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 | NID |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dr. Shankar explored practices with immigration data in Canada. Findings emphasize difference, interdependence, and the need for negotiation of responsibilities across groups working with immigration data. Her work offers implications to governmental and non-governmental actors for ethical decision making and the use of communities' data with care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Syed studied the acute effects of air pollution on lung function and exercise responses in individuals with & without COPD. He found that air pollution negatively affected exercise responses more in healthy individuals compared to COPD. This work has implications for physical activity guidelines during periods of increased air pollution. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Seiler developed novel flotation conditions for the selective separation of a nickel mineral, named awaruite, from ultramafic rocks. Awaruite deposits are a promising nickel feedstock to support the transformation to clean low carbon technologies. His research contributes to the development of awaruite deposits into nickel mines. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Sharafian studied T cell development in infants, focusing on the physiological effects of T cells on the intestinal organoid model. She found that T cells induce the proliferation and differentiation of the infant's intestinal epithelial cells. Her work has potential implications for therapeutic advancements in infant intestinal diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Virk adapted a self-administered mental health screening instrument for post-secondary students (called HEARTSMAP-U). He applied a user-centred approach and engaged diverse student sub-populations in validating the instrument, to ensure it can be accurately and equitably applied in post-secondary educational settings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Zakani developed a new class of water-based lubricants. These lubricants are environmenta-friendly and possess improved lubricity compared to other industrially available, water-based lubricants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Perez Montelongo studied South African photography since the 1960s, with a focus on black and white analog technologies. She investigated photographic practices that put a question mark on colonial ideas about the genre of landscape photography, both in South Africa and beyond. Her dissertation expanded the scope of the history of photography. | Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Jones studied how transit-oriented development (TOD), increased redevelopment pressure on clusters of Vancouver's aging suburban rental housing. He critiqued the logic of TOD to argue against suburban gentrification and the displacement of marginalized renters. Dr. Jones found that these processes could be ameliorated by City Council leadership. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Collins demonstrated how the Japanese new religion Shinnyo-en is shaped by sacred stories about its founders. He found that members form emotional bonds with one another, the founders, and the organization by intertwining the founders' narratives with their own lives and with elements of Japanese Buddhist ritual, objects, spaces, and art. | Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies (PhD) |
| 2023 | American Indians have the highest rates of early school leaving but are often left out of data. Working with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Dr. Keegahn examines this omission through Indigenous education and data sovereignty. Her research reveals the ongoing erasure of American Indians and ways the Swinomish have sought to address this. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Philippe identified novel neuronal targets involved in adaptive responses to stress. He subsequently demonstrated these to modulate the serotonin subtype 1A receptor. Finally, he set the stage to study the role, connectivity, and effects of this modulation on health-related risk factors (e.g. metabolism, stress hormone, behaviour). | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Milla-Moreno examined the potential use of native trees to restore ecosystems damaged by copper mines in Chile. After assessing several tree species, the evergreen tree quillay was found suitable for this purpose because it keeps copper in the roots, as shown by mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence imaging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Todorovic developed new methods for constraining cyclic peptides. These peptides showed preliminary utility in killing cancer cells or medical imaging of tumors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Foreign investment can benefit the recipient economy. Dr. Burzo examined empirically the political and economic aspects that influence the destination of foreign investments. His findings contribute to policy discussions on the redefinition of the international investment regime, particularly in relation to developing countries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Kim's research focused on mechanisms that reduce metabolic rate in small hibernating rodents. These comparative studies take us one step closer to understanding and utilizing naturally occurring biological phenomena for biomedical advancement. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Beaty studied human impacts and relationships with the ocean. She revealed broad negative effects of climate change on marine animals and identified traits and places that increase vulnerability. She also co-created a values-mapping project with Indigenous and local partners in the Salish Sea. Her work helps us steward life in the ocean. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Lin built a mathematical model describing the unique oral absorption of an anti-cancer drug in order to understand the responsible mechanisms. This model can inform drug research and development by predicting oral absorption of new drug candidates and determine dose and regimen of drugs showing similar absorption characteristics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Xu studied how plant fungal pathogens cause diseases. She innovatively established a fast gene discovery pipeline and identified many genes required for the full virulence of the fungal pathogen. In the future, these genes can be targeted to develop new fungicides and provide efficient and long-lasting plant protection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2023 | P-F-A-S, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as forever chemicals are one of the biggest environmental challenges of the decade. Dr. Banayan Esfahani studied the application and mechanism of photochemical processes in destroying PFAS molecules, providing insight into the better strategies towards treating polluted waters. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Esposito used nuclear imaging techniques to study the pharmacokinetics of native and nano-formulated cationic host defense peptides (CHDPs), naturally occurring compounds that direct kill bacteria and bolster the immune system to better fight infections. Important insights were gained in this work that are expected to help advance the development of CHDPs and their formulations toward clinical use. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Hayes used the high-energy proton collisions of the Large Hadron Collider to study the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that gives mass to all other particles. Her work contributed to the first observation of a specific process involving the Higgs boson and furthered our understanding of this piece of the Standard Model of particle physics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Jain studied Geopolymers, environment-friendly alternatives to Portland Cement, for cesium nuclear waste immobilization. Dr. Jain demonstrated enhanced cesium immobilization within the Geopolymers processed via one-step chemical synthesis route. Safer long-term nuclear waste storage will be possible because of Dr. Jain's work. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Janzen explored how users could better manage mobile notifications, which is difficult and time consuming despite extensive research on the subject. Through user centered design she identified that infrequent, targeted personalization sessions supported by visualizations of notification use could encourage and support notification management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2023 | Hawaiian volcanoes are direct windows into the chemical composition of Earth's deep interior. Dr. Williamson's research on Hawaiian lavas revealed a change in mantle chemistry along the Hawaiian Islands about 5 million years ago. Her work provides new insight for tracking the distribution of chemical reservoirs in the Earth's mantle through time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Translational approaches to restoring autonomic dysfunction after spinal cord injury | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |