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. McGovern's research used DNA sequencing to study and predict changes in HIV caused by a new anti-HIV drug. Her work focused on the development of a clinical test to predict whether this drug should be prescribed or not, based on the genetics of a patient's HIV. This test is now part of clinical guidelines and in use around the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2015 | Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in North American men. Dr. Khallaghi developed new methods for 3D ultrasound guidance during prostate biopsies and validated his methods on patient data. His work can potentially facilitate early cancer diagnosis, thereby increasing patient survival rates and quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Goenaga investigated why some states are successful in providing valuable services to their populations, while others are plagued by corruption and inefficiency. He showed that the organizations that citizens adopt to interact with political authorities determine their collective capabilities to build safe and prosperous societies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Vernstrom completed her research in the field of Astronomy. She investigated the characteristics of galaxies with the use of radio telescopes. She studied the details of some of the faintest radio galaxies ever observed. This information can be used to learn how galaxies have evolved over time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2015 | A hummingbird's ability to maneuver is critical for avoiding predation, catching prey, and defending territory. Dr. Segre studied the underlying aerodynamic and physiological mechanisms that determine hummingbird maneuverability. His research demonstrated that wing shape and muscle power capacity is correlated with improved maneuvering performance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Konrad developed mathematical models to obtain insights into the dynamics of infectious diseases. His work is the first to rigorously quantify the confidence in an early negative HIV RNA test, evaluate a Vancouver anti-HIV campaign and model a novel anti-malaria agent. His results help to guide decisions of patients, clinicians and policymakers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Gutiérrez investigated a series of phonological and phonetic aspects of Nivale, an endangered language of the Argentinean/Paraguayan Chaco. She focused on several phenomena that deal with the representation, distribution, and organization of sounds in Nivale, contributing major insights from both typological and theoretical perspectives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2015 | Over the last 200 years, diffuse knapweed has become one of the most invasive plants in North America. Dr. Turner has demonstrated that this species has evolved larger sized plants, delayed maturity, altered gene expression patterns, and increased environmental tolerances. This work contributes to our ability to prevent future invasions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ju developed an advanced optical imaging system to examine the human eye. His work with this innovative 3D and multi-dimensional imaging system resulted in the visualization and detection of ocular internal structures and diseases. His imaging system can be used in a clinical setting, to aid in the diagnosis of various eye disorders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Ardekani has studied the role of the cancer inducing gene, BRAF, in the final outcome of melanoma patients. He discovered novel variants of the BRAF gene that react against the mutant version and confer a better outcome. Dr. Ardekani's findings could be utilized to design more effective treatments for melanoma patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2015 | How does the brain work? Dr. Spacek used silicon micro-electrodes to simultaneously record the electrical activity of many brain cells in the visual cortex. Under specific conditions, brain cell activity was highly consistent in response to repeated presentation of a movie stimulus, showing that the brain can be more reliable than previously thought. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Khattra researched the application of next generation DNA sequencing, computational modeling, and single-cell analysis protocols to elucidate breast and ovarian tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution. He advanced the cause of improved classification and combinatorial treatment of diverse subpopulations of cells in epithelial tumours. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Jones' doctoral research focused on the outer surface of a harmless bacterium that you probably consume every day in tap water. His work determined the complex chemical structures on the outside of this bacterium. The findings from his study will facilitate the development of the microbial surface into a platform for biotechnological innovation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Law's research in Microbiology and Immunology showed how pathogenic E.coli hijacks host intracellular transport to promote infection. Her work provides a more detailed understanding of how E. coli alters host cellular functions as part of the disease process. Her findings could have important implications for research into intestinal diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Yang investigated new treatments for advanced prostate cancer. He studied novel compounds for their effectiveness in overcoming the molecular mechanisms that can cause cancer progression, and resistance to current treatments. He showed that a drug candidate developed by his research group may cure a lethal and incurable form of prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Hassan studied how to utilize the wireless spectrum of cellular networks in a more efficient way, using low-cost devices. She used spectrum-sharing techniques to accommodate more cell phone users on the same wireless channel. Her findings can be applied to combat the overloading in phone networks when there are emergencies or natural disasters. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Mann studied representations of Parisian city space in nineteenth-century British fiction, travel writing and periodicals. Her work reveals that the Parisian street generated cultural anxiety, as Victorians read Paris's artificial light, public inclusion of women and cross-class leisure as signs of France's spatial and cultural superiority. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Hajipour completed his PhD in the field of wireless networks in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He proposed sophisticated and efficient algorithms for allocating system resources in mobile networks. As a result of his research, high-data-rate services can be provided in mobile networks with better quality and lower overhead and complexity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2015 | Dr. Duhaime-Ross evaluated public policies related to education in Canada. She found evidence that educating immigrant children in the main language spoken in their host region had a large impact on their employment outcomes at adulthood. Her research also advanced our understanding of how parents save for their children's postsecondary education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 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) |