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. 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) |
| 2014 | Dr. Tse examined how Cantonese-speaking Protestants grounded their theologies by democratically participating in the civil societies of Vancouver, San Francisco, and Hong Kong at the end of the 20th century and early 21st century. This study helps the public to understand how Chinese Christians are participating in politics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Kanazawa studied flat 6-dimensional spaces, known as Calabi-Yau threefolds, from a topological point of view. The main result of his thesis is the complete classification of Calabi-Yau threefolds with infinitely many loops. They provide a good testing-ground for general theories and conjectures, both in mathematics and string theory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Green studied the impact of logging on floods in snowmelt watersheds. She showed that moderate levels of forest harvesting increase the frequency of floods which can affect the stability of streams. Her results challenge current perceptions of how forests affect floods and will help establish sustainable levels of harvesting in snowmelt areas. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. MacWilliam researched the ways in which British cookbooks published between 1660 and 1760 shaped conceptions of physical and aesthetic taste. Her work suggests that eighteenth-century aesthetics and cookery were the topics of public conversations that helped shape our current notions of subjectivity, professionalism, and disciplinarity. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Tai studied the link between white blood cells and cardiovascular disease. He found that deletingf inflammatory proteins in white blood cells increases the risk of future heart attacks and stroke. This finding improves our understanding of how to use one's own immune system as a means to combat cardiovascular disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Wong studied local governance reforms which were introduced in China to advance urbanization. She found that the reforms resulted in state building rather than state power decentralization. This refines our understanding of how and why China has maintained rapid urban growth despite land disputes and social tensions in different localities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD) |