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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Kamal studied the use of online social networks to improve health behaviour. She created a theoretical framework for designing and evaluating those online social networks. From the framework, she developed a high-fidelity prototype called VivoSpace, which was successful in changing health behaviour for individuals associated with a clinic. | 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. Cheng's research examined the ways in which individuals pursue and effectively acquire social status. Challenging prior assumptions that demonstrating competence is the only route to the highest status ranks, Dr. Cheng's work revealed that, in fact, intimidation and expertise are equally viable pathways to status and influence among humans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Casey engaged ten people living with schizophrenia to understand their "experience of meaning in activity". After two years of research, she concluded that participating in meaningful activity is influenced by notions of social inclusion and justice, that experiences are varied and ultimately connected to meaning in life, well-being and recovery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. McCulloch's research explored methods for improving the performance of mass spectrometers. These sensitive instruments are commonly applied to the analysis of complex biological and environmental samples. Mass spectrometers provide valuable information to a wide range of professionals including chemists, biologists, physicians, and engineers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Durgan studied people with mental and behavioural disorders in Vancouver's downtown eastside. This interdisciplinary project suggests grassroots movements, combined with a scientific approach, provide a comprehensive solution to issues that are global in scope. The findings benefit professionals working in psychiatry, architecture and philosophy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Labonté studied marine communities of an important but understudied group of viruses: single-stranded DNA viruses. Her research expanded our knowledge of their genetic diversity and evolution. She showed that they play a significant role as pathogens of marine phyto-plankton and micro-zooplankton that are at the base of the marine food chain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Timmerman explored how three respected university educators experience both conflict and coherence between their ecological ethics and day-to-day personal and professional lives. The stories she wrote and analyzed help to theorize the concept of ecological integrity, and offer opportunities for all educators to reflect upon how to work toward it. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Russell examined whether a new measure of Quality of Life is relevant and appropriate to use with people who are homeless, or vulnerably housed. Her study findings support the use of this measure. However, she also proposed a new approach to evaluating the content validity of measures, and that has application across many disciplines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Mohazab conducted research in Biological Physics. The mathematical models he developed help in understanding the underlying mechanism of the Protein Folding process, and make predictions on its rate. The research will help the scientific community towards curing many misfolding induced diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Iles studied the evolution of two ancient groups of aquatic flowering plants. He examined phylogenetic relationships and inferred convergence of sexual systems in relatives of the water lilies and gene loss in the pond-weeds. He also provided new estimates for the timing of diversification within these two groups. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Choi conducted research in the field of biochemistry, with a focus on molecular biology and genetics. Her project focused on molecular mechanisms that affect the regulation of genes during cellular growth and differentiation. Her research adds to our understanding of how cellular functions can be misregulated, causing diseases such as cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Ruzzini showed how an important chemical reaction occurs in bacteria that degrade pollutants and cause disease. His findings have broader implications for the development of new bioremediation strategies and the rational design of therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Guha developed automated methods to understand and classify images and videos. She applied these methods to interpret human activities in videos, to identify biological specimens, and to estimate how humans would perceive the quality of images. These methods have wide ranging applications, from security and surveillance to medical diagnosis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Collier conducted research about children and literacy on Canada's East coast. She studied how children create texts across the settings of home and school, and how different literacy practices are valued. Her research has implications for including home resources in schools and asks educators to reconsider what counts as literacy in schools. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hunter explored changing views on higher education at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. She contends that the construction of the "knowledge-based economy" as a framing context fortifies market-capitalist assumptions about education and economics. Meanwhile OECD shifts from these perspectives in other social policy fields. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Fazli developed efficient algorithms to enable a team of robots to move around a target area and perform sensing and data collection. These robots can be used in challenging domains, such as search and rescue operations, planetary exploration, landmine detection, area patrolling, forest or ocean monitoring, and distributed servicing tasks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kristensen examined how a cell's proteins and all their interactions change in response to stimuli. He found that the interaction network is extensively regulated by protein phosphorylation and that changes in protein synthesis rates are the main contributor to the ability of cells to rewire their machinery during cellular differentiation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Siemiatycki examined Vancouver's shift from the resource economy of the 1980s to a consumption economy, defined by business-class immigration, tourism and real estate development. Case studies of the hospitality, legal and video game sectors show this economic shift has left workers and firms in a precarious condition which needs further study. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Molavi conducted research in the field of biomedical engineering. His work has led to the development of new methods for analyzing brain activity signals. These methods can be used to identify brain networks in newborn infants, which can help in early diagnosis of developmental disorders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Morrison investigated cold molecular plasmas formed from highly excited nitric oxide molecules. This exotic state of matter presents an experimentally accessible environment in which to gain further understanding of correlated plasma systems--such as those found in fusion reactors, and interstellar space. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Cochran explored the meaning and consequences of the term "common sense" when it is invoked in legal judgments. Her study focussed on issues of poverty and inequality. She showed that, while the concept of "common sense" can be conservative and majoritarian, it also has aspects that promote egalitarianism and political reflection in legal judgment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Guha studied the dynamics of atmospheric and oceanic flows, especially how and why they become unstable. His investigation revealed the crucial role played by interacting waves in the development of cyclonic features on earth and other planets. His work will provide better understanding as well as prediction of the weather and climate. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Deery argues that neither the belief in being free to do otherwise nor the experience of having such freedom is inconsistent with there being just one physically possible future. Drawing on recent work in psychology, Dr. Deery develops a view that preserves our self-image as agents who can navigate among alternative pathways into the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Tooyserkani investigated ways to make wooden pellets stronger and more water resistant by applying steam pre-treatments. She also investigated methods to lower the total energy input. She discovered that pre-treated pellets were suitable raw material for bioethanol production while they had more energy density for heat and power generation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |