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. Chung developed new automated technologies to solve difficult problems relevant to modern organic chemistry. By providing access to data-rich information, these technologies have the potential to alleviate bottlenecks in chemical process development in both academic and industrial settings, with an overall reduction in time and resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Gibson examined how acute hospital settings shape patients' and family members' experiences with heart failure and end-of-life planning and care. She found that the ways in which healthcare professionals understood, spoke, and felt about end of life impacted care. Her research highlights how hospital cultures influence patients and families. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Okot Bitek examined the haunting effects of historical events and the subsequent relationship between political and social memory in thinking about resistance, reconciliation and reclamation. This work explores the role of the Bitekian song as a space for social and political commentary, an integral aspect of the decolonizing project in Uganda. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dorri explored methods for detecting genetic mutations with a resolution down to one cell. The accumulation of genetic mutations disrupts regular cell activity and leads to tumour development. Her findings can be applied to the study of clonal dynamics in tumours, which can potentially lead to enhanced cancer diagnosis and treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Wiggermann examined two MRI techniques in the context of myelin health in multiple sclerosis. Through simulations, studies of tissue samples, control and MS populations, she linked the MR measures to the biology of MS. By establishing their robustness for probing myelin at different field strength, she addressed a key issue of using MRI for MS. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kitil studied the role that executive functions play in important developmental outcomes. She found that 4th and 5th grade students who had better executive functions earned higher academic grades eight years later. Given its malleability, this research highlights the importance of finding ways to support executive functions at an early age. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zarei studied and implemented machine learning techniques for cancer detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. She developed technology to analyze and detect abnormalities in the cervix, and to classify and grade prostate cancer. Her work will ultimately help to reduce healthcare costs and increase patients' quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kady-Rachid critically examined constructions of people of Arab descent in educational text and talk in secondary schools in British Columbia. Analysis revealed a discourse of othering, barriers to teaching about peoples of Arab descent, and the importance of supporting teachers' efforts to teach in culturally relevant ways. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD) |
| 2020 | Educators make numerous judgments that affect vulnerable people every day, a responsibility for which there is little institutional training or support. Dr. Jensen explores Hannah Arendt's ideas about thinking, willing, and judging, and how these resources inform educational practice, helping educators to make ethical-political judgments. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Salvatore designed and fabricated a reactor to convert waste carbon dioxide to carbon-based fuels at high efficiencies. Her research has furthered the development of cost-competitive energy storage technologies which are critical to enabling a renewable energy economy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jones characterized the risk factors, dynamics, and consequences of psychosis experienced by adults living in precarious housing in Vancouver over a period of five years. These longitudinal studies contribute to our understanding of how psychotic symptoms evolve over time, and illustrate opportunities for intervention. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Patchin examined the cultural and geographical politics of the Zika public health emergency. Her findings show that Zika intervention was deceptive and coercive, with the potential for destructive consequences in environmental and reproductive health. This work contributes to theorizing human reproduction amidst growing ecological uncertainty. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Vig examined an important literary genre within the Sikh tradition called gurbilas, written in Brajbhasha, and located it within the cultural and religious context of early modern North India (c. 1500-1850). Her research opens up a rich world of shared imaginaries between the Sikhs and other religious communities, as well as cultural worlds. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Polyelectrolyte hydrogels are materials that combine electrical properties of solid materials, like in our iPhones, with flexibility of organic materials. Dr. Triandafilidi studied the behaviour of electronic devices made of gel to find a way to improve their characteristics to be used in robotics and prosthetics as artificial skin. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | The Arctic Ocean is tightly linked to Earth's climate and one of the least understood oceans in the world. Dr. Chanona used large datasets to produce the first pan-Arctic map of ocean mixing rates and robustly describe their patterns in space and time. Her work is critical to improving our ability to forecast and understand the future Arctic Ocean. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Wilson used volcanoes that erupt beneath glaciers to reveal the existence of ancient continental-scale ice sheets in Southern British Columbia. His work helps us to understand the nature of rapid climate fluctuation and suggests that melting glaciers may be an important trigger for global volcanic eruption rates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Hallenbeck worked in collaboration with Coast Salish and Sahtu Dene storyteller, playwright and fisherman Rosemary Georgeson, to develop a decolonial approach to archival research. The thesis decenters the colonial archive and retells the history of the endurance of Indigenous women's connections to water, fish, and family along the Salish Sea. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zhao identified patterns of mutations in cancer genomes which can reveal whether cancer cells are repairing their DNA properly. He developed a method to analyze the evolution of these mutation patterns over time. He also showed that certain patterns of mutation predict treatment effectiveness and may help oncologists make clinical decisions. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Fawcett developed a Family-Centred Positive Behaviour Support (FCPBS) approach for families of young children with Down syndrome and behavioural challenges, the first of its kind at the secondary tier. This program was effective in improving the children's behaviour, decreasing parental stress levels, and enriching family quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dong studied the integration of renewable energy into electric power systems. He proposed several renewable energy controller designs that have adjustable response speed, reduced output-power coupling, and fast synchronization speed. His research results will enable power systems to integrate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Diaz-Diaz studied how young children learn about diversity and social responsibility through their relationships with place. Her research demonstrates that uncritical multicultural pedagogies can prevent children from learning about and from Indigenous knowledge. These findings will inform policy and pedagogy development, particularly in BC. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Workman used X-ray crystallography to study the structure-function relationship of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall. His structural data revealed an unexpected topology and suggested an additional function for a key membrane protein. This knowledge provides a foundation for the development of novel antibiotics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. MacPherson examined the effect of disease epidemiology on coevolution between hosts and their infectious diseases, exploring how coevolution affects disease spread. She also developed a method for identifying genes underlying these coevolutionary interactions. This research will improve our ability to predict disease susceptibility. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chu improved the process of using computers to extract meaningful information from biological sequences such as DNA. He designed computer programs to store data in probabilistic data structures, which purposely store data as approximate signatures in order to surpass the computational memory and speed limits of representing the data perfectly. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Moore investigated the causes of catalyst breakdown in renewable energy systems and strategies to improve catalyst lifetime. He found that dissolution of iridium catalysts is connected to durability in hydrogen fuel cells and that lead stabilizes tin in CO2 electroreduction. This research is crucial to strategies for mitigating climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |