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 | NID |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dr. Zhang studied navigation systems in small robots. He developed the technology so that those mobile robots can learn to detect obstacles and people in a home environment, and avoid bumping into them. This research shows promising developments in the use of robots to assist the elderly and the differently abled in daily activities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Scholes examined how American periodicals materially shaped the ethos of women's poetry in the mid-nineteenth century. She argues that this ethos directly impacted Emily Dickinson's representation of herself as a poet, and reveals Dickinson's life-long avoidance of publication as a commitment to specific, interpersonal, non-public, poetic address. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Yu studied econometric models that may have multiple equilibria. He developed an approach to detect multiplicity of equilibria directly from observed variables. His study advanced our understanding of the relationship between the equilibrium behaviour and distribution patterns of data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ford studied the properties of thousands of galaxy clusters in large astronomical surveys. She developed new techniques for measuring the amount and distribution of dark matter, using the gravitational bending of light rays. This work contributes to our understanding of structure formation in the universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Roy aimed to understand the economic and political changes in India, and how they affected different marginalized groups. He looked at the effects of political quotas of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the effect of British colonization on communal conflict in independent India, and the evolution of relative economic conditions of Muslims in India. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (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. Ramogida developed new medical imaging agents for positron-emission tomography scans, to detect cancer and heart disease using radioactive metals. She studied methods to safely incorporate the metals into pharmaceuticals. These non-conventional metals have the potential to mitigate the global shortage of the metal used in current imaging agents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | The marine gas dimethyl sulfide plays a role in natural climate regulation by bridging the atmospheric and oceanic sulfur cycles. Dr. Asher developed new methods to measure the variability and production of this gas across time and space. Her work advances our understanding of the marine sulfur cycle and informs climate change research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ruan completed doctoral studies in the field of Botany. She explored the function of microtubules in root development in plants, and investigated how microtubules and hormones coordinate, to control root growth. Her findings contribute to a better understanding the evolution of land plants, and can be applied to important agricultural questions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Forsey analyzed the relationship between New Age spiritualism and 21st century capitalism in the United States. She demonstrated how New Age attitudes about profit-making and work draw on the Hindu doctrines of Karma and Dharma. These attitudes influence a unique form of online entrepreneurship that draws on the virtues of service and generosity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Stouffer examined Reading Recovery training, an early literacy intervention. He investigated whether that training could be transferred into the literacy instruction in Canadian primary classrooms. This research adds to discussion of teacher preparation and professional development, and those teachers' personal theories of literacy instruction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Qian investigated the mechanisms of enzymes involved in the synthesis of important natural products called ergot alkaloids, including the anti-migraine drug ergotamine. His novel work showed how these enzymes synthesize precursors from an amino acid. This research triggered the discovery of innovative approaches to synthesizing similar compounds. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Stewart investigated how the culture of Indigenous architects informs their designs. This is the first known research to privilege the use of Indigenous Knowledge by Indigenous architects. Results of this research will inform the future education of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in architecture and their practice within the profession. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Meyer performed a detailed analysis of the behavior of two large computer storage systems. He found that in many cases simple opportunities to increase performance and compress data have been passed over in favor of more complex and costly alternatives. The data in this work stands as the largest file system metadata study performed to date. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Using computer models to study how asteroids orbit the Sun, Dr. Greenstreet discovered they can sometimes orbit the Sun backwards. She also determined how often comets strike Pluto and its five moons, which can be used along with data from NASA's historic New Horizons mission to understand characteristics of the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2015 | People in conversation tend to adopt each other's speech patterns. Dr. Abel explored whether working on a difficult task would affect that tendency, and found that partners building a more difficult Lego construction showed less convergence than those building an easier one. This research gives insight into the mechanisms behind speech convergence. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2015 | How many salmon do harbour seals eat? This simple question is difficult to answer. Dr. Thomas developed a diet analysis method involving high-throughput DNA sequencing, to better understand the ecological role of harbour seals. He found that seals target salmon species of concern in the juvenile life stage, and eat adults of abundant salmon species. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (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. Zlatanov completed his studies in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering and focussed on wireless communications. During his research, he developed novel communication protocols for wireless relay networks. These protocols may have applications in next-generation mobile phones and wireless networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Dujakovic studied the development of the printing industry in France in the late 15th and early 16th century. Focusing on a specific series of illustrated books, she examined the complex transition from scribal to printing culture. Her research highlights the importance of the illustrated book in the artistic practices of the period. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (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. Alimardani studied electrical power systems. He developed methods for improving the accuracy and performance of a real-time applications in the control centres of utilities. The new methods have enhanced the operation of industrial power systems and made them more robust and efficient, for example at BC Hydro, where they have been implemented. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Tu's research focuses on using sound waves to detect the internal structure of the earth. He developed a method that uses echoes from the sound waves to reveal more details of the shallow earth structure. By producing a more accurate prediction of geological hazards near the surface, this new approach will lead to much safer drilling operations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Have you ever tried to do so many things at once that you couldn't get anything done? Dr. Rogers' research into designing computer hardware demonstrates that computer processors suffer from a similar problem. His work on scheduling mechanisms to reuse data in computers improves the speed and energy usage of both smartphones and large scale data centres. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Grounded at the Coast Salish village of Xway' Xw@y' in Stanley Park, Dr. Couture's research demonstrates how theatrical, cultural and tourist performances are used for cultural continuation and historiography. Ways of thinking embedded in the h@n'q'@m'in@m language and place names gave access to Indigenous histories obscured by the colonial archive. | Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre (PhD) |