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. Everett-Kabut's research explores the use of theatrical performance as a tool for propaganda, education and community building in the early years of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in 1930's Vancouver. This work suggests that workers' theatre in Canada was far more widespread than previously believed and suggests that theatre was and remains a vital tool for political and social change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fortelny examined and modeled interactions of proteases, a class of key cell enzymes underpinning biology and pathology. He developed computational models and databases that identify protease pathways and their targets in health and disease. His analyses revealed the unexpected pervasiveness and importance of protease interactions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Miao developed an effective imaging registration method to reveal motions of the patient and medical devices during medical imaging and treatment. His research enables motion corrected medical imaging, as well as advanced image guidance for life-saving minimally invasive procedures for treating cardiovascular diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Landry examined the academic field of writing studies in Canada. She defined this field based on scholars' demographic data, institutional locations, identities, and experiences. This research has the potential to improve the ways in which students learn to write and to increase legitimacy for those who work in writing studies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Burns studied thinking skills in patients with schizophrenia related disorders. She found that patients with schizophrenia had difficulty understanding irony, a difference that was also reflected in electrical activity in the brain. This study increases our understanding of schizophrenia and informs intervention strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Dorador studied the fragmentation process of block caving, an underground mining method. He developed a new approach to estimate block size distribution at drawpoints. His research contributes to the design of block cave mining projects during early stage engineering. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Peeler studied the historical development and contemporary interpretation of the law of armed conflict. He argues that despite the existence of a recognizable trend towards humanitarianism, an expectation of reciprocity continues to be an important factor when states consider their law of armed conflict obligations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sun demonstrated the novel concept of storing CO2 at shallow depths in depleted natural gas reservoirs in Alberta. His work showed that at these conditions, solid gas hydrate crystals form and lock the CO2 in place. His research could help mitigate the CO2 emitted from Alberta fossil fuel conbustion sources for more than 250 years. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sabella-Garnier applied methods usually reserved for microscopic physics to study space and time. In so doing, he was able to better describe the behaviour of certain surfaces and to put bounds on the existence of matter with negative energy. This work furthers our understanding of the links between gravity and the other forces of nature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Helbert demonstrated the importance of legends about King Arthur to the medieval border between England and Wales. His research highlights the importance of this border community to the development of British culture and identity. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2016 | Memories are basic components of computing systems and the bottleneck of computation performance. Dr. Abdelhadi developed parallel memory architectures to increase the performance and reduce the cost of compute-intensive systems. A variety of hardware accelerators can apply his techniques to solve some of the most important computational problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Wall examined rates of magmatic processes in the Earth's crust using precise radiometric dating of some of the world's largest plutonic bodies. He developed a technique to extract mineral chronometers from rocks that had previously been considered undateable. His results provide key insights into the timescales of magmatism in the Earth's history. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ge investigated opportunistic scheduling to meet the growing demand of mobile data service with limited radio resources in wireless networks. Her work will benefit the appealing feature of "anywhere, anytime" wireless communication access, while making the most of the distributed architectures to maximize spectral efficiency. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. McAvoy studied applications of game theory to evolutionary biology. He extended several mathematical models in order to more realistically account for features found in evolving populations. These extensions provide more insight into the evolution of cooperation and help to further develop the field of evolutionary game theory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Morimoto studied a rare, genetic childhood disease called Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia that affects the skeletal, renal, immune, and vascular systems. She identified key gene expression changes that likely underlie several clinical features of the disease. Her findings provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this fatal disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Currently one in 12 people have asthma and that number continues to grow. Dr. Singh developed a blood-based biomarker signature, that can predict the allergen-induced late phase asthmatic response. These blood tests may improve risk stratification of allergic asthmatic individuals for clinical trials, and provide new targets for therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Cao studied two important risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. She found that environmental and genetic risk factors can trigger an overdrive in the body's immune system, which leads to chronic inflammation and damage in the eye tissues. Her findings will help develop new strategies to stop AMD development and prevent vision loss in the elderly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bessmeltsev introduced novel approaches to algorithmically infer artist-intended 3D shape from sketches. His methods interpret artist drawings and create the envisioned 3D CAD or character models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Keerthisinghe investigated the role of the signalling protein MUSTACHES in plant development. She discovered how this protein controls the shape and symmetry of the cells that control gas exchange in leaves and the formation of lateral roots. This work will have important implications for understanding water use efficiency in plants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sabatini examined the dynamics and mechanism governing the expression of the transcription factor Npas4 within pancreatic beta cells. Additionally, he explored how NPAS4 impacts beta cell function and glucose homoeostasis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bashar developed stem cell based therapy targeting inherited disorders that affect vision. His approaches prevented progressive damage to neurons and improved vision in model organisms. Most importantly, the techniques he developed for these treatments are highly transferable to other disease systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Rain-on-snow has caused some of the most severe floods around the world, yet these floods remain difficult to predict. Dr. Trubilowicz showed the importance of high mountain weather on river response during rain-on-snow events in British Columbia. These results help to improve our ability to forecast rain-on-snow floods throughout the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lara studied literary works of the Mexican guerrilla during the 1960's and 70's. He argues that the tensions and articulations between mourning and memory, utopia, and apocalyptic visions recreate a symbolic space where guerrillas, their families, and friends work for the reconstruction of memory, recognition, love and justice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Zhu is recognized internationally as an outstanding researcher in next-generation wireless communications. He proposed a ground-breaking secure massive MIMO architecture, which substantially improves throughput/energy-efficiency/security of wireless systems. His revolutionary research will find vast applications in the 5G wireless industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Alsubaie studied electrical and computer engineering. He developed a resilience assessment framework for interdependent infrastructure systems, such as power and water networks. He used this framework to optimize the operations of critical infrastructure systems aimed at helping emergency responders during disasters. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |