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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Cao focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop interpretable and robust data-driven technologies. His work offers innovative frameworks for enhancing the monitoring, control, and optimization of industrial processes, leading to improved environmental sustainability and modernizing industrial applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Morales looked into the views and experiences of young Colombian adults concerning violence on social media. His research underscores the pivotal role of digital platforms in shaping our relationship with violence, emphasizing education as a valuable strategy for promoting and sustaining cultures of peace. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Kunitskaya worked to advance economical and robust manufacturing of cancer treatments that are based on genetically modifying patient immune cells to target cancer cells. She studied the impact of process conditions on T-cells, a type of immune cells, and applied these findings to improve bioprocess operations and manufacturing technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Turgu explored the link between HACE1 gene, and mTOR, a key growth regulator in cancers. Her findings revealed that HACE1 significantly reduces mTOR activity, revealing a novel mechanism to control growth in tumor cells. Targeting this mechanism pathway can inhibit cancer cells' growth, and survival, leading the way for new therapeutic approaches. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Using epidemiological and implementation science methods, Dr. Romanowski explored the long-term impact of tuberculosis and what we can do to support tuberculosis survivors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Setayesh utilized machine learning techniques for resource allocation in wireless communication systems. He proposed a deep learning framework for network slicing in radio access networks, a federated learning algorithm to address data and device heterogeneity issues, and a novel 360-degree video streaming approach in terahertz wireless systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Parlow investigated how corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) regulates the effects of glucocorticoids on development, metabolism, stress, and inflammation. Her findings reveal a novel role for CBG in shaping sex differences in organ development in rats, providing insight into the basis for sex differences in humans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Xing explored and improved the detection of topic shifts in natural language and multimedia using data-driven approaches. He proposed enhanced topic segmentation models with better coherence analysis strategies, showing potential to benefit other natural language understanding tasks like text summarization and dialogue modeling. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Bajpai made theoretical and algorithmic contributions to the study of integer solutions to polynomial equations. He developed methods to resolve several new families of such equations, and applied these methods to prove novel results on approximations to complex numbers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Cassidy-Matthews explored how Indigenous People who use drugs in BC experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and examined influences on vaccine uptake and acceptability. She found that a few relational principles underpinned most health decisions and experiences. These included emotional and spiritual connection, environmental stability, and equity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Yuchi studied air pollution, green space and dementia risk in Canada. Her work underscores the importance of further improvements to the built environment and air quality to reduce the burden of dementia in settings where air pollution levels are relatively low. Urban planning to incorporate greenery and parks may help to reduce dementia risk | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2024 | Exposure to environmental pollutants such as forest fire smoke poses a significant health risk. Dr. Bennet developed a microengineered in vitro model of the human small conducting airways that mimics the 3D ECM that can be used as a tool to advance our understanding of smoke-related risks to respiratory health and aids in the advancement of the organs-on-chip field. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Liu investigated the evolutionary mechanisms underlying freshwater adaptation in ancestrally marine fish. She found that both local habitats and time since marine isolation play a role in the responses to varied salinities in prickly sculpin. Her study provides a possible explanation for how marine fish diversified and colonized fresh water. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Davies explored the communication needs of individuals living with primary progressive aphasia, a language led dementia, and their families. The findings of this research provide guidance for the provision of evidence-based care and for further research in this area investigating avenues of meeting the communication needs of this underserved population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology and Speech Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Tully's work lays the foundation for measuring the electronic structure and fate of excitations in carbon-based solar cell materials. Her measurements of excited states in C60 films demonstrate the first high-quality data on such systems with lab-scale equipment, enabled by advances in film quality developed by Dr. Tully. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Karimi developed a physics-based digital model of machining thin wall blades enabling the development of optimization algorithms that autonomously adjust cutting parameters. This approach ensures both stability and precision in the machining process. These advancements significantly enhance the efficiency of blade machining. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Dean illustrated how participation in adaptive skateboarding and wheelchair motocross may offer health benefits and social benefits to physically disabled people and illuminated how larger social, cultural, political, economic, and structural forces may influence disabled riders' participation in different sporting spaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Isherwood's work considers how the exploration of LGBTQI2S+ artworks can cultivate queer aesthetic sensibilities that help educators rethink normative assumptions of gender and sexuality. Their dissertation provides practical, arts-based methods that educators can adopt now to create supportive and inclusive learning environments for all students. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Everard examined three natural convective flows, showing that ice onset near lake shores is delayed due to horizontal convective processes, that a temperature-dependent viscosity fundamentally changes boundary layer free convection dynamics, and that turbulence in organised canopies can be better described using a new approximation method. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Innis investigated the role of mining stakeholders in mitigating tailings storage facility failures through interdisciplinary research approaches. She developed a high-level empirical tailings flow model to improve transparency, risk communication and the state of mine tailings management at a global scale. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Cang examined emotionally expressive touch behaviour for human-robot interaction. To be truly reactive, devices must address the dynamic nature of emotion. For her dissertation, she developed multi-stage machine learning protocols to train robots to respond to your evolving feelings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Fricke's research examines factors that shape employees' experiences of their occupations, including the ideologies occupational communities support and outsiders' evaluations of employees' occupations. Through field research with first responder populations, her findings provide novel insights into occupational stressors and employee health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Organizational Behaviour (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Rostamzadeh's Markerless Dynamic Tumor Tracking method revolutionizes cancer treatment, utilizing the lung-liver interface for precise radiation targeting, reducing side effects, and providing hope to liver and lung cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Porter studied the genome sequences of cervical cancers to unravel the molecular alterations associated with human papillomavirus. Employing cutting-edge technologies and bioinformatics methods, she explored the varied ways in which different forms and types of HPV dysregulate the genome to contribute to the progression of cervical cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Strouth examined how people decide if a community is 'safe enough' from landslides. In addition, he put landslide risks into context with other types of risks. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) |