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. 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) |
| 2016 | Dr. Schwartz developed a new theory to explain why only some Canadian cities create policies that are likely to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She identified the influence of dedicated environmental departments within the city administration as an important factor. Her work will help cities to fight climate change more effectively. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tack examined the evolution of alternative splicing in duplicated genes in the Brassicaceae family, showing divergence of alternative splicing between duplicates to be the most common outcome. He found rapid changes to alternative splicing upon allopolyploidization, and that these changes in new allopolyploids are distinct from changes found in established allopolyploids. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Yoldemir developed novel mathematical techniques to investigate the architecture of the human brain. By analyzing anatomy and function of the brain in a combined framework, Dr. Yoldemir advanced our understanding of the highly complex brain connectivity patterns which enable the emergence of coherent cognitive and behavioral states. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Arab Loodaricheh studied two communication technologies, namely cooperative relaying, and energy harvesting systems. She designed efficient resource allocation techniques for wireless systems based on these two communication technologies. Her findings will contribute to the future generation of wireless communication networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Lin studied the echoes that seismic waves create as they move through the earth. He examined how they can be mapped back to their sources with the help of computer clusters and clever algorithms. This mapping can then be used to help understand and image underground geological structures in more detail than ever before. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2016 | A good test of nuclear theory is precise and accurate mass measurements of single radioactive atoms in Penning traps. Dr. Gallant's measurements of exotic calcium and potassium nuclei, performed at TRIUMF on UBC campus, provided strict tests of modern nuclear theories. These tested theories provide insight into the workings of neutron stars. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |