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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dr. Heng Hartse studied the reactions of English teachers to language useage they perceived as incorrect in student essays. He found that their perceptions of correctness, and their explanations for the evaluations they made, were highly subjective. This work has implications for anyone who works with second language writers and their texts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English as a Second Language (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Montgomery's research focussed on the impact of air filtration on energy use and air quality in the built environment. His findings showed the potential to improve the air quality in existing buildings while, at the same time, reducing building energy consumption. This work will assist in the design of energy efficient, healthy buildings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | The aluminum alloys used for heat exchangers, such as those found in car radiators, are complex to manufacture. Dr. Babaghorbani engineered the microstructure of those alloys and produced different mechanical properties. Using his results, he developed a model to predict the mechanical properties of the alloys, which will have industrial application. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Li studied ways to reduce the costs of the technology for seismology imaging. He proposed a new method that can reduce the prohibitively expensive computational cost of imaging and inversion techniques. With his method, the oil and gas industry can obtain images of subsurface oil and gas reservoirs at feasible costs, without sacrificing quality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Vinall demonstrated that greater exposure to neo-natal pain was related to slower growth, altered brain development and poorer cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children born very pre-term. Positive parent interactions helped to ameliorate the effect of pain on behaviour. This work contributes to understanding the development of pre-term infants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. French investigated how the philosopher Rudolf Carnap understood logic as a kind of conceptual technology. The result is philosophy as conceptual engineering: scientific concepts can be designed and constructed to satisfy the pragmatic demands of scientists. His work has implications for how to view the conceptual foundations of the sciences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Niu's doctoral research focused on optimizing the allocation of radio resources for wireless communication systems. He designed several resource allocation mechanisms which achieved high speed wireless data services for cellphone users. His research provided insightful ideas for designing next generation wireless communication systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Dangeli studied the work of First Nations composers and choreographers on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Her research demonstrates that Indigenous protocol is integral to their process of creation and performance. The newly created songs, dances and collaborations are vital to the assertion of Aboriginal sovereignty and land rights. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Blackmore studied the flow of water through waste rock that mining companies pile up following excavation. She developed methods to analyze and understand flow rates, and the chemical make-up of the water that seeps from stockpiled waste. These methods can help industry develop ways to manage the potential effects of contaminated water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Brumme used new DNA sequencing methods to improve molecular diagnostics for treating HIV and Hepatitis C virus. He also used these methods to study how HIV evolves to evade drug and immune selection pressures. Tests and tools developed as part of his research have been translated into clinical practice in British Columbia and around the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2015 | To help Cambodia build a higher education system that matches its social needs and context, Dr. Phan did an analysis of international policy reforms and stakeholder interviews, to serve as an informed basis for future discussions. He suggested three policies Cambodia needs to change to improve relevance, affordability, sustainability, and quality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2015 | String field theory is a mathematical model for the collective motion of microscopic strands of energy and how they affect their environment. Dr. Longton used this model to study how these strings can describe new theories where objects have moved or decayed. This work is another step towards using the physics of one universe to construct others. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Milutin studied Japanese court tales written between the 9th and 13th centuries. She examined the representations of sexual violence in those tales and the cohesive patterns used by women to write about rape. Her research revealed that due to its fictional nature the tale genre provided the necessary safe space for addressing sexual violence. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Morgan examined the experiences of Indigenous women working part-time and at seasonal jobs in the fishing industry in northwest British Columbia. She showed that Indigenous women live precarious lives as a result of multiple systemic barriers, including barriers to finding more secure jobs and accessing Employment Insurance and Income Assistance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Fluid motion is incredibly complex and detailed, making it difficult to analyze and simulate. Dr. Gregson developed methods to capture and reconstruct fluids and fluid motion from videos obtained with conventional video cameras. The methods can be applied to graphics, simulation and the sciences to better understand fluids and their motions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Cui studied the collision dynamics of complex molecules in magnetic fields. She combined statistics and scattering calculations for improved predictions of collision outcomes. Her work provides insight into the feasibility of ultracold molecule experiments, the controllability of which is useful for precision measurements. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Nobarany investigated the scholarly peer-review process used to select papers for journals and conferences. Specifically, he examined fairness, anonymity, motivations for reviewing, politeness of reviewers, and opinion measurement mechanisms. Based on the findings, he devised and proposed solutions for improving computer-support for peer review. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Vergara explored improvements to decision-making in lumber planning. He identified the benefits of the decision to move BC coastal forest industry firms to lean, agile or cut-to-order manufacturing environments. His study focussed especially on lumber planning decisions made in the context of new lumber product portfolios. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Van der Heijden studied interactions between Salmonella and the oxidative burst. His findings illuminate a paradoxical relationship between the pathogen and oxidative stress revealing additional layers of complexity in host-pathogen interactions. His research may one day contribute to better antimicrobial therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. McClellan's thesis examined the treatment of corpses in Latin epic poetry. He focused specifically on the motif of abuse in the post-Augustan epic. He shows that, encapsulated in the corpses and their treatment, the poems reveal an obsession with violence, horror and death that reflect the larger disturbed functioning of each poet's epic universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Classics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Fekri Moghadam's research focused on balancing power generation with consumption in electric power systems. He proposed the integration of advanced control and communication technologies into existing power systems, to achieve higher generation efficiency. His results provide utilities like BC Hydro with new methods to save millions of dollars. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhu studied biological and environmental models of abrupt changes or catastrophic events. Those events, called tipping, can arrive early due to various factors. She developed methods to identify the key factors leading to early tipping. She demonstrated how the models can be used in the study of Arctic sea ice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Chong developed inexpensive metal catalysts to synthesize nitrogen-containing compounds. These catalysts cause efficient bond-forming reactions to build chemical structures that are important in pharmaceuticals. His work contributes towards the development of sustainable and environmentally-friendly chemical syntheses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Louie's fieldwork documents how hypothetical reasoning is expressed in the Blackfoot language. The framework she developed highlights how our predictions about the future depend on the actions that individuals may take. Her research contributes to endangered language documentation and our understanding about inferences, time and actions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Zhao studied novel instrumentation and methodologies for analyzing biological samples. She developed a new automatic strategy for drug characterization to replace the manual method. The study furthers the understanding of chemical separation, reduces the cost of pharmaceutical development, and makes drugs available to patients faster. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |