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. D'Costa demonstrated that some kidney cancer patients can be treated with a drug used in brain tumor therapy for improved response. She also developed a way to group patients and guide the practice of personalized medicine in clinics. Her research may help improve survival and therapy outcomes in kidney cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Adhikari examined the synergy between pedestrian design features and neighbourhood walkability to explain physical activity in children, teens, and older adults. His findings can be used to design cities with better pedestrian environments by retrofitting existing urban infrastructure and harnessing neighbourhood walkability for health benefits. | Doctor of Philosophy in Planning (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Coulombe studied endothelial cell signaling in the development of the lung and blood system. His research demonstrated the participation of various cell types and identified pivotal factors in the formation of these organs. His work furthers our understanding of developmental processes, providing insights for therapies and regenerative medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Rocks traced Chinese involvement in transnational anarchist networks with anarchists in Europe and the Americas. He revealed that anarchism and anarchist practice offered sympathetic Chinese means to imagine and act to build worlds beyond the pathways of nation, state, colony, empire, and Marxist-Leninist or Fascist internationalism. | Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Acheson worked with the BC Centre for Disease Control to examine how climatic and land use changes affected a fungus called Cryptococcus gattii, which caused a deadly fungal outbreak on Vancouver Island in 1999. She discovered that deforestation events on the island were likely a major contributor to the outbreak. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yaghmaiean uncovered a novel group of proteins called receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases, which function downstream of other proteins and have redundant functions of transducing immune signals in the model plant Arabidopsis. These results provide new insights on such proteins as common transducers in different plant immune signalling events. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Mohtajeb used open MRI to study anterior femoroacetabular impingement, a condition that occurs with subtle bony abnormalities within the hip. She developed and validated a hip model using MRI and motion data and used it to predict impingement during level walking, helping us understand how bony deformities cause hip pain and osteoarthritis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Heikkinen developed a laser-based method for remotely tracking microscopic motions of objects and structures. His technique can measure motions much less than the diameter of a human hair at distances of several tens of meters. His method has great potential for safely assessing the integrity of structures located in hazardous environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Leesing's thesis examined how high-rises were portrayed in diverse media in Germany from 1945 to 2020. Her findings showed how the high-rise changed the definition of 'home' while also becoming a tool for cultural forgetting and institutional surveillance. This work stresses the importance of architecture and media in a time of cultural shifts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lu studied the genetic and molecular causes underlying a group of immune disorders called the CBM-opathies. His research improves our understanding of these diseases and informs the diagnosis and treatment of future related patients. Throughout his PhD, he helped genetically diagnose 11 children, which transformed their management and care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Mahmoodi studied the engineering of high-rise buildings. She investigated irregularities and discontinuities in concrete shear wall buildings. By understanding the complex nonlinear mechanics, she was able to develop design methods that will assist structural engineers to make high-rise buildings safer in earthquakes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yang researched fractals and decoupling in Euclidean harmonic analysis. Dr. Yang studied the size and geometric figures contained in fractals, or geometric objects possessing some self-similarity but highly rugged and oscillatory in nature. The decomposition of waves and their size properties in the physical space were studied using decoupling. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Choudhary investigated the coordination chemistry of radiometal ions, which are crucial for developing new metal-based radiopharmaceuticals. She synthesized diverse chelators for small to medium-sized ions and studied the effect of donor groups on ion chelation to deepen the understanding of their potential uses for clinical imaging and therapy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Michalowski found that fluctuating emotions are linked with both concurrent and longitudinal health in older couples. Her findings illuminate everyday emotional dynamics that shape interconnected aging trajectories in spouses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Moisseeva's work focused on improving our understanding of how wildfire smoke spreads in the atmosphere. She developed a method for estimating how high above the Earth's surface smoke from wildfires will rise. Her findings help improve the accuracy of air quality models and reduce negative smoke impacts for downwind communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Hopkins researched historical and structural interactions between politics and classical music. He proposed three foundational ways for classical pianists to integrate political speech and action into their studies and careers, and also commissioned two new piano compositions that each address current political issues. | Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano (DMA) |
| 2021 | Dr. Ronquillo examined how Implementation Leadership Characteristics influenced nurses' use of mobile health technologies in clinical practice, and found that stronger implementation leadership among first-level leaders had a larger impact on younger nurses and nurses with diploma and bachelors degrees compared to nurses with graduate degrees. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Janzen systematically studied the establishment of a replicative niche by Salmonella bacteria within host cells. Her findings set a new paradigm for future Salmonella research and demonstrated the necessity of a wholistic view of Salmonella-host interactions to illuminate the poorly understood Salmonella replicative niche. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Sakamoto examined the experiences and perceptions of older adults with dementia and hospitalized for long periods of time. Her work used first-hand patient accounts, and revealed that more can be done to actively involve them in their hospital care. She also revealed that nurses can do more to ensure the health and wellbeing of these patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wong studied the molecular interactions involved in the function of CIC, a gene important for suppressing cancer development and progression. He discovered a mechanism that cancers utilize to destabilize CIC, findings of which have implications for drug development and improving treatment options for patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Riazi examined social-ecological factors that influence the independent mobility of children in Canada. Her research highlighted the role of multi-level and multi-sectoral factors such as child age, social cohesion, and the built environment on independent mobility and provided focus for future initiatives promoting childhood independent mobility. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wijaya studied a novel and mild approach for synthesis of industrially valuable chemicals from woody biomass using water and electricity. High conversion and efficiency can be obtained using an electrochemical reactor with stirred catalyst slurry. This research advances the impact of electrocatalysis on clean and sustainable energy production. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Child examined how modern US military interrogation systems work. Much more than an interpersonal encounter in a dark room, this research showed that US intelligence agencies frequently model interrogation similar to a vast bureaucratic machine that efficiently processes as many sources and as much information as possible. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Kostelnik studied new radioactive drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. He found a number of compounds that form highly stable bonds with radioactive metals. These studies assist in the development of optimal radiopharmaceuticals for a wide range of diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Zhang studied how cancer cells resist treatment in ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. He showed that although the immune system helps keep this cancer at bay, some cancer cells evade immune cells and cause patient relapse. His research highlights current challenges for immune-based therapies for this cancer and how to overcome them. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |