigated the relationship between poverty reduction policies and local politics in Brazil. His research shows that cash transfer programs can effectively empower the poor, reducing their vulnerability to vote buying, and also create incentives for politicians to increase the provision of public goods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Davidson's work focused on the effects of disturbances, such as wildfires and large floods, on mountain rivers. She developed numerical models to predict the effects of these events on stream dynamics and fish habitat. Her work is now being used in hazard prediction and management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | People often behave in ways that are predictable, but which standard economic theory would call "irrational". Dr. Wright showed how to apply recent ideas from machine learning to this problem, developing algorithms that are optimized for people, rather than perfectly rational theoretical agents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Davidson combined Indigenous and non-Indigenous methodologies to explore how art and narrative writing can strengthen adolescents' writing and support their emerging identities. Her research helps educators to better support Indigenous students in school and proposes a framework for enhancing ethical conduct in research practices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Michaelsen studied lipid-based drug delivery systems to examine the mechanism behind increased drug absorption. Digestion was not found to play a role with regard to absorption however, drug load was. Her findings may provide guidance for future development of drug delivery systems for poorly water-soluble drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Chen studied Bioinformatics to examine gene regulation as it applies to biological hypotheses. Her work contributes to a better understanding of the hierarchical regulation of genes and the differential expression between the sexes. This work will further our understanding of diseases and phenotypes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Guiry studied the historical implications of animal trade and husbandry. His research showed how dietary analyses at the atomic level can be used to reveal new insights into the social and economic roles of domesticated animal species in colonial trade systems of North America and Australia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Software tools mediate and shape users' behavior, constraining the way that people accomplish their tasks. Dr. Haraty studied and designed mechanisms that empower people to personalize their software by changing its functionality. Her design and the results of her empirical studies provide insights into the design of highly personalizable tools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Racovita identified more than 15 new classes of chemical substances in the surface wax mixtures covering aerial parts of three plant species: candelabra aloe, fishpole bamboo, and bread wheat. These findings reveal the diversity of ways in which plants produce chemicals that help sustain their water reserves or defend themselves from herbivores. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Pesquita investigated human sensitivity to subtle differences in bodily cues that occur when someone else's attention is controlled by an internal choice versus an external cue. Her work brings a longstanding distinction between voluntary and reflexive attention into the realm of a modern topic: reading other's minds through action observation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lore explored when, how, and why women in politics act to represent women's interests. Her findings revealed that the presence of women matters more in presidential than parliamentary systems and when electoral systems encourage personal rather than party votes. This has important implications on promoting a diverse representation in government. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Goeders developed new techniques to allow computer chip designers to observe their systems and locate bugs. His techniques target emerging design methods, allowing for the development of more complex circuit systems than previously possible. Ultimately this will allow for new computers capable of meeting the growing demands of future applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Grist developed a new device to recreate aspects of the environment in tumors that can affect cancer cells' behavior and response to drugs. By growing cells on a 3D scaffold and precisely controlling the oxygen level, her device has the potential to better predict patient response in the early stages of testing cancer treatments on cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fox investigated the brain's ability to self-generate its own mental content independent of the external environment. His work illuminates how specific brain networks are differentially involved in generating particular types of mental content. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hoellering showed how Turkish-German ethno-comedians occupy a social position similar to medieval jesters, and how their distinctive humor deflates stereotypes that have developed over centuries. His work helps to understand ethno-comedy as an effective platform for the cultural participation of marginalized groups. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Saghafi studied business information modelling. He investigated approaches that could improve the performance of users in business analytics, and enhance their overall understanding of the application requirements. His research has important implications for both researchers and practitioners in the area of information systems development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kang examined the lives of undergraduate exchange students between Canada and Korea through the lens of globalization, imagination, and space. She found that current exchange programs have reinforced contemporary social inequality. This study recommends creating more inclusive exchange programs by offering shared spaces between exchange and local students. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |