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. Valverde developed a methodology using X-ray micro-computed tomography to characterize silt-size soil particles and their spatial arrangement at the micro-scale. The findings lay the groundwork for refining geotechnical engineering designs by considering the influence of micro-level particle organization on the macro behavior of silty soils. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. McNutt studied the hormone somatostatin and its role in slowing the growth of breast cancer. She demonstrated that two similar subtypes of breast cancer respond variably to treatment with somatostatin. This research underscores the multiple mechanisms responsible for cancer growth and may contribute to the development of new therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Florko explored how habitat changes affect predator-prey dynamics in the Arctic. Her research, which modelled prey shifts and tracked seal and polar bear movements in Hudson Bay, provides insights into their interactions. This work advances our understanding of predator-prey ecology, crucial for identifying critical habitat. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceans and Fisheries (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hamilton explored how Grade 10 students drew on spatial frameworks to analyze young adult literature and creatively reimagine their movements and engagements across home, school, and public spaces. Her findings open up possibilities for critical and civic-oriented literature education research and pedagogy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Omidvar developed a way to make flexible ultrasound sensors using inexpensive polymers that can be rapidly produced in various shapes and sizes. His work opens a path for making new types of ultrasound devices to improve diagnosis and monitoring of a range of medical conditions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Horst employed innovative digital arts-based methods to inquire into the futures literacies of a group of teacher candidates. Her study found that futures literacies pedagogy can provide teacher candidates with creative outlets to express their extant feelings and narratives about the future in generative ways that enable new possibilities to emerge. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Dainaraviciute studied resilience, exploring how ethnoracial minority youth navigated racism. Her critical interdisciplinary analysis uncovers the complexities of youth lived experiences. Specifically, she highlights the creative solutions youth developed to cope with the subtle and hidden forms of everyday racism that are prevalent in Canada. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2024 | Around 50% of premature infants still suffer from neurological problems, despite dramatic improvements in survival and a significant reduction in severe brain injury. Dr. Tremblay's research has shown that reducing innate immune responses after cerebellar injury prevents cerebellar atrophy and white matter injury in a translational mouse model. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Krekhno investigated the breakdown of steroids by mycobacterial pathogens and identified several genes that result in toxicity upon disruption. These insights into steroid utilization provide valuable information on how these bacteria cause infection and may contribute to the development of new, more effective therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Nyamaizi examined strategies for reducing excessive soil phosphorus levels in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Her findings provided appropriate phosphorus fertilizer rates and a tool for assessing the potential risk of phosphorus loss. Her research addresses phosphorus management challenges and its potential loss to nearby water sources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Wang estimated the pattern and changes in wildland fires and their ecological effects in Canadian forests. Her research contributes to a better understanding of how climate and vegetation interact with fires, thereby enhancing our capabilities for future coexistence with wildfires. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Baker worked on developing an in-house pre-clinical trial assay for incorporating genetic diversity into vaccine candidate selection. The immune system is the most genetically diverse part of the human genome and must be accounted for when creating vaccines with widespread immunity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Gauthier's thesis work outlined the development, optimized, and diagnostic test performance of pathogen-agnostic sequencing for diagnosis of respiratory viral infections. His thesis work helped to overcome key translational barriers to aid in the translation of genomic sequencing technologies for applications in diagnostic virology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Jerowsky compared the efficacy of VR, AR, and outdoor field trips when promoting the critical environmental education of children who have different levels of walking access to quality green space. His findings suggest that immersive media can help to address a lack of access while promoting environmental literacy and a diverse range of knowledges. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hendi revealed a novel function of a gap junction protein that negatively regulates the formation of synapses in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This research advances our understanding of the mechanisms required for the precise formation and development of the nervous system. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Blanchard investigated how early life-stages of fishes cope with temperature variation during development, spanning from the molecular to physiological levels. The findings from her thesis offer fundamental insights that help in our understanding of how developing embryos will cope with climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Segat studied how intrinsic and extrinsic factors can influence the onset of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She showed that inflammation favors the development of a more immature disease subtype, and that a gene called MYCN is essential for this subtype. She also found indirect ways to inhibit MYCN which could guide therapy development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Kakoty investigated amplification effects of earthquake shaking in Metro Vancouver due to deep sedimentary basins and collapse risk of older concrete buildings in Vancouver, which have implications in future seismic policy of the city. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. McCabe's research explored ableism in higher education, examining collective agreements and institutional policies governing academic responsibilities showing that ableism is strongly entrenched and condoned in university policies and governance. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Izadi delved into the issue of leakage within the oil and gas industry, which is becoming an increasingly pressing environmental concern. He led the way in developing risk-based strategies to tackle this issue and pointed towards more sophisticated solutions to effectively mitigate its environmental impact. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Bergamo investigated the use of albumin aggregates as a formulation for the delivery of a fibrinolytic enhancer to the lungs. With this research the potential of using a diagnostic tool such as albumin microparticles for a therapeutic purpose was explored. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Villalba investigated the mechanisms by which fibres form jams in pressure screening. He identified jamming as a random, intermittent process and discovered that the jamming intermittency provides insights into onset of permanent blockages, potentially leading to the development of a sensor for screening operations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Verma has discovered a novel role for the PAN protein complex. Her work demonstrates that targeting this specific protein complex in cancer cells disrupts their ability to divide. Importantly, such intervention may spare normal cells from harm while specifically affecting the cancerous ones. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Sacchi de Carvalho researched how labour markets function, focusing on how wages are determined, and the roles of firms and employees in production. His results will help policymakers and the public understand wage inequality and labour market dynamics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Brewis used budding yeast as a model to explore how the histone variant H2A.Z, a DNA packaging protein, affects gene expression during cellular stress. Her work advances both our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in genome regulation along with our understanding of what makes a histone variant a variant. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |