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. Rashtian worked on data prioritization when constraints prevent from collecting data from every source. He developed reinforcement learning methods to derive decision policies for data collection. His work provides benefits for large-scale machine learning pipelines in industrial applications such as the Internet of Things and social media. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zhang identified two protein kinases that are critical for plant defense against pathogens. She found that these two kinases are involved in a conserved signalling transduction process in plant immunity. This research contributes to our understanding of plant immunity and will potentially help with sustainable agriculture. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Li examined how Chinese international students engage with democratic discourses and practices in Canada and the US. His study displays that some students may become increasingly committed to democracy and democratization in China through their engagement in the two host countries' regimes and local associations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Warfield created a new research methodology for exploring how young people produce and distribute images of themselves on social media. This methodology examines the varied forces at play, allowing a richer and more complex understanding of emotions, interfaces, and scripts such as those influenced by gender, race and religion. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Agnoletti investigated the use of polymeric microspheres as carriers to deliver antibiotics selectively to the lungs after intravenous administration. Her findings support the passive lung targeting strategy to improve the treatments of bacterial lung infections and, potentially, other lung diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Yang studied the fundamental aspects of soil liquefaction on the grain-scale level. He developed a state-of-the-art practical model to simulate the cyclic response of sands. His research contributes to the high-fidelity modeling of civil infrastructure problems involving earthquake-induced cyclic liquefaction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kwon examined how characteristics in outpatients with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, could be used to inform tailored interventions and patient education strategies. He revealed that rather than conforming to a single uniform pathway, patients could be statistically sorted and classified into distinct health trajectories. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Davies studied the user interface design aspects of how to best present large and complex patient genomic data at the point of care to improve frailty risk assessment. Her research is a step towards integrating big data into routine primary care usage. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mehrtash developed computer algorithms to assist doctors and improve outcomes for patients undergoing image-guided procedures. He devised novel machine learning methods for improving prostate cancer diagnosis and interventions. His work led to the development of new methods for uncertainty estimation in clinical decision-making systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Samiea studied the role of Interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory regulator, on immune and cancer cells. She found that its action is not limited to immune cells deactivation but it can also contribute to prostate cancer progression. Her findings will aid on the development of new therapies for inflammatory diseases and prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Duncan found that, compared to accelerometry, self-report questionnaires misrepresent the amount of time individuals with schizophrenia spend physically active. His study suggests that scientists and clinicians should rely less on questionnaires and use technological approaches to track behaviours, inform decisions, and evaluate interventions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Bauer explored the influence of gut microbes on early-life malnutrition. This work revealed key gut microbiota-brain interactions linked to cognitive function and glial biology. In addition, Dr. Bauer assessed how dietary intervention impacts the malnourished microbiome and improves fatty liver pathology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Khadka explored the exclusions based on race, gender, class, and linguistic and cultural competence that shape the experience of labour market negotiations among Bhutanese refugees in Canada. His research recommends inclusive labour policies to promote successful refugee resettlement. | Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Boltokova examined processes of language change among the Sakha, an Indigenous People in northeastern Russia. She shows that disagreements between older and younger Sakha about how their language should be spoken is a key driver of linguistic change. Her study strengthens our understanding of Indigenous language revitalization. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Luo developed an image sensor chip capable of per-pixel coded exposure for emerging machine vision applications. He subsequently applied his image sensor design in a portable AI camera to produce high-speed video, high dynamic range photos, and 3D depth maps with a single image capture. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | By analysing the gravitational response to quantum matter, Dr. Arderucio Costa has shown that a hybrid classical and quantum-mechanical formulation of general relativity is sufficient for accounting for the laws of black hole thermodynamics. This work unifies the understanding of the thermodynamics of black holes and ordinary systems | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Bulaeva developed a new model of acute myeloid leukemia by overexpressing a gene called MYC in normal human blood cells. Using this model, she found that these cells require signals also present during inflammation to initiate leukemia and behave normally in their absence, suggesting that inflammation may play a role in human leukemogenesis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Osa Gomez del Campo focused on how Spanish speakers use discourse markers to coordinate conversations. She proposes a dynamic model of interaction that shows how speakers use these words to coordinate, and sometimes impose, knowledge and intentions. Her work is relevant for models of interaction, and the comparison and teaching of languages. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Collins demonstrated that Inuit children with the p.P479L variant of the gene encoding CPT1A had higher rates of infectious illness and low blood sugar in the first days of life than children without the variant. These results demonstrate how underlying genetic susceptibilities can influence infant and early child health outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Hamid studied the transformation of fluorotelomer compounds by bacterial communities and in presence of sunlight. These compounds are widely used for waterproofing consumer products and packaging. Her research provides a better understanding of their fate in the environment, allowing more realistic risk assessment and mitigation strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Gee examined how the heart and lungs interact and respond to exercise in individuals with quadriplegia. His work demonstrated how high lung volumes impact the heart and exercise performance, and how strengthening respiratory muscles can enhance exercise capacity following quadriplegia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Grewal developed machine learning tools for cancer diagnosis and analysis. She found that when given large-scale genomic data, these methods can diagnose rare cancers and learn individual cancer biology. Her research shows that automated machine learning methods can enhance diagnostic and treatment decisions in precision oncology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lal studied the role of the protein VEGFB in the diabetic heart. He found that this growth factor has the potential to protect against the changes that occur in the heart following diabetes and can lead to heart failure. This research helps in identifying a novel therapeutic target to prevent diabetic heart disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jain's work in carbohydrate chemistry involved the development of several molecular tools that facilitate the discovery of industrially applicable enzymes that can break down carbohydrates. Such enzymes have applications in biofuel production from renewable sources and in understanding mechanisms of carbohydrate digestion in humans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Raheem investigated the antibacterial and antibiofilm functions of antimicrobial peptides, with activity against both free-swimming and biofilm bacteria. Her research provides better understanding of the multifaceted nature of these peptides and helps towards the future development of therapeutic alternatives to combat antimicrobial resistance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |