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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Tavakoli's research focussed on hydro-metallurgy of the metal, vanadium. He investigated possible solutions to overcome challenges in extracting vanadium from various resources. His findings help to produce more efficient industrial production methods, and his work has received awards from the mining industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Hauge studied youth media and social justice, focussing on a Nicaraguan media program. Her work illustrates how the relationships between youth, non-profit organizations, and transnational media networks shape youth media participation. This study contributes to research into feminist media, digital literacy, and youth media programming. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Min explored the relationship between law and border on the Korean peninsula and beyond. She conducted a series of focused case studies on particular border sites. Her study revealed the ways in which law, as material reality, ideology, metaphor, and technology, enables and disables the movement of persons, things, and symbols across borders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Denroche studied the hormone Leptin as a treatment to lower blood sugar in a mouse model of Type 1 diabetes. Her work revealed some of the potential benefits and limitations of Leptin as an alternate or adjunct therapy to insulin for Type 1 diabetes. This research helped to uncover the molecular mechanism behind the anti-diabetic actions of Leptin. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Brox developed coronary stents which monitor blood pressure to detect dangerous, internal scar tissue. Practical difficulties with prototypes were identified, and a new approach using micro-electro-mechanical pressure sensors was advanced. The results suggest how resources might be best spent in the future to improve the performance of stents. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Gourlay focused on developing new applications for forestry residues such as wood chips and sawdust. He used enzymes from fungi to break down these woody materials into sugars, which are then fermented into products such as bio-fuels or bio-plastics. These products have the potential to provide new revenue streams for Canada's forest industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Dabeet used numerical and experimental techniques to investigate aspects of the behaviour of soil specimens. He tested the specimens under different loading conditions, including earthquake loading. His study provides a better understanding of soil response to earthquakes loading as observed from a commonly used soil laboratory test. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Courtot demonstrated that biomedical knowledge can be logically encoded and processed by computers. She developed a knowledge representation model to accurately automate the diagnosis of adverse events following immunization. Her research improves public health by allowing for faster and cheaper detection of safety issues related to vaccination. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Elfert designed, delivered, and evaluated the impact of a support group for 12 fathers of children with autism. Fathers found the group helpful, enjoyed sharing stories, and recommended it to other fathers. Her study provides information about the psychological experiences of fathers of children with autism, an under-researched population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Islam's thesis focused on developing novel system design for the advancement of broadband wireless communications. He proposed intelligent uses of relay nodes between transmitters and receivers, in order to achieve reliable communication. His research outcomes can be applied to cellular networks, to improve the quality of signal transmission. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Cizek displayed the existing and future Alberta tar sands and associated pipelines using Google Earth software, to study responses from members of the general public. Focus group participants experienced significant learning and expressed emotional reactions. This research will help practitioners communicate the scale of very large projects. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Slater developed a chemical analysis protocol to detect hormones in water with high solid content. She applied this protocol along with bioassays to evaluate environmental water treatment technologies. This protocol will help advance our understanding of what happens to contaminants and the best approach to remove them from engineered systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Castellanos studied how differences in the brains of females and males are generated. By studying Drosophila, she found that making a female versus a male brain require distinct sex-specific genetic mechanisms. Her studies unveil unexpected complexity in the genetic mechanisms that generate sex differences in the brain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Chisholm examined the effects of action video game experience on visual attention. Using eye movements as a measure of attention, he showed that video game players are less susceptible to distraction than non-players. This provides insight into the mechanisms underlying a host of cognitive benefits associated with action video game experience. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Lukatela examined how international development agencies adopt and implement mainstreaming policies. She found that the behaviour of senior managers is influenced by their networks, while middle managers are directed by personal values. This research explains the persistence of challenges in achieving development goals, such as gender equality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Loveday examined the regulation of genes during infection with Influenza A virus. She discovered that changes in gene expression are dependent on the duration of the infection and the influenza strain. This research may lead to the development of new bio-markers and treatments for Influenza A viral infections. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Kendall studied the effects of financial market panics on stock prices. His work showed that, during times of market panic, economic agents have reduced incentives to research the stocks that they trade. As a result, he concluded, market panics can result in inaccurate stock prices, even when all agents behave rationally. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Woo studied the mechanisms that underlie differences in sexual desire between women of Asian and European ancestry. She found that higher sex guilt among Asian women may explain their lower sexual desire compared to women of European descent. The findings have implications for the treatment of women with high sex guilt and low sexual desire. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Gautam investigated and designed new electronic circuits for charging the batteries of electric vehicles. He has successfully shown that the performance of his circuits, in terms of efficiency, size and cost, is superior to the traditional charger. This work is also expected to benefit applications such as renewable energy system and telecom. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Sakuhuni developed an approach for improving the separation performance of continuous centrifugal concentrators in the mining industry. He designed a lab procedure to predict potential uses for this innovation. The research outcomes have industrial application and support the development of environmentally clean mineral extraction technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Dancer's international research examines how intensive listening brings awareness to everyday sound environments, as an expression of culture, states of Being, identity and ones sense of place. It introduces listening and sound as a unique learning modality utilised by artists, researchers and educators, to influence practices and curriculum. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Chandler studied ecosystem response 20 years after clearcutting and slashburning in conifer forest of central British Columbia. Significant contributions of her work include determining the relative importance of climate and disturbance to resilience, and developing a trait data set with functional type classes for more than 180 plant species. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Centko used natural products chemistry techniques to discover novel compounds from fungi and marine sponges. A synthetic route was devised for one new molecule that acts as a potent inhibitor of IDO, a cancer immune evasion mechanism. These compounds may one day lead to a cancer treatment which aids the innate immune response to the disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Schiariti developed the first international instrument to describe the abilities of children with Cerebral Palsy and the limitations they face every day. She conducted international studies, including children with Cerebral Palsy and world leaders in this field. This important information can guide better treatments for this population worldwide. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Quastel studied efforts to make a wide variety of commodities, such as tuna, bauxite and housing, more sustainable. Through case study research he found that new forms of sustainability policy are being created. This research helps expand scholarship in the geography of the global economy, environmental governance and sustainability. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |