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. Palmieri focused on the modeling of the degradation of clayey soils during earthquakes. She derived a simplified procedure to predict the strength of this type of soil under different frequencies of loading. Further, she developed a degradation mechanism for an existing model to conduct seismic analysis under different amplitudes of loading. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Kuanr has developed efficient catalytic routes for the feasible synthesis of nitrogen-containing small molecules and polymers. He further explored their applications in energy-storage systems and as corrosion-resistant materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Zhang studied the effect of insulin and insulin receptors on pancreatic cancer. She showed that low insulin levels and loss of insulin receptors reduce the number of precancerous lesions, and identified some mechanisms in the process. Her findings add to our understanding on how obesity and diabetes increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Johnson developed a new bilingual speech data set and demonstrated a high degree of similarity in voice and sound categories for Cantonese and English. Her research offers insight into the nature of bilingual speech and furthers our understanding of how language interacts with the mind. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease with unknown causes that gradually paralyzes people. Dr. Xue's research demonstrated that viral infection is a risk factor for ALS by accelerating disease progression. This finding will inspire the incorporation of antiviral drugs in treating ALS. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Shademani developed a remote controlled, implantable drug delivery device for the treatment of osteomyelitis, a condition caused by bacterial infection of bone. This device is controlled by a magnet from outside of the body. He also studied the synergistic interactions between antibiotics and silver particles to enhance antibacterial efficacy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Roes studied the brain networks measurable through fMRI. Using a new analysis method, Spatiotemporal fMRI-CPCA, she showed that resting state networks did not adequately account for task-based activity. She argues that task-based networks provide unique information about brain-cognition relations not available from resting state data alone. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Ganguly used Drosophila as a model system to systematically classify ~100 variants of the PTEN gene, which have been found in cancer and ASD patients, as pathogenic or benign, using simple, robust experimental assays and examined the effect of these variants on protein function. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Woodruff looked at different tools that fisheries managers can use to sustain productive recreational fisheries and how it is necessary to have trade-offs between fishery and conservation goals. Ecosystem models were created to examine the different interactions and consequences that can result while trying to maintain a stable ecosystem. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceans and Fisheries (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Aikenhead examined the Canadian criminal justice response to technology-facilitated intimate partner violence (TFIPV) through a review of recent case law. She identified concerns and gaps in the legal response from a feminist perspective. Her proposed legislative and policy reforms will assist victims of TFIPV in accessing justice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. González explored science teachers' assessments. He found that when teachers know more about scientific models and have more years of teaching experience, they engage in student assessment more often and use a wider array of strategies. These results have implications for science teacher education and their teaching with models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Banerjee's dissertation studied soil liquefaction under the influence of particle-level factors. He isolated these factors using numerical models to explore micro-macro connections. Fundamental insights from this cyclic loading-based analysis can be applied to the development of geo constitutive modeling and designing of granular materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Liu studied machine tools used in the machining of metal. He developed both physics-based, and data-driven methods to identify the vibration behavior of such machines, which affects the quality of the manufactured parts. His work benefits the manufacturing industry in the planning and production of high-quality precision parts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Werner studied the origin of the orca in popular and scientific discourses. His research highlights the importance of first-hand encounters in shaping the historical representation of the killer whale (1861-1964). This study showcases the possibilities for animal-centered history in the age of mass digitization of historical source material. | Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Falcao developed new methods to analyze single-particle tracking data. She achieved breakthroughs in estimating the number of distinct mobile states, while showing how to properly correct for experimental errors. Her work substantially advances our ability to analyze biological dynamics at the single-protein scale. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Trischuk analyzed proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS Experiment to search for clues left behind by a theoretical long-lived particle. No sign of this particle was seen in the data, which ruled out various new physics scenarios. She also contributed to the development of the next generation of ATLAS tracking detectors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Morgan-Lang charted the global distribution of microorganisms that cycle methane with software he developed for classifying proteins and inferring metabolic diversity of microbial communities. By linking metabolic function to organisms, these computational tools will help us monitor ecosystems as they respond to a changing planet. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Howe studied climate change policy networks, discourse, and policy influence in Canada. Research and environmental actors were important in some policy spheres, but not seen as influential. For some environmental actors, media coverage made them seem less influential. Also, policy beliefs and network ties both explained collaboration behaviour. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Yu measured the climate vulnerability and health of neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver and examined the effects of densification on health. Overall, her dissertation reveales stark health and climate inequalities across neighbourhoods and provides evidence to support policies that prepare for the threats of urbanisation and climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Wilson-Gerow and collaborators have been developing a quantum-gravity theory. These theories unite the microscopic world, governed by quantum physics, with the macroscopic world that is governed by classical gravitational physics. His main focus is making theoretical predictions for a wave of upcoming, first-ever, quantum gravity experiments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Saberi studied HIV Antiretroviral Therapy at the cellular level in HIV+ pregnant women and cell culture models. She found that most treatments increased mitochondrial DNA content and reflect cellular metabolism dysregulation. Her research advanced our knowledge of cellular aging and cytotoxicity that could affect fetal development and growth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Wang designed low-power low-voltage CMOS circuits for wirelessly powered smart stent system. The implemented implantable system can be integrated with a medical stent to sense critical data and transmit data out for diagnosis. The wirelessly powered smart stent does not need a bulky battery hence it can be implanted inside narrow blood vessels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Laugen conducted research in Indonesia to demonstrate that achievement of maternal and newborn care meeting professional standards in hospitals is related to organizational readiness for change in low- and middle-income countries. His work will be used to assess readiness in health care organizations to facilitate successful practice change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2022 | Engineers and professionals owe a duty to warn of impending risk. Dr. Taale has innovated a novel platform based on the IoT to transform environmental vibrations into earthquake early warnings. This platform utilizes earthquake engineering and artificial intelligence to warn the public, integrating early warning as a service in our daily lives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Gagalova studies the genomes of conifers, conifer insect pest and cannabis to find unique markers of evolution. This research looks for genes and features in the genomes to make possible the feature applied research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |