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. Blasberg examined how perfectionistic personality impacts the thoughts and feelings people have when ostracized. He found people who need to be or appear perfect, react to being ostracized with more intense feelings and negative thoughts. His work helps explain how perfectionistic personality leads to emotional distress in response to ostracism. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | The research of Dr. Karslidis was in the field of Harmonic Analysis. He worked on a functional inequality, called the small ball inequality, which has numerous applications in probability and approximation theory. He proved the optimal version of this inequality under mild hypotheses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2016 | In 2003, New Zealand decriminalized sex work vastly improving sex workers' occupational well-being. Dr. Zangger found that despite these positive changes, the whore stigma, discrimination, and the presence of restrictive by-laws remain, constraining dynamics that jeopardise the advancement of sex workers' rights in the indoor sex industry in Auckland. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Thompson studied a class of enzymes called KMTs, which regulate the expression of our genes. He discovered a novel protein co-factor that supports the function of KMTs in gene regulation by helping them recognize specific DNA sequences. His work has implications for developing therapies for genetic disorders and cancers in which KMTs are disrupted. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Roustaei studied fundamental and theoretical fluid mechanics related to the oil and gas well construction to make them safer, last longer and more environmentally friendly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Brehmer studied why and how people use data visualization tools and techniques to process information. He introduced a framework for classifying visualization tasks and used it to conduct design and evaluation projects in the domains of journalism and energy management. His research can be applied when developing new data visualization tools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Gray studied why people choose not to participate in politics. He developed a theory of how not participating in politics might itself be a form of political engagement. This theory will help us to design democratic institutions to be more responsive to ordinary citizens. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Price developed tools to analyze millions of chemical marks on human DNA. She showed that such analyses should include factors like experimental conditions and a person's sex and age. Dr. Price used these tools to study babies with birth defects. Her thesis contributes to understanding how to apply modern DNA tools to study human development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. O'Hara conducted a record linkage and large cohort study to estimate the rate of tuberculosis in health workers in the Free State province of South Africa over a decade. Her results show that the risk of TB in health workers is up to 3 times greater than the general population. Her findings will be used to improve infection control in hospitals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2016 | Daniella Jean Trimboli examined digital storytelling as a social technology concerned with cultural diversity in Australia. She found that digital storytelling both bolsters official multiculturalism and engages with the complex realties of everyday multiculturalism. Her findings are an original contribution to conceptualising participatory and plural forms of cultural representation. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Coughlin analyzed works of painting and architecture in the 16th-century Veneto to demonstrate the operation of prudence in visual realms. By evaluating how pictorial and architectural representations often substituted for written interpretations, he considers the crucial role visual imagery played in philosophical debates at the time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2016 | Identifying worsening individuals in on-going clinical trials and treatment responders in completed trials are important tasks in the area of personalized medicine. Dr. Kondo developed statistical models to identify such individuals in comparative longitudinal studies. Her methods are implemented as a publicly available software, and they will help clinicians understand the complex nature of the disease progression in multiple dimensions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Robots that can efficiently seek out objects are useful in applications ranging from manufacturing lines to home care robotics. Dr. Radmard's work enables camera-equipped robots to search for interesting things in their environment. His research improves robot autonomy and permits practical and user-friendly human-robot interaction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Daniels studied public involvement in decisions to remove funding for health services in the British National Health Service. His investigation, focusing on the views of health professionals, found that there is a role for citizens in such decisions, but the nature of this role should depend on the scale and scope of the decision being taken. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Huber explored the floral and reproductive biology of highbush blueberry, an important fruit in British Columbia. She identified variation in floral characteristics and fertility that has implications for pollination and fruit yield improvements. The findings from her research could benefit blueberry growers and breeders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Aerosols are an important component of the atmosphere that influence weather and climate. Dr. Mason's research examined how aerosols may modify cloud formation, lifetime, and reflectivity by causing ice formation. In developing a new technique and deploying it in field studies, his results provide insight into the properties of ice-active aerosols. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Afacan studied microbiology and immunology. Specifically she investigated the link between cellular metabolism and the activity of immune modulating peptides. Her results furthered our understanding of how these peptides act and revealed a potential new role for the peptides in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Cancer patients are not optimally treated with injected radiation. Patient differences are being ignored. Dr.Uribe performed simulations and experiments, analysed patient data, and developed a protocol for personalized treatment. This will benefit millions of patients, bringing us one step closer to his dream of making cancer a non-lethal disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ghaffari has studied the role of Hedgehog pathway in prostate cancer. Reactivation of this developmental pathway enhances progression and metastasis of this disease. His research has led to insights in utilizing novel therapeutic approaches in inhibiting this pathway in combination with chemotherapy to hinder the advancement of prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Gao developed a novel method using molecularly imprinted polymers to separate small molecules in food samples and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to detect them. This method is rapid and sensitive. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bhattacharjee's thesis looks at determinants of infant health outcomes, female fertility decisions and the evolution of gender gap in labor market outcomes in India. Her research shows that in some sectors, infant health outcomes are sensitive to political cycles and female fertility decisions are affected by female employment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Boxill identified mechanisms that inhibit effective dewatering of oil sands tailings. She demonstrated how fabric and surface characteristics affect their engineering behavior. This work will be used to develop more effective ways to treat, manage and reclaim surface mines in the Alberta oil sands. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kobylarz studied specialized iron chelators of the human superbug Staphylococcus aureus. His studies showed how the production of these chelators is linked to growth and revealed a unique approach for bacterial survival in blood. This research opens new prospects for diagnostics for S. aureus. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sharma studied the development of the innate immune system in preterm neonates. His research will help in the creation of new strategies to fight infections in this highly vulnerable subset of human population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ekram's doctoral studies addressed the problem of blood glucose regulation in type 2 diabetic patients. She used mathematical modelling to represent a simulated patient and help with the selection of an efficient treatment. Her proposed control strategies provide better regulation of the blood glucose and improve the patients' quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |