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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dr. Maclean studied the mixing times of organic molecules and water within atmospheric aerosols, and the phase state of these aerosols. This research highlighted that aerosols in Earth's lowest layer of atmosphere, the troposphere, may be solid with long mixing times of organic molecules and water, contrary to typical assumptions in global models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yang studied a special four-stranded nucleic acid structure, called the G-quadruplex, through developing new tools and methods. His collection of works provide evidence for the biological relevance and existence of these structures in living human cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Some advanced cancers can be treated with the radioactive isotope called actinium-225, yet current actinium supplies are limited and rely on decades-old material from nuclear weapons. Dr. Robertson used TRIUMF's particle accelerator to develop alternative actinium production methods that could support widespread use of actinium-based therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Matthey-Doret worked on methods to detect adaptation and showed that deleterious mutations are unlikely to produce signals that can be confounded with beneficial mutations. He also demonstrated that plasticity can evolve in a constant environment. Finally, he created a high performance and flexible software for population genetic simulations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Ramezan studied approaches to decentralize communication networks using blockchain. Dr. Ramezan introduced a new approach in designing communication protocols, named software-defined protocols. These studies assist us to connect billions of devices in emerging communication networks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Pajot studied Edith Wharton's authorship through her magazine publications and their subsequent book revisions, and examined the literary strategies Wharton employed to navigate American literature in the early 20th century. These strategies allowed Wharton to cater to various audiences and to become a commercially-successful and serious author. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Milner studied the importance of education in 19th century Britain, showing the positive effects of publicly provided schools and of child labour legislation on the economic prospects of children. His work demonstrates that targeted public intervention can improve social mobility and insure against economic shocks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Huang's research focused on metabolite analysis using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. He established reliable methods to identify and quantify small molecules from biological samples and developed a software tool to facilitate metabolomics data processing. His work contributed to the biomarker discovery for biomedical research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Aljalai developed novel signaling schemes to improve the performance of 5G cellular networks and beyond. He invented the Dual Pilot Scheme and its extended version to enhance the estimation of communication channels. His research improves Quality-of-Service by advancing telecommunication systems through practical and economic engineering solutions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Tortora focused on PPAR-gamma, a protein involved in the biology of bladder cancer. Through gene editing technology, Dr. Tortora identified molecules regulating PPAR-gamma expression and clarified its effects in tumor development, thus potentially opening new possibilities for bladder cancer treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Tran studied the microscopic assembly of cellulose nanocrystals derived from sustainable sources. He produced colourful materials ranging from thin films to stretchable elastomers for applications including optical sensors and filters. His findings contribute to the search for and development of sustainable and renewable alternative materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lefkowich designed and piloted methods for community-based digital storytelling. Using personal reflections, she illustrated how filmmakers and academics normalize, conceal, and defend racism and colonialism as best practices. To disrupt this pattern, she offered story strategies that encourage greater accountability, creativity, and bravery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Soysa examined the shear behavior of sand-silt mixtures through an extensive experimental research program. He developed a new laboratory criterion to assess the seismic resistance of soils. His study advances the current state of knowledge and understanding of the strength and stiffness of soils. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Ghrear examined the curse of knowledge bias in children's estimates of what others know. She found that this bias is not specific to Western culture, but appears to be universal in humans. She found that younger children are more affected by the bias compared to older children, and identified contexts where the bias does not occur. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wong studied the maximum possible number of certain mathematical objects when specific restrictions are imposed. Her investigation assists the community in understanding a number of important mathematical problems in extremal combinatorics, a field of study focused on the limits of finite objects. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wong explored inquiry-based learning experiences of Grade 6 English Language Learners in a technology-enhanced classroom. Her results indicated that students were engaged in innovative learning tasks which encouraged them to move their competencies, such as effective internet use, and knowledge, such as grandparent stories, into the classroom. | Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English as a Second Language (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Henriques used mathematical models to study the evolution of cooperative behaviour in nature. He explored how cooperation between organisms affected their ability to adapt to changing environments. His research showed that cooperation can be maintained by interactions between groups of organisms, and that it can promote species diversification. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Prescott studied how people with disabilities navigate their communities. He found barriers in the pedestrian environment that negatively affected their ability to get around, which made it challenging to reach destinations. His research identifies policy and practice changes needed to improve their access to outdoor urban spaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Ibrahim demonstrated that mobile automated speed enforcement increases safety by reducing collisions and crime incidence, and identified that changing the number of times an enforcement is visited can change the safety outcome. These novel findings can allow road agencies to maximize safety benefits by strategically deploying limited resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Moon used comics as a theoretical and formal intervention to explore perspectival shifts between science and literature in early 20th-century Britain. Her format-bending research revealed how works by Arthur Eddington, James Jeans, Olaf Stapledon, and Virginia Woolf moved beyond singular, Earth-centered, and human-centered perspectives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | There are many who believe that genes commonly code for more than one functional product, through a process called alternative splicing. Dr. Bhuiyan studied the evidence for this claim, and showed that - despite what we learn in our textbooks - alternative splicing is not as common as we thought. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Abdi introduced novel machine learning methods for clinical diagnosis and planning of jaw reconstructive surgeries and cardiovascular interventions. His designs and ideas enable clinicians in decision making via AI-generated insights from echocardiograms, multimodality information fusion, generative modelling, and object tracking. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Zhang's research explained why the current method used in psychological research for handling missing data may distort the results regarding the fit of statistical models. She also developed two alternative methods that can correctly estimate the model fit. Her research contributes to the statistical methods used in psychological research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Sauvé prepared organic semiconductors with novel optical properties and morphologies for potential application in electronic devices and in encryption. He also developed new luminescent dyes for efficient displays and biological imaging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Choi examined the works of modern and contemporary Korean diasporic artists and studied how they were intertwined with the dynamics of the global dispersion of Koreans. Her research accounted for the complexity of these works, and considered the issues that diasporic artists continue to address in the face of globalization and transnationalism. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |