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. Cheung showed that people tend to misunderstand the complex relationship between genes and behaviour, often assuming that our genes determine our behaviours. His research demonstrated several important consequences and may impact how we perceive things like having less control over one's weight or expressing greater leniency towards criminals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | An important question in biology is how our genomes inform who we are and the diseases we get. Dr. Sanders developed new tools to visualize the organization and structure of DNA in a single cell. With this advance, she found the structural composition of human genomes is highly complex and unique. Now, we can test how these differences impact human health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kridel studied two scenarios that are associated with poor survival in follicular lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His research highlighted contrasting evolutionary processes driving these processes, as well as novel genetic markers associated with prognosis. This work advances our understanding of the disease behaviour. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Baillie was able to effect the conversion of methane, a greenhouse gas, into transportable, value-added chemicals using organometallic complexes of tungsten. He also established the individual steps involved in these transformations, thereby enhancing the possibility of performing this environmentally important chemistry in a catalytic manner. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Liu examines how retrotransposons are silenced in germ cells. He developed a high-throughput method to map chemical modifications on histones in germ cells; with this method, he found loss of a special histone modification leads to retrotransposon reactivation and germ cell death, demonstrating its vital importance in mammalian development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Dehkhoda produced a new material from wood waste, which is an intriguing carbon char material. He has shown that water can be cleaned with this char and electricity. With the help of his new material, water and wastewater treatment could be more affordable for industrial and drinking applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bhullar examined the complex interactions between intestinal pathogens and mucus layer, an important protective barrier in the gut. Understanding how pathogens interact with the mucus layer can help in designing novel ways to combat these infections and has the potential to reduce food and water borne diseases caused by E. coli and Salmonella. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bokharaei completed his doctoral degree in the field of nanomedicine and drug delivery at the the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He designed and optimized a novel system that produces magnetic, protein-based, drug-filled microspheres. These biocompatible particles can be used for the imaging of lung diseases or for liver cancer therapy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Grayson studied organic aerosols known to be important in the Earth's atmosphere. While these aerosols were previously assumed to be liquids, he demonstrated they may exist as semi-solids or solids. These studies improve our understanding of organic aerosols and as a result their impacts in the Earth's atmosphere. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Whitfield conducted her research in rural Cambodia, where infantile beriberi, a fatal disease in breastfed babies, is common. She showed that mothers consuming fish sauce with added vitamin B1 produced breast milk with higher B1 content, improving the status of their babies. This fish sauce could save babies lives throughout Southeast Asia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Pederson studied whether health behaviour interventions for women considered the context of women's lives such as their economic status, ethnicity or age. Finding that only limited attention was paid to such factors, Dr. Pederson proposed a framework to help plan interventions to women's improve health behaviours as well as their social status and applied it to the case of older women and physical activity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a growing global issue. Dr. King studied the structure and function of a class of enzymes specifically resistant to antibiotics. This work has helped to uncover the molecular basis underlying this global resistance problem and will aid in the design and development of appropriate inhibitors of these enzymes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kowalec identified novel differences in the human genome that are associated with experiencing adverse drug reactions in people with multiple sclerosis. This represents the first investigation into using genetics to personalize multiple sclerosis treatment and will be used to prevent severe, sometimes fatal adverse drug reactions from occurring. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Are abandoned buildings nothing but wastelands? Dr. LeBlanc's artistic explorations of various closed schools puncturing the Canadian landscape suggest otherwise. Utilizing documentary and conceptual photographic practices, she examined how art can provoke viewers to re-imagine relationships between space, time, place, and memory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Khameneifar's doctoral research focused on precision inspection of jet engine blades. He developed advanced geometric computing algorithms that enable accurate automated geometric inspection of airfoil blades based on digitized surface data. His research contributions significantly enhance productivity and quality in aerospace manufacturing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tufail developed a haptic teleoperation system that is applicable in home-care robotics for the elderly. He focused on controlling the robotic manipulators so that they could interact with objects in the environment in a safe and compliant manner. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tomscha mapped how ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from ecosystems) have changed over time in a floodplain ecosystem using a novel air photo-based approach. She found that frontier settlement disproportionately occurred in riparian and floodplain ecosystems. She also demonstrated that historical information is key to better understanding how ecosystem services interact. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Xie developed new recording techniques to investigate neurons following a temporary stroke in mice. His study indicates neuronal deficits lead to extended damage of motor and sensory function despite a quick recovery of the structure. His work suggests that a temporary stroke can still cause prolonged functional deficits in the brain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Machler investigated whether people who lived in areas of Metro Vancouver that have a greater variety of housing types were more likely to settle in their preferred neighbourhoods. This research is important for policymakers who seek to combat the housing affordability problems of our region. | Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Baker studied Indigenous Science Education for addressing issues of equity and sustainability. His research led to a slow pedagogy of relations involving land, language, story, and ceremony that fosters miskasowin, a Cree term denoting the development of relational identities. His research highlights the need to engage diverse worldviews in schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Takacs studied balance and physical function deficits in people with knee osteoarthritis. Her work contributed to a better understanding of clinical dynamic balance assessment, and treatment of deficits in this population. Her findings provide new information that ultimately better help to address patients' assessment and training approaches. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Nguyen investigated the regenerative activity of normal and malignant breast stem cells and developed a model to generate breast tumours from normal human breast cells. This work was instrumental in understanding the early changes that occur during tumour formation and how the diversity of breast cancer arises from normal starting cells. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bushey explored how smartphones and social media sites are transforming photography. Her research examined the impact of technologies and social practices on the ownership and privacy of personal photographs and online images as legal evidence and archival sources. This research will inform how we share and store photos in social media sites. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Boesten examined the court justice system in Columbia. His research investigated the rules of deliberation that led to the government's decision to rule against powerful social and political interests. This work increases our understanding of how clear procedures in court proceedings can help uphold the justice system even in violent contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Wang studied DNAzymes that can function under physiological conditions. Using in vitro selection, she developed chemically modified DNAzymes to mimic the function of RNase A. Her work will have significant implications for therapeutics used for HIV-1 inhibition. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |