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. Byram studied how families and physicians make life-or-death decisions for patients in intensive care. He proposed standardizing decision-making via a value-centric protocol focused on patients' individual best interests. His novel approach may improve quality of care and relieve families of some of the burdens of these difficult decisions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Liu developed a greener and highly efficient route to obtain a platform lignin product with controllable properties. This modification showed an advance in using renewable materials for useful applications like insulating foams and water-proof coatings. His efforts will contribute to the lofty goal of sustainable development in this century. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chatzichristos developed a novel experimental technique that uses nuclear physics to study the diffusion of lithium ions in solid materials. Using this technique, he was able to resolve several questions about lithium diffusion in materials such as rutile titanium dioxide (a crystal), which may be used in a next generation lithium-ion battery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Giang studied a new class of computer applications that run in fog computing infrastructure, which exploits devices across the edge network (e.g. smartphones), the access network (e.g. Wi-Fi routers, cell towers), and the cloud. His work will impact the development of data intensive applications such as real-time AI-powered video processing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dai developed nanostructured catalysts for methane combustion. The main component of natural gas, methane, is a potent greenhouse gas, and the removal of unburned methane from natural gas exhaust requires catalysts that operate at low temperatures. The developed catalysts may help to decrease methane emissions from natural gas vehicles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Moosvi did his research at the intersection of physics and medicine. He developed new techniques to probe the tumour microenvironments in mice. The most promising technique is oxygen-enhanced MRI, which supports the delivery of cancer therapies targeted at tumours whose lack of oxygen makes them particularly difficult to treat. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Moniruzzaman used a synthesis of approaches such as programming, nonlinear analysis, probabilistic modelling, and analytical methods to examine the effects of cross-layers on the performance of cross-laminated timber under axial compression loads. He has accomplished the project with 42% material savings compared to existing design practices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. McDowell examined how people living in the Nepal Himalayas and Peruvian Andes are adapting to changes in glacial hydrology. His work makes substantive contributions to how adaptation is studied in mountain areas, as well as what we know about and can do to address adaptation needs in mountain communities at the frontlines of climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Gaudet explored how health awareness discourse under capitalism shapes understandings of health and what it means to be healthy. Her findings show that while health awareness has been long analyzed in terms of individual public health campaigns, the rhetoric of "health awareness" is often taken up by commercial marketing campaigns. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mang developed an anti-whiplash car seat that adjusts seat hinge and seatback deformation to mitigate the risk of whiplash injuries following low-speed, rear-end collisions. The anti-whiplash seat reduces occupant head and neck responses evoked by low-speed rear-end collision, paving the way for safer cars in the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Van der Berg studied the cognitive mechanisms that underlie our appreciative engagement with things we value. He showed how existing theories of appreciation, in their narrow focus on our evaluative judgements and experiences of pleasure, overlook the importance of how our attention is modulated as episodes of appreciation unfold. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Fry compared language analyses derived by humans and machines. He demonstrated that unsupervised machine learning is able to generate language analyses that are comparable to those generated by humans. His research adds to the growing dialogue that machine learning has become a useful tool for theoretical linguists. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Over 50% of all wood globally is used for daily cooking, which negatively impacts climate change and forest sustainability. Dr. Singh assessed factors which dictate changes in household fuelwood consumption patterns in India. Her results have direct and important implications for international climate policy and forest management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Wang's research characterized the structure of the calmodulin protein, which is mutated in people who have heart rhythm disorders. Her findings demonstrate that each mutation causes disease through distinct mechanisms. This work will improve our understanding of heart rhythm disorders and their causes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. St-Arnault studied the weathering mechanisms of mine waste-rock using automated mineralogy and long-term leachate geochemistry data. This research improves the characterization of mine waste-rock and predictions of mine drainage quality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Johnson evaluated strategies for improving the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She found that early detection strategies for COPD are cost-effective, and that the risk of COPD should be assessed regularly at primary care visits. Her research can help to reduce the burden of COPD on patients and the healthcare system. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Forde investigated the behaviour of fugitive gas, which occurs when damaged oil and gas wells leak natural gas into the surrounding environment. Fugitive gas poses environmental risks for groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. Her findings will improve oil and gas well site monitoring to identify and assess gas migration. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Haddon investigated the impact of social class on views towards inequality. He found that the working classes are concerned with inequality in both unequal and more equal societies, but as levels of inequality increase, the views of the various classes begin to converge. This may have policy implications as income inequality continues to grow. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Min found that medical students' learning through Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) is a complex process influenced by interactions between factors related to the student, the assessment design, and the broader environment. These findings will assist educators in optimizing the learning that takes place through OSCEs. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. McKenzie facilitated a project with urban Indigenous women on the homelands of the Métis and Treaty One, Treaty Four, and Treaty Six territories. This project highlighted the centrality of self-determination to Indigenous women's reproductive and sexual justice, as well as the need for transformative change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jayhooni developed a novel side-viewing Raman endoscopic catheter enabled with a micro-stepping actuator for detecting cancers in the respiratory system and other human organs. This catheter works for angle-resolved local Raman analysis with no aid of tissue labeling and can detect lesion-induced biochemical changes in vivo and in real-time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chen investigated the removal of hemicellulose sugars from pine and the use of such sugars by the pulp and paper industry. She developed a model to track changes in hemicellulose size during extraction, and used these sugars to increase paper strength. Her thesis identifies important strategies for adding value to existing biorefinery products. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lorzadeh developed a sensitive method to study how the composition of chromatin in normal blood cell precursors changes during blood cell production and how it is altered in certain types of leukemia. His research advances our understanding of the molecular processes that regulate the production of normal and malignant blood cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mohammadi developed a patented technology to improve the visual quality of images and videos by modeling the capabilities of the human eye. This research revolutionizes the field of digital media and is of huge importance to many industries in the digital economy, including autonomous driving, virtual and augmented reality, and digital health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Sengupta focused on retrieving the suppressed accounts of the histories of early modern kalamkari makers from the Coromandel region, India, and recognized their integrity. His study identified the cruciality of bringing the active presence of contemporary artisans into this investigation to reconstruct the agency of historical kalamkari makers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |