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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Wickenden completed his research in the field of organic chemistry. His work provides alternative strategies that may be used towards the development of new pharmaceutical compounds. With these improvements, researchers may one day be able to lower the cost of drugs to the public. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (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. Kazemi developed a microbial fuel cell that can effectively produce electricity from wastewater. She investigated whether the membrane that separates the anode from the cathode in the fuel cell can reduce energy costs. Her findings will be a step towards determining whether microbial fuel cells will reduce the cost of wastewater treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (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. Emmel conducted experimental research into the physics of TV and computer displays. He developed a new backlight with higher contrast, which is able to show more realistic images than current state-of-the-art displays. His research is an important step towards more realistic and energy-efficient displays. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Russell studied how intestinal microbes influence allergic diseases. She showed that antibiotic exposure early in life can affect populations of intestinal bacteria and make animals more susceptible to asthma and food allergies. This research highlights a role for healthy intestinal bacteria in the treatment and prevention of allergic diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Joty developed automatic methods for analyzing written conversations in asynchronous media, for example blogs and emails. These methods assist us in understanding conversations, as well as improving automatic language processing applications such as text summarization, text generation, sentiment analysis, question answering and machine translation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (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. Stopper studied how different nodes within the dopamine circuitry of the brain regulate risk/reward decision-making. This research elucidates how regions that are upstream and downstream of dopamine neurons influence risky choice, with implications for targeted treatment of various behavioral disorders caused by aberrant dopamine transmission. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. War's research focused on breast cancer cells. Using somatostatin receptor-3, which is present on the surface of the cells to receive signals from outside the cells, he developed strategies aimed at treating breast cancer. This work provides valuable information for the better understanding of breast cancer and its treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Musgrove conducted research in electro-chemical processes. She developed a new method for creating thin films on electrode surfaces and identified their characteristics using fluorescence and atomic-force microscopy. These discoveries may be developed for use in sensors for biological molecules or as model cell membranes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Valizadeh's research focused on embedding information in digital media such as image and audio signals. The outcomes of his work include enhanced security of digital media and prevention of multimedia content piracy. This research significantly contributes to protecting the rights of intellectual property owners such as movie and song producers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. McKendry investigated ways in which homeless men use Vancouver public libraries. She found that, in addition to information needs, public libraries are inclusive places that also serve the social needs of homeless men. These findings may be of interest to librarians planning library programs and to architects designing future library buildings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Dunlop examined the ways in which individuals make sense of their lives. He argued that such sense-making pursuits can manifest within distinct modes of thought. These processes carry implications for our understanding of culture, the self, and psychological functioning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Bérubé compared the language and reading skills, in both English and French, of Anglophone and ESL students in French immersion programs. He found that by Grade 6, all students had developed equally strong skills. This confirms that French immersion programs are viable for all students in promoting bilingualism in the official languages in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology and Speech Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Zhang showed that patients who do not use asthma drugs appropriately are more likely to use health services to manage their disease, compared with those who use medications according to guidelines. These findings reinforce to clinicians the importance of closely monitoring patient drug therapy and encouraging appropriate use of asthma drugs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Human culture's a biological mystery no other beast has such a history mutating faster than mere genes can by knowledge shared freely, 'tween woman and man. Dr. Chudek asks how this strange cascade started our phenotypes outpacing what our genome charted. He says: reputataional exploitation's the key to beating evil teachers and setting culture free. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Diamant contacted research in underwater telecommunication. He developed and demonstrated transmission in the ocean using acoustic waves to connect divers, submarine, and autonomous underwater vehicles, and to located their position underwater. His work has been recognized as an important step to assist oceanographers in exploring the ocean. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kharouba showed that historical records can be used to study the influence of temperature on the timing of animal and plant life cycle events, such as flowering. The timing of these events was sensitive to temperature and differed among interacting species. These findings will be helpful in predicting how species will respond to climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Rashtian's research focused on improving the performance of radio-frequency integrated circuits in the front-end of wireless communication systems, using an inexpensive and simple biasing technique. The results of his research can be used to increase the dynamic range and to decrease the power consumption in wireless communication devices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Murray completed his studies in the field of Psychology. He showed that the perceived threat of infectious disease causes higher levels of social and political conservatism, and causes lower levels of scientific innovation. These findings add to our understanding of what causes psychological variation between people and across cultures. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Varhola studied the impact of mountain pine beetle on forest structure and snow melt in the interior of British Columbia. He showed how three-dimensional remote sensing tools are necessary to more accurately predict catastrophic flooding events. This research is essential to hydrologic forecasters, foresters and local ranchers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Magzul examined and compared the adaptation to climate change by two Indigenous communities: the Blood Tribe (Blackfoot) in Canada and Patzun (Maya) in Guatemala. This research shows that traditional livelihoods and economic independence lead to stronger social support systems, which in turn lead to greater adaptability and adaptive capacity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Pena studied sepsis, which is the major infection-related cause of death worldwide. She demonstrated that most sepsis patients have a strong immuno-suppression profile known as endo-toxin tolerance. She also discovered valuable biomarkers that identify this profile, predict severity, and may enhance treatments to improve sepsis survival rates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. L'Abbé studied ways in which Ronald Johnson, an American avant-garde poet, used botanical metaphors to represent the human mind and language. She argues that Johnson's poetry revives the horticultural metaphors in words such as cultivation and culture and shows how plant metaphors apply to the study of cognition, perception and poetic vision. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |