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. Rasoulian conducted research in the field of computer-assisted medical intervention. His work led to the development of new methods for generation of statistical models of the spine. He subsequently used these models in an ultrasound-guided system that is to be used for more accurate and less painful epidural anesthesia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Van Toen studied neck injuries. She showed that sideways bending of the neck during a head-first impact results in a reduced risk of spinal cord injury and increased risk of an unstable injury to the spinal column, compared with a straight neck injury. This research has implications for injury prevention, such as helmet design, and treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Goudarzi completed pioneering research on self-healing bone cements made of composite bioceramics. She has demonstrated that these synthetic cements are able to repair themselves upon soaking in a fluid similar to human body fluid. These cements could increase the life span of biomaterials and improve the quality of life of patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Sipos investigated food system study at the intersection of sustainability education and community-based experiential learning. She found community-based experiential learning is effective in large food system courses that integrate diverse knowledge and experiences. This study emphasizes that universities and associated communities need each other. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Fraser studied collective and personal love in Latin American poetry of the Cold War. She found that, contrary to the stereotype of the "passionate Latin American poet/lover/revolutionary", the coexistence of these two loves was tense and required creative strategies of resolution. Her work challenges assumptions about the region's literature. | Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Hilsendager examined land use conflicts that occur between the forestry and tourism industries in destinations that market natural landscapes. This investigation was conducted through a comparison of Vancouver Island and Tasmania. Recommendations were developed to help guide natural resource managers in places where these types of conflicts exist. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Mashayekhi studied the physics of interacting ultra-cold quantum gases. The new framework he developed helped reveal how these systems are strongly driven by the interaction among a few particles. His work will help in devising techniques to unveil the secrets of fundamental physical phenomena, occurring on scales from sub-atomic to galactic | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Fan's research focused on the biology of lipid carriers in the central nervous system. She revealed that some reproductive hormones may have beneficial effects on the brain by enhancing its lipoprotein function. Her findings provide new insight into developing treatment for neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. He studied Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID systems. He proposed "unitary query" which can greatly improve the performance of multiple-input-multiple-output RFID systems. His research contributes to future wireless communication technology, and to applications in transportation and logistics, health care, social media, and surveillance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Van Leeuwen studied the effects of canopy structure on forest productivity. His work demonstrates that computer simulation adds important complementary value to established field-based measuring techniques. His work is relevant for climate modelers and for the calibration and validation of Earth observation data products. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Jaillant studied the Modern Library, a cheap series of reprints created in New York in 1917. This research helps us question the boundaries of the modernist literary canon, since the Modern Library published works by modernist writers such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf but also detective fiction and novels that we now see as "middlebrow." | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. EL-Naggar studied the critical role of YB-I in childhood cancers. YB-1 is a protein that binds DNA and RNA molecules. She showed that YB-1 promotes cancer cell spread which is the main cause of death in cancer patients. Her findings demonstrate that targeting YB1 is a promising strategy for preventing the spread of cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Kalantari investigated the Magnetic Resonance (MR) properties of the human brain in vivo as well as the bovine brain in vitro. His findings helped to improve the accuracy of measuring myelin in the human central nervous system in vivo. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Comin investigated the physics of correlated oxide materials and the manifestation of charge localization as a hallmark of unconventional states of matter. This experimental work focused on the discovery of charge ordering in high-temperature superconducting copper-oxides and of novel relativistic insulating phases in iridium-based materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Xavier prepared "smart" bio-materials from cellulose, a wood derivative. The materials were developed by grafting a temperature responsive polymer from the cellulose derivative. This research has set the grounds for future studies regarding potential applications, which include tissue engineering, drug delivery, filtration membranes and sensors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Shabani studied ways to reduce the cost of generating electricity from wood. She developed models to optimize output from wood-fuelled power plants, taking into account uncertainty in wood quality, quantity and price. The models help make forest bioenergy more economically viable and increase the possibility of replacing fossil fuel with bioenergy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Kosztyla studied the planning of radiotherapy for gliomas, a type of brain tumour. He showed that positron emission tomography and diffusion tensor imaging can be used to identify these tumours, and he developed a radiotherapy technique utilizing these images. Clinical implementation of these methods may improve survival for patients with gliomas. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. McCann developed improvements to methods that allow computers to categorize and find objects contained in images. His research focussed on visual object categorization. Applications include automatic image search, surveillance, pedestrian detection in self-driving cars, and other applications requiring automatic understanding of image content. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. McCune studied the forests and savannahs of southeastern Vancouver Island. She used vegetation re-surveys and analyses of plant micro-fossils to measure changes in plant communities over decades and centuries. Her findings contribute to our understanding of how plant diversity is affected by human disturbance and climatic changes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Lovins examined the reforms of King Chongjo in 18th century Korea. He argues the King substantially expanded royal power during his reign while his institutional reforms failed to carry this success into future reigns. His research reveals Chongjo's reign as a challenge to the "continuous decline" model of early modern Korean history. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Surendradoss investigated the mechanism of drug-induced liver injury. He focussed on the liver injury caused by a commonly used drug called valproic acid, which is used to treat seizures. The findings of his research enabled a greater understanding of the role of various pathways of biotransformation in the liver injury caused by valproic acid | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Xavier developed a framework that helps to address the socio-economic implications that closing a mine brings to local communities and local governments. This Socio-Economic Mine Closure Framework helps to raise standards in the mining industry worldwide. Additionally, it assists in fostering sustainable development in mining communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Windsor-Liscombe investigated parents' perceptions of one elementary arts-integrated school. The study confirms that social class influences the decision to place children in the school, and reveals a diversity of views about the value of arts-based education. Future research includes re-consideration of policy at both district and school level. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2014 | Dr. LeCraw studied insect communities in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Brazil. She examined how they are affected by the spatial structure of their habitat, from the size of their host plant to its geographic location. Her results show the effects of spatial structure on communities, and can help to integrate ecological studies across spatial scales. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Chen developed novel methods for modelling brain and muscular activity. Using neuro-physiological signals, he discovered coupling patterns between brain and muscular activities in Parkinson's disease. The research goal was to uncover the underlying coupling patterns between neuro-systems and ultimately assist with diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |