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. Evans examined methods to reduce the memory consumption of deep neural network training. He discovered which features are unimportant to network perception, and removed them using hardware and software techniques. This research has broad impacts on the development of new machine learning models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Wat discovered novel molecular mechanisms showing how males and females store and breakdown fat differently and how fat metabolism is regulated in both sexes. Her research fills a gap in knowledge in the field of metabolism and paves the way for the development of more effective treatments for metabolic diseases for both males and females. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Chaudhry studied the interactions between small molecules and large ring-shaped structures for sensing applications. He also explored the liquid crystalline properties of a few of these complexes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Pryyma developed laboratory-based methods for the production of targeted cancer therapies derived from the death-cap mushroom toxin, alpha-amanitin. In contrast to chemotherapy, these therapeutics deliver cytotoxic compounds selectively to malignant cells, sparing healthy tissues and presenting a new approach to treating cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Babies born prematurely are highly vulnerable to infections, but we don't fully understand why. Dr. Michalski discovered that at birth, immune cells of premature babies have low energy usage and that this limits their anti-microbial responses. These responses mature within the first year of life and help premature infants fight infections. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2022 | From 2015 to 2021, Dr. Bhandal led a research project to study social justice perspectives in Canadian nursing and medical education. Specifically, she focused on two areas of theory and practice from social justice studies, decolonization and intersectionality. The findings have been published in various academic and popular venues. | Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Tehrani studied how a common class of blood pressure medications can reduce aortic aneurysms in mice by increasing levels of nitric oxide, independently from their blood pressure lowering effects. This research provides new insight on how these medications work in aortic aneurysms and may aid in the development of novel treatments for patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Vandekerkhove developed methods for studying lethal bladder cancer from tumour material circulating in the blood, without the need for invasive tissue biopsy. She utilized this blood-based test to explore tumour features influencing treatment response and resistance. Her research advances personalized medicine for bladder cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Barta examined the myth of American innocence in post-Cold War U.S. fiction and film. He found that films and novels of this period demonstrate the ongoing influence of this myth in American culture. His study makes significant connections between American innocence and public consensus for post-9/11 American wars. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Bevilacqua developed efficient algorithms for estimating and optimizing reachability and coverage on probabilistic graphs. Many real networks such as protein-protein interaction networks, peer-to-peer computer networks and online social networks exhibit uncertainty which may be modelled as a probabilistic graph. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. McLeod studied how moving responsibility for healthcare services in BC's provincial prisons to the Ministry of Health affected providers, services, and the health of people who experience incarceration. Her work highlights how integrating prisons with the community healthcare system may help to address health disparities and improve outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Dalwadi studied how proteins come together and interact with one another to carry out important functions within the cell. His examination of the 3D shapes of three key protein assemblies help improve our understanding of fundamental cellular functions such as the production of mRNA from genetic DNA and the translation of proteins from mRNAs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Mahon used genetic engineering to produce poplar trees that incorporate valuable phenolic compounds, called flavonoids, into poplar lignins. When flavonoids are produced in lignifying tissue, they are incorporated into lignin polymers making the lignin chains shorter and easier to deconstruct chemically | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Maharaj's work examines the law on mitigation of damages for breach of contract by establishing a robust framework that explains how the doctrine applies, why it applies, when it applies, and what it actually demands of contracting parties in practice. It will benefit judges, legal counsels, and the wider scholarly community in private law. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Dixit focused on identifying ways to address the challenge of water scarcity. He developed a nature-inspired water recycling protocol for the safe reuse of water in our cities, industries and households. His findings contribute to the improvement of conditions in water stressed areas, which are home to over 5.5 billion individuals worldwide. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Lim measured real-time brain activation during walking in individuals who have experienced a stroke. They were the first to measure sensorimotor integration regions of the brain during walking in this population. Activation changes were specific to the type of walking task and individuals who performed better showed higher activation levels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Volfova studied Kaska Dene contemporary responses to Indigenous language marginalization, highlighting ongoing linguistic vitality and self-determination. Analysis of these responses deepens our understanding of language revitalization, illuminating areas of agency, resiliency, and how these responses inform the language's future directions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Castillo Devoto designed a novel framework to assess climate risk in the mining industry. With a holistic sense of climate hazards, vulnerabilities, and exposures in the watershed, the framework supports land restoration design with ecosystem-based adaptation strategies, coping with climate change and contributing to sustainable development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Woo assessed changes in forest carbon caused by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and interior British Columbia using propensity score matching methods. She established guidelines for implementing quasi-experimental methods for ecological data, especially for spatially located forest inventory data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Ifill investigated how Bordetella pertussis, the bacteria that causes whooping cough, adapts to different environmental stressors. He identified several overlapping systems which regulate genes associated with survival and evasion of the human immune system, indicating how this pathogen may be responding to stress within the host. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Alamoudi developed a successful method to modify a catalyst used to process crude oils derived from the Canadian oilsands. The modified catalyst produced less side products that deactivate the catalyst, resulting in a longer catalyst life and the potential for reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with the oilsands refining process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Liu examined the biological signatures of tumour spread to neck lymph nodes in early-stage oral cancer. Her work revealed micro-RNA and immune genes, and nuclear phenotype that can identify high-risk patients. This contributes to translating clinical biomarkers for the decision of early neck management and preventing under- and over-treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Craniofacial Science (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Venkateswaran investigated the role of the interaction of a glutamine transporter with the metabolic enzyme, CA9 in hypoxic solid tumors. Her research work establishes a mechanism by which CA9 utilizes the amino acid, glutamine, to promote tumor growth and identifies novel targets to treat cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Zhou developed novel optimization algorithms for integrated circuit routing. He uses machine learning techniques and divide-and-conquer methods to accelerate the chip design process while improving the performance. His work can help the industry shorten the design-to-market cycle and deliver better electronics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Sarraf Shirazi proposed a 3-layer model for two-phase solid-liquid flow covering wide ranges of regimes, flow and geometrical parameters. He developed a fluid mechanics framework to explain the gravel packing operation. He also developed a machine learning pipeline to predict the slurry flow outcome based on the flow regime and behavior. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |