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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Khatri-Chhetri modelled the impact of disturbances on forest carbon stocks in Nepal to identify how carbon stocks might change under population pressures, climate change, and increased forest management. She also explored the impacts of increasing the proportion of harvest directed to solid wood products as opposed to fuel wood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | The motion of ions in a crystal lattice is described as phonons in quantum mechanics. The interaction, or coupling, between electrons and phonons is important in determining many properties of materials. In contrast to the oversimplified coupling customary used, we showed that some different Physics can be seen using the more detailed coupling. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Computer experiments are used as replacements for physical experiments in a wide variety of applications. Dr. Isberg's research addressed the analysis of large datasets arising from computer models, as well as the combination of multiple competing computer models. The work can be applied broadly in science and engineering, including climate models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Wilson worked with children and other community members on a participatory study of a municipal Child and Youth Friendly Community Strategy. The research supported thinking about the complex relations of humans and non-humans in policy enactment - and offered insights into the more-than-human potential of efforts to make cities better for kids. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Deeba investigated Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) based approaches for tissue characterization. Her research demonstrated that QUS measures obtained from the placenta could differentiate between normal and complicated pregnancies. The clinical translation of the findings will aid in the design of an effective pregnancy screening system. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Shen studied collision physics in the two body system and formulated the universal behavior of the quantum diffractive collisions. Based on the universal behavior, he realized the world's first cold atom based primary pressure standard. This new pressure standard will help redefine the pressure unit, Pascal, in the quantum scale. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Akins examined how to safeguard cultural heritage in an era of rapid change. She found that economic security often usurps sociocultural and environmental wellbeing, and that markets are not set up to support small-scale artisans. Collaborating with Andean women in Peru, her work offers solutions to uphold the Quechua textile tradition. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Cooney produced molecular data for rare and understudied dinoflagellates, substantially expanding data availability for this important group. She identified several new species along the way and revealed new insights about dinoflagellate biology and evolution. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Henry has demonstrated that H2O content within the beryl crystal structure can be calculated using measured Na. She determined additional chemical differences between gem beryl varieties. She has created a model to predict beryl structural details and used this to explore possible chemistries and limitations to the mineral. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Inniss researches complex forms of provocative humour in recent avant-garde, decolonial, anti-capitalist, and feminist poetry. Focusing on three poets who write from different social locations, he argues that the textual-political value of such aggressively humorous poetics lies in its ability to destabilize dominant notions of social identity. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Jia developed and compared various modeling approaches to assess the mechanisms of GHG production, consumption, transport and emissions from macroporous agricultural soils, and interpret the simulation results in the context of observations from a field site in Ontario, Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. van Ballegooie examined how polyethylene glycol conjugated protein based nanoparticles could be synthesized using microfluidics for applications in pharmaceutics requiring IV administration. She also demonstrated potential use as a triggered release system for combinatorial therapy (radiation + chemotherapy) used in cancer treatment regimes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Ritchie's research provided new archaeological evidence and perspectives for better understanding how the ancestors of the Sts'ailes - Coast Salish lived and related to other people and the land around them, how this changed over time, and how it continues to influence contemporary territoriality and identity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Huber investigated data-driven approaches to better understand natural language by combining linguistic theories with machine learning methods. He proposed new computational models using large-scale, natural annotations to improve discourse parsing, enabling researchers to better integrate discourse information into natural language tasks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Adamczyk found complex patterns in seasonal change in eelgrass food webs. Human activities have a negative impact on eelgrass invertebrate communities, and eelgrass leaves host a core microbiota which can be resistant to environmental change. Her research helps us understand how anthropogenic activities affect coastal ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Paisley prepared organic semiconductor polymers with deep red or near-infrared emission for applications as biological imaging agents. He also developed a method for the formation of semiconductor polymers from simple starting materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Cannon conducted interdisciplinary research examining relationships between people and coral reef health. This included analyses of coral communities in the central Pacific, a meta-analysis of a common proxy for coral reef health, and an examination of the ways that coral reef conservationists talk about local threats facing coral reefs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Javadi worked on building a solution to improve the detection of prostate cancer using an ultrasound and machine-learning framework. Her approach allows this technology to identify clinically significant prostate cancer in real-time ultrasound. This is expected to positively benefit the lives of all patients suffering from prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Cole examined working adults' sense of self-efficacy when learning using web search engines. They constructed a scale of self-efficacy and applied mixed methods to identify factors that contribute to User Experience professionals' sense of confidence while learning using search. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Viviani investigated what design represented in software development and how to extract design information from discussions between software developers. He developed a tool to automatize the localization of design information and showed that this information is understandable and useful to software developers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Mehrabi investigated improvements to smartphone users' experience with authentication and access control. He conducted field studies, which advanced the scientific understanding of how and why users lock and share their phones. Subsequently, he developed guidelines for improving the design and user interface of the phones' security features. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Jalabert examined peripheral and neural synthesis of steroids across seasons and in different social contexts in wild male song sparrows. She showed that steroids are regulated within the brain throughout the year and local steroid production rapidly increases in response to aggressive interactions in the non-breeding season. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Altus studied the mechanism of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-halogen bond cleavage by platinum catalysts. His work resulted in the discovery of a new mechanisms that had previously been overlooked. Furthermore, his research provides new insights for the development novel catalysts for the upscaling hydrocarbon fuels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Straus used a combination of field, molecular and laboratory experiments to explore the interactions between social spider hosts and their parasites. She found that colony size and primary productivity influence parasite loads, and that the parasites cause measurable harm to their host, and they are able to move freely between host colonies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Imagine disasters and laughing and making meaning through humor in the face of the rubbles. Dr. Maestrini's work is a comic poetic collection of stories, poems and theories written to understand the social, political, cultural and pedagogical functions of humor after earthquakes in Mexico, in life and during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |