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. Arsenault's research focused on the design and examination of new shape-shifting molecules. The absorption or emission colours are dependent on the molecule's shape, and can be tuned by changing the surrounding solvent. Her research will impact applications using stimuli-responsive molecules, such as water-sensing dyes for biomedical imaging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Persaud synthesized analogs of clionamine B, compounds which remove Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human cells, making them attractive compounds for developing new drugs to treat TB. Dr. Persaud also made compounds to identify the site where clionamine B binds in cells, which is an important part in the drug development process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chan's research considered problems with certain mathematical structures known as tableaux. He proved results which relate to enumerative and structural aspects of these problems. His work could aid in understanding inherently complex problems relating to tableaux and in establishing connections between different areas in combinatorics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Pilliar developed a new person-centered approach to understand and remedy access to justice problems. Drawing on analyses of the legal services landscape, interview research with people who have had access to justice problems, and data on how lawyers do their work, Dr. Pilliar proposes four tangible steps to improve access to justice in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Gilbert showed that rising Arctic water temperatures can limit Arctic char heart function and exercise performance in a manner that may impair their ability to migrate. Arctic char, a type of salmon, are culturally and economically invaluable in the Canadian North and such information will aid in evidence-based management efforts. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Day studied the interaction between ultraviolet radiation and electrons in solids, developing new tools to understand the electronic structure and properties of materials. He demonstrated the presence of interactions which bind the electrons' trajectories to their magnetic moment in new superconducting materials. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kadgien studied how a gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease affects communication between brain cells. She showed that the mutation causes increases in communication that could be a good target for therapeutics. Her work expands our understanding of neurodegeneration, and supports personalized therapy for Parkinson's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dupuis used computer simulations to better understand how an antimicrobial potato protein interacts with model cell membranes, and the role of its disulfide bonds. His research highlighted regions of the protein most likely to mediate membrane interactions, and that the disulfide bonds may aid in membrane targeting specificity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | By studying the integrity of titanium exposed to mineral slurries in hydrometallurgy, Dr. Liu found that mineral solids can result in the wear and corrosion of titanium. Her research related titanium's corrosion resistance to prevailing environmental conditions. Her work will improve the safety and economics of processing plants that use titanium. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Park found that parents' flexible thinking and problem solving skills are important in reducing the association between the experience of chronic stress and harsh parenting. Given that stress is such a common experience for parents, her study provides important implications for parenting interventions to support healthy child development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Law studied the role of ethnic culture in the experience and coping of chronic pain. Her research focused on immigrants from China living with pain in BC. Results revealed a set of cultural beliefs and values that informs their pain management actions. Her work can help enhance patient care for chronic pain in an increasingly global society. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Byers explored how rat movement in cities influences rat-associated disease risks and how interactions with rats impact the mental health of residents. Her work reveals that rats have negative impacts on physical and psychological health, and that mitigation of these risks requires holistic One Health solutions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Malig developed an automated device to monitor chemical transformations as they progress. He used this platform to perform kinetic studies of chemical reactions leading to increased mechanistic understanding and process efficiency. His research will allow chemical researchers to maximize chemical understanding while minimizing analyst workload. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kim studied particle breakage in sorption-enhanced chemical looping, which produces H2-enriched synthesis gas while capturing CO2 from fuels. He examined the breakage of oxygen carrier and CO2 sorbent particles and developed a model to improve the efficiency and stability of the process to reduce the impact on public health and the environment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Khorvash determined computationally how an antibody specific towards Alzheimer's disease (AD) detects its toxic species, amyloid beta oligomers. The target regions were used to design a smaller version of the antibody and to predict the binding sites of oligomers on the surface of neurons, which can be used to design more effective antibodies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Cover examined how marketized education policies are interpreted and enacted by public education administrators in school districts. He explored how public education is evolving in increasingly marketized climates and how administrators understand their shifting roles and manage conflicts between marketization and the aims of public education. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Afshar explored the benefits that individuals with diabetes receive from delivering support to peers with the same health condition in peer support interventions. She proposed how to optimize these programs and maximize these benefits, which will help patients with diabetes, researchers, and policymakers designing peer support interventions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Adeyeye examined conflicts and likely solutions to improve access to forest and water resources for Indigenous and local communities. By analyzing how diverse actors seek to influence decision-making at regional, national and international scales, he recommends, among others, participatory decision-making with indigenous and local leadership. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Wynes examined how individual actions can be optimized to reduce the greenhouse gases that warm our planet. His interdisciplinary research included analysis of political and lifestyle choices. This study demonstrates that societal elites and motivated members of the public may be missing opportunities to fight climate change more effectively. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mitra studied how the decline in labour union power led productivity to rise during recessions since the early 1980s in the US. His work also established a limited role for parents in determining income and consumption inequality among children. These findings have policy implications for temporary job-guarantee in recession and bequest tax. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Cashion examined the economic and environmental trade-offs of capture fisheries. His work evaluated how current fishing methods negatively affect threatened species and their contribution to wasteful practices such as discarding fish at sea. This research can inform conservation efforts by improving the spatial management of fisheries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceans and Fisheries (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Pasman studied which brain areas are involved in upright standing balance and how these areas are affected in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). She found that balance is controlled more automatically in healthy elderly than individuals with PD. This knowledge can aid in the development of therapies for balance problems in PD. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Eisner examined a population of progenitor cells present in the adult skeleton to determine their roles in bone homeostasis and regeneration, and identified a signaling pathway crucial to maintain the normal function of these progenitors. This work furthers our understanding of bone biology and presents potential targets for skeletal therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mustard investigated how to improve the speed of data analysis on computer systems. He developed a system that runs analysis tasks on novel computer processors that efficiently communicate over data center networks. His research provides insights into how and when to use these new designs to make data analysis faster for everyday users. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ho studied the link between physical activity and cognitive function. His research showed that physical activity is associated with improved performance on tasks such as university exams. He also developed a novel way to measure physical activity outdoors. These results have implications for the promotion and measurement of physical activity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |