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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dr. Daniel studied the interfaces between layers in the multilayer structure of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. His work resulted in an integrated multilayer architecture that eliminates detrimental gaps around the catalyst layer to improve the performance and operational flexibility of fuel cells, critical for automotive applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Singh examined how modern European technology played a central role in colonizing Punjab. He showed that technology played such a central role that coloniality should be understood as techno-coloniality. He demonstrated that non-Western traditions, such as the Sikh spiritual tradition, can play a crucial role in building a decolonial future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lin performed structure-activity relationship studies on anti-HIV molecules. During this process, she discovered novel chemical reactivities of these compounds. The findings are crucial for the future development of biologically active molecules toward treatments of various diseases and crop protection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kadhim found a new role for MED15, a protein that physically links DNA to proteins which regulate gene expression. His findings suggest that MED15 is critical to make mature, insulin secreting beta cells. Understanding how and why beta cells need MED15 to develop and mature will allow new treatments for diabetes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Hughes studied mathematical models for random spatial populations which arise in a variety of settings, including ecology. His work focused on fractal properties of the population densities. This research sheds light on how these populations, and other important stochastic models, are locally distributed in space. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zhou studied 3D interactions and spatial perception for Virtual Reality displays. She created techniques to generate realistic visualization on 3D displays. This research paves the way for future VR studies and applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Risley developed methods that can both detect lower levels of key protein components and use those components to separate similar proteins. Such improvements in therapeutic protein testing reduce the potential for adverse reactions in patients who are using these specialized proteins to treat illnesses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Nguyen developed efficient algorithms for pricing and resource allocation in edge computing. This research assists service providers and network operators to optimize the operation and planning of edge networks. It also facilitates the development of new marketplaces for fair and efficient allocation and trading of edge resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jafer explored politics of victimhood and agency in the everyday lives of a religious minority community in BC. She demonstrated that subtle acts of resistance, when motivated by religious convictions, create religio-political identities that insist on active citizenship and equal recognition, providing a new interpretation of victimhood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Esfandiari developed a system that uses medical image processing algorithms and artificial intelligence to enable surgeons to more clearly and accurately see where spine implants have been placed during a surgery, rather than waiting for a postoperative assessment. His system will reduce the re-operation rate for spine surgery patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Canning studied how people living with advanced dementia in long-term care continued to experience meaningful engagement. Despite significant losses they demonstrated a range of enduring abilities and skills. Her findings support ways for caregivers to connect with residents during both structured activities and informal interactions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kolehmainen studied ketogenic diet and ketone ester supplementation as potential treatments in preclinical models of spinal cord injury. She demonstrated that a ketogenic diet can reduce certain features of inflammation underscoring the importance of nutritional interventions following spinal cord injury. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | As a feminist geographer, Dr. Collard explored the social, political, and legal dimensions of preimplantation genetic tests and the abnormal embryos to which they give rise. She found that the de-selection of these embryos in fertility clinics reflects deeply held assumptions about the bodies and lives we are supposed to want to have and reproduce. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dara developed an innovation for the simultaneous conversion of waste brines and carbon dioxide produced during industrial operations to re-usable water and chemicals. The first of a kind technology is now being commercialized by Mangrove Water Technologies and has the potential to reduce lithium battery costs leading to increased EV adoption. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Osterberg examined police responses to gang violence in BC's lower mainland by conducting qualitative interviews with forty-two police officers and two civilian employees across three jurisdictions. She argues that a productive way forward might include broader community and public health engagement in gang prevention and intervention. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Srivastava studied geospatial modelling for predicting invasive species potential range expansion and invasion potential. His findings on niche characteristics offer a useful cost-effective tool for managing and monitoring invasive species future spread, as well as to design short and long-term management strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | To accommodate the rapidly growing amount of data demanded by mobile users in wireless networks, Dr. Saberali developed caching techniques to prevent congestion of the telecommunications links. He proposed methods to encode the data demanded by multiple users into a smaller number of coded messages and decode them at the final destinations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lin studied the evolution of rare cases when the roles are reversed, and plants consume animals or parasitize fungi. He discovered a new carnivorous plant lineage, and addressed species boundaries in it. He also resolved relationships of monocot which parasitize fungi, and uncovered an unusual gene transfer from soil fungi to plants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Best created a synthesis of techniques from disparate areas of Systems and Programming Languages research, augmented with new highly efficient coordination algorithms, to better leverage the multiple processors available in modern computing devices. This work will open new avenues for programmers to write faster programs with fewer errors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Boonpattrawong studied the impact of maternal obesity and exercise during pregnancy on the long-term health of the offspring using a mouse model. She discovered that maternal exercise improved the cardiometabolic health of the offspring and involved changes in cell-specific gene expression and DNA methylation patterns. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ryan used analyses of rocks from dome-building volcanoes in tandem with high-temperature, high-pressure experimentation to show that crystalline granular materials in volcanic environments heal on short timescales. This research demonstrates that the healing of crystalline granular materials can trigger cyclical explosive eruptions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Have you ever avoided looking directly at someone in order to be polite? Dr. Dosso studied how we tailor our eye and body movements to send nonverbal social messages to others. She found that the brain's attention system plays a crucial role in social action, and this may help us to understand behaviour in different ages, cultures, and populations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lopes da Costa analysed if securitisation could be a viable solution to the growing issues surrounding reclamation funding scarcity and regulatory inefficiency in mining. He explored key securitisation drivers that may increase the degree of financing and regulative success, which might lead to new funding sources for the mining industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Docking studied acute myeloid leukemia, a blood-based cancer with very poor outcomes. Using genome sequencing technology, he developed a test that can determine whether patients are likely to respond to therapy, and identified patients who may respond to existing cancer drugs, which has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Yuskiv investigated management practices and treatment outcomes of phenylketonuria, a rare, treatable genetic metabolic disorder. She identified needs for improvement in the areas of diagnosis, management practices, treatment outcomes, and parental quality of life. Her work will benefit families with phenylketonuria. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |