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. Acevedo studied the nuclear pore complex, the gate-like complex that protects, connects and controls traffic in and out of the cell's nucleus. She found one of the proteins is important during flu virus infection and its absence affects cellular organization. This knowledge provides us with the base to further design antivirals and target cancer cells in future therapeutics approaches. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tong studied the earliest Chinese translations of the Christian Bible by Protestant missionaries, and demonstrated that factors such as patronage, rivalry, and networking often played a more important role than literary and linguistic considerations. His research provides new and challenging insights into the beginning of Chinese Protestantism. | Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kim explored the possibilities and challenges of English as a second language pedagogy with educational drama for adult learners. His research highlights the importance of cultivating and empowering identities of language learners as creative, competent, and confident story-tellers and meaning-makers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Burke studied the effects of climate change and range expansion on the biology of the mountain pine beetle. He determined that climate change may enhance the performance of this insect, and the potential for it to continue to spread. His work will help make predictions about which species will be most susceptible to changes in the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Rudman's research explored the role of rapid evolution in driving ecological change using a series of experiments and observational field studies. These studies integrate across levels of biological organization to demonstrate how changes within species can alter ecological communities and ecosystems processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Martin developed personalized vaccines targeting tumor-specific mutations in mouse models of cancer. He also identified a subset of human ovarian cancer patients most likely to benefit from these vaccines. His research will help select cancer patients for immunotherapy and improve the efficacy of anti-cancer vaccines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Allen developed a mathematical framework for modeling how humans apply their knowledge of language to new situations. Experimental validations demonstrated that humans exhibit previously unknown capabilities | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Adolphs studied how electrons interact with the material they move in. He showed that common simple models fail to account for the important phenomena arising from these interactions, and found extended models that better predict their behaviour. His results deepen our understanding of complex materials and can aid in the design of better materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Rosenoff Gauvin studied how rural villages in Northern Uganda move on after decades of war and internal displacement. Emphasizing the importance of land rights in post-conflict contexts, she asserts that in wars where victims are also the perpetrators of violence, "justice" prioritizes living together again and rebuilding indigenous governance and community. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Guenther examined the effects of climate change, specifically ocean temperature and pH, on calcified red algae. She demonstrated that mature seaweeds were surprisingly resilient to climate stressors, but that spore adhesion declined in acidified seawater. Her findings suggests that habitat-forming seaweeds may be impacted by climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Who doesn't want increased access to clean renewable energy? Dr. Nikpour studied the impact of generating plants directly connected to electricity distribution systems. She developed a method for voltage stability analysis, and an index for distributed generation placement. Her work supports development of the renewable energy sector. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Rapid warming of the Arctic has accelerated permafrost thaw and altered environmental conditions. Dr. Cassidy studied the impacts of permafrost disturbances on vegetation and carbon fluxes in the Canadian High Arctic. Her findings indicate that permafrost disturbances have immediate and long lasting effects on tundra ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kolb studied and developed a highly efficient structure for a new linear particle accelerator at TRIUMF. This accelerator will allow for more beam to be delivered to numerous experiments in nuclear and particle physics. His work allows for future upgrades of this electron accelerator to add additional use to this machine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lam studied myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of debilitating blood cancers, as well as characterized genes important in the regulation of blood stem cells. Using a mouse model, he linked these genes to the development of myelodysplastic syndromes when disregulated. This research advances our understanding of blood stem cells and how cancers may arise. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Laidlaw explored how individuals look at and pay attention to other people. She documented several factors that influence whether and how people direct their attention to others in both everyday situations and while looking at images or videos. Her work bridges a gap between traditional theories of visual attention and everyday experiences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Kiyani applied postcolonial theory and Third World Approaches to International Law to central questions of criminal law theory. This new theoretical framework will provide a platform for critiquing existing rules and practices, and the basis for alternative understandings of the appropriate responses to international crime. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Khosravi introduced a novel design for a constrained model predictive control system for the automatic control of hypnosis during general anesthesia. The proposed control strategy can potentially reduce the risk of inadequate anesthesia and improve safety for most patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Munuganti developed novel anti-prostate cancer therapeutics using computational modeling methods to target androgen receptors, a protein that drives prostate cancer. He demonstrated that these drug candidates bind to a new location on the receptor which is different from the conventional drug binding site and thereby overcome drug resistance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Chandran studied the challenges of communicating with local communities while managing forests. His research examined the relationship between management practices and local cultures, resulting in the creation of a model for Communications and Governance. This model has helped to design inclusive communication strategies for multiple stakeholders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Izsak studied sheaves on graphs, which similar to maps, are tools that help track data. Her research resulted in several foundational theorems and answered a question about the difficulty of checking an important sheaf property. Her results are useful in the study of open problems in group theory, graph theory and computational complexity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Attarian studied the fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in patients living with HIV/AIDS and identified potential targets for therapeutic interventions. Her research contributed to our understanding of the cryptococcal disease process, and will benefit the HIV and infectious diseases research community. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Ng studied a cardiac ion channel responsible for pacemaking. He examined various molecules and mutations that influence how the channel works. This research provides insights on therapeutically controlling heart rate, especially in patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Foell clarified the luminescent behavior of nanoparticle single photon emitters in silicon photonic circuits. The improved understanding arising from this work may facilitate development of systems with improved coordinated control of many single photons and in turn, our understanding and utilization of quantum mechanics and light. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. He studied the identification and estimation of nonlinear models, especially duration models and varying coefficient models. Results of the duration models in a game setup help to learn the effect of oligopoly competition on the survival analysis of the introduction of a new product into the market. The study of varying coefficient models with matching data from two independent samples provides useful inference on the data combination literature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Scudeler used Cree methodologies, such as kinship, and getting along with others, to examine how Cree Two-Spirit, gay and queer writers and artists use narrative to combat racism and homophobia. Dr. Scudeler argues that these artists' work is a holistic Cree response to colonisation, including sexual colonisation. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |