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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dr. Lee examined and developed human-computer interactive approaches, where clinical experts and computers collaboratively analyze genomic data for rare genetic disease diagnoses. This research will contribute to future genome analysis methods that empower experts to expedite critical diagnoses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Berseth developed new methods for controlling the movement of simulated characters and robots. Using machine learning methods, he developed control structures that allow for more efficient learning as well as the integration of multiple motion skills. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Carta studied macrocycles, defined as molecules with a cyclic structure. She developed new metal-containing macrocycles and investigated their change in properties when large molecules are hosted in their cavity. This new approach could make certain polymerization reactions accessible to a wider number of macrocycles. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Galindo da Fonseca studied the decision of an individual to open a firm or look for a job. He found that although unemployed are more likely to start a firm, they create smaller less successful firms. This work has important implications for understanding the consequences of policies promoting entrepreneurship. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Zhao worked on improving probabilistic models for Continuous Time Markov Chains and developing Bayesian models and associated Monte Carlo methods for inference. Her modelling framework has been applied to build novel protein evolution models, where the model complexity can be controlled and good estimation is achieved. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2019 | Optical biopsy provides a non-invasive method for delivering tissue images. Dr. Huang developed a novel, handheld multiphoton microscopy system to achieve optical biopsy. Such a compact and portable optical imaging system can potentially help to detect oral cancer at early stage. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Maleki studied leakage in oil and gas wells in Canada. Through rigorous mathematical modelling and computational analysis, his research identified the key root causes of well leakage along with several methods to reduce or eliminate this leakage. His work contributes to more environmentally-friendly energy policy development and practices. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Having been a high school teacher for seven years in Beijing China, Dr. Ma brought her passion for education to UBC. Her research built dialogues among Aristotelian and Confucian wisdom traditions and sought to go beyond them. Her research makes significant contributions to re-conceptualize teaching in ethical-educational dimensions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Sanchez developed methods for constructing and simulating digital biomechanical models of the human body. These models can be used to help plan or guide surgeries and other medical treatments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Huang studied how plant immunity is regulated in a small plant called Arabidopsis. He found out that plants use two sets of proteins to oppositely control the synthesis of salicylic acid, a hormone vital for plant immunity. Such knowledge will assist the development of eco-friendly strategies to protect agriculture from plant diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2019 | Studies have shown that people living with HIV who use illicit drugs present poor HIV treatment outcomes. Dr. Mohd Salleh examined how different institutional configurations support or inhibit the ability of HIV-positive people who use illicit drugs to comply with their HIV medication regimens. Her work will support HIV treatment for marginalized populations. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Overmars explored Indigenous peoples' experiences in the workplace, identifying factors that help and hinder wellbeing. This research highlights unique considerations for Indigenous people, such as connection to culture at work, and provides a perspective that challenges negative narratives of Indigenous peoples' experiences at work. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Wang studied the corrosion process of hip implants and the associated clinical failures. His research showed unexpected vulnerability of hip implants to corrosion under mechanical wear. His findings revealed the unknown failure process of current materials used in hip implants and called for the development of new materials in the future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Lin examined how web-based news media constructs international students and a public imaginary of society and citizenship. She developed an anticolonial and decolonizing content analysis to disrupt colonial gazes as operationalized in virtual spaces. Her research raises awareness of the need for the host society to recognize the continuing logic of racism, hegemony and dominance in BC's international education phenomenon. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (PhD) |
| 2019 | Can artificial intelligence learn quantum physics? Dr. Vargas Hernandez's research shows that big data tools can reduce the computational resources needed to predict the properties of quantum systems and also help us discover new phases of matter. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. McAfee studied how honey bees fight off diseases and parasites by selectively removing sick brood from their colonies. She discovered odorants that interact with receptors in the antennae to stimulate this behaviour. Her results improve our understanding of bee behaviour and validate existing methods of selectively breeding disease-resistant stock. | Doctor of Philosophy in Genome Science and Technology (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Burnett's research examined how past experiences of people who pay for sexual services in Canada inform their behaviours. His analysis revealed the diversity of this population and their role in shaping safety outcomes. This research will inform health and safety policy changes in the sex industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Hunt studied the intersections of Indigenous studies, Everyday Life Theory, and Kinship studies to explore everyday relational obligations in Treaty Eight territory. He investigated the potential of establishing more equitable relations by examining the knowledge systems we produce, the relations we cultivate, and the communities we inhabit. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Cender explored the communication and decision-making dynamics associated with prenatal screening and the diagnoses of fetal anomalies. Findings show how dominant frameworks and power relations shape antenatal interactions and contribute to health inequities. This work offers guidance for promoting excellence and equity in antenatal care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Goodbody analyzed the potential of digital photogrammetry to provide data products and analytical methods to enhance forest inventories. With reference to its areas of success, limitation, and future directions, digital photogrammetry is justified as a technology capable of and improving forest resources monitoring and management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Elradi investigated the relationship between women's organizations, nationalism and violence in Sudan and discovered that violence is perceived differently by local, national and international women's organizations. Findings suggest that mitigating racialized gendered violence in Sudan and the Nuba Mountains will require national and transnational alliances. | Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Giacomin investigated how different species of fish deal with environmental stressors. As the world's aquatic environments become more variable due to human impacts and climate change, the findings of her thesis advance our understanding of how diverse species of fish can cope and survive in challenging environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Keshavarzfathy developed a computational model to simulate the performance of ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV-LED) reactors for water treatment. He subsequently applied the model to several UV-LED reactor concepts. His work increases our understanding of the design and optimization of UV-LED reactors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Nadolski developed an integrated mine-and-mill approach to improve the productivity of block cave mines. He identified and evaluated methods, such as the implementation of grade sensors, to increase cave mine productivity. His work will have significant implications to future copper supply. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2019 | Dr. Yu developed statistical models and methods that can assess associations between longitudinal data and survival data, and handle the complications in the longitudinal data simultaneously. She applied her methods to an HIV vaccine study and discovered significant relationships between the risk of HIV infection and some immune response biomarkers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |