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. Daniels compared the personal memories from Aboriginal students of public schools and of Indian residential schools. By examining these intergenerational memories, she gained insights into Indigenous peoples' education in Canada. This research opens up possibilities for decolonizing present-day educational research, policies and practices. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Roth developed statistical models for studying the genomes of cancer cells. These models have been widely applied in the cancer genomics community to study the evolution of tumours. This work contributes significantly to our ability to diagnose and treat cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. de Vaucorbeil studied the origin of strengthening in certain aluminum alloys during room temperature aging. Even if this mechanism was discovered more than a century ago, the mechanisms by which it happened remained uncertain. He found that this strengthening comes primarily from the difference of size between the atoms constituting the alloys. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Reichert studied the microstructures of high-strength steels. She developed tools to help predict the mechanical properties of critical structural parts. Findings from her research will be used to establish structure-property relationships for commercial line pipe steel. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Bazri investigated the feasibility of using a novel treatment technology to remove naturally occurring precursors for carcinogenic disinfection by-products from various drinking water sources. The significance of his research will contribute to the development of robust treatment solutions to improve the quality of drinking water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Deschambault examined the impact of fee-paying international students on BC's public schools. His analysis calls into question current understandings of international students in educational policies and practices, and acknowledges the important role English language learning plays in their school experiences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English as a Second Language (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Eng characterized proteins that are essential for regulating microtubule dynamics and cell morphogenesis in plants. He demonstrated that a kinesin specific motor protein has the ability to destabilize microtubules. Dr. Eng's work contributes to the understanding of the growth and development of plants at the cellular and molecular level. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Vivaldi conducted research among migrant indigenous people in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her work shows the importance of mobility and the creation of spatial networks for confronting socioeconomic marginalization and urban segregation. This research contributes to thinking and promoting urban inclusion and indigenous decolonization. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Piltan developed a model for evaluating the performance of business partnerships as well as a model for evaluating factors influencing the partnership performance over time. He applied his models to a partnership in the Canadian forest products supply chain. His results help managers make more informed decisions for their business partnerships. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hu created a crowdsensing platform which addresses the research challenges in the overall workflow of crowdsensing in vehicular social networks (VSNs) in terms of task allocation and task execution. This platform supports the creation of different context-aware mobile crowdsensing applications and facilitates their real-world deployments in VSNs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kong explored the design of biomaterials based on engineered polyprotein. She designed hydrogels with dynamic, mechanical properties and discovered novel strategies for crosslinking hydrogel networks. This research expands the horizons of materials that can be applied to tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. McMullin constructed a set of artificial languages for people to learn in the laboratory, and showed that the way humans learn linguistic sound patterns influences the range of patterns found across the world's languages. His dissertation argues that current linguistic theory cannot account for this, and proposes a mathematically principled definition of what constitutes a possible language. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Sepulveda explored how the suffering provoked to a colony of black-necked swans by an ecological disaster occurred in a protected wetland, in Valdivia, Chile, became a landmark event that forced historical changes in the country's environmental frame and its until then dominant business model. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Hamdi employed statistical learning, signal processing, and graph-theoretic tools to analyze and develop algorithms that are aimed at estimation and learning problems in social networks. His research focused on building information aggregation protocols that improve the performance of social sensors in online social networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Chatalova Sazepin conducted her research in Organic Chemistry. She developed new ways of connecting fluorine atoms to organic molecules, and used copper as a catalyst to allow a rapid access to complex structures from readily available feedstock. Ultimately, her research should enable the development of more efficient drugs and materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Littell investigated dialogue patterns in Kwak'wala, a critically endangered aboriginal language of British Columbia, based on field interviews with Kwakwaka'wakw elders. This research helps future learners of conversational Kwak'wala know how to ask and answer questions, draw parallels and contrasts, and express agreement and disagreement. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ngoh examined the role of a protein called Interleukin-1 in intestinal inflammation. He found that a subgroup of Crohn's disease subjects develop intestinal auto-inflammation because they fail to regulate this particular protein. Dr. Ngoh's research demonstrates that these subjects could benefit from therapy that targets Interleukin-1. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kennedy examined how carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology became the central plank in Alberta's climate change strategy. She found that CCS evolved from decades of support from government, industry and research communities, but failed to address industry emissions, as well as social legitimacy and market access concerns. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Alloying elements play an important role in determining a metal's properties. Dr. Huber used computer simulations to study the interaction between solute atoms and defects in the structure of a host metal. His research provides insight into important atomistic mechanisms and new tools for computationally aided alloy design. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ostevik's research focused on the ways in which populations adapt to new habitats and how those changes can facilitate the creation of new species. She found that this process can happen quickly and that these changes can be similar during repeated events. Her work helps us understand the creation and maintenance of biological diversity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lund studied how licensed insolvency trustees, the professionals who administer personal bankruptcies, determine whether or not an individual is entitled to debt relief. This research illuminates the impact that financial and emotional constraints have on legal actors when they interpret and apply the law. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2016 | In this age of digital technology, the information content of the display and how we present it can have an impact on our health and safety. Dr. Eskandari studied the effectiveness of displayed information. Her research will contribute to safer and more efficient methods for designing user-interfaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Epstein-Barr virus (also known as EBV) causes serious and life-threatening consequences for individuals with weakened immune systems. Dr. Huang has investigated how immunity against this virus is achieved. The knowledge acquired from her studies will aid in the design of novel immune therapies for severe EBV infection and virus-associated cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Agrawal developed new methods to generate realistic, animated, character motion efficiently. His work uses physics-based simulation, motion-capture and optimization in order to create motion for applications including games, film, and training simulations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Robinson studied the integration of Indigenous knowledge at three Aboriginal post-secondary institutes in BC. Her research highlights the critical role of Elders in academia, the role of partnerships, and the resiliency of Aboriginal post-secondary institutes. This research will benefit Aboriginal education policy in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |