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. Rowell studied explosive volcanic eruptions that interact with glaciers, lakes, and oceans, using both computer models and machine learning analysis of ash plumes in thermal camera imagery. He predicted how the behaviour, hazards, and climate impacts of eruptions evolve as they interact with increasingly greater volumes of water and ice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Earthquakes represent the release of stress on faults, which occur in abundance in western British Columbia and Washington state due to convergence between North America and offshore oceanic plates.Dr. Merrill investigates several earthquake-dense regions in BC and Washington where fluids are interpreted to promote brittle failure. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Parada Torres developed two new methods to estimate distances to nearby galaxies by using evolved stars as calibrators. Besides measuring distances, her research helped identify systematic biases and uncertainties in current calibrations. These new methods will help improve the determination of the rate of expansion of the universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Sadaka wrote The Book of Ice, a musical composition for flute solo and chamber orchestra, which responds to The White Book, a novel written by the South Korean writer Han Kang. This piece blends pitch-set theoretical techniques and a spectral attitude to orchestration, and it develops original ways of combining music and text. | Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition (DMA) |
| 2023 | Dr. Wiesmann identified novel conserved mechanisms of bacterial association with plant and animal hosts, providing insights into how bacteria can protect against, or cause disease. This work ultimately aims to help in the development of novel therapeutics to prevent bacterial pathogenesis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Forbes tested how ecological communities are affected by rising temperatures and fragmented habitats. Her experiments help us understand how species respond to global change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Morris studied advanced MRI scans which can measure white matter health in the brain and spinal cord. She used these scans to quantify myelin across the brain in healthy children and adults and to track myelin loss after a spinal cord injury. Her research validated the specificity of the scan contrast by comparison with histological staining. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Skinnider used machine learning to identify proteins that physically interact in living tissues. His work revealed how inherited mutations, present in every cell in the body, can cause dysfunction in just a single tissue. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Lüskow studied the ecology of oceanic gelatinous plankton. Long-established paradigms shedding a bad light on jellyfish's reputation were challenged. The novel knowledge obtained provided strong support for the "jelly web" persistence and allows for data-driven parameterisation of gelatinous zooplankton in global biogeochemical models. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Hurtado Martinez examined how existing knowledge can be applied to habitat and corridor models and evaluated the importance of forest connectivity for carnivore conservation. This research helps inform the management of carnivores in high biodiversity areas. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Fabris' dissertation focused on the Piikani Nation's attempts to challenge the construction of the Oldman River Dam in the 1980s/1990s. His research findings draw attention to the continued limits of reconciling Indigenous law with Canadian law without addressing the implications of Indigenous jurisdiction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Wells studied how our DNA faces internal obstacles and proposed a model featuring multiple repair pathways that work to tolerate this stress and prevent DNA damage. This work enhances our understanding of genome instability, a feature of cancer development and treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Archibald's research focused on non-invasive neurochemical measurement, yielding a normative database for structural, functional, and biochemical measures of the adult human brain. These findings aid disease comparisons and can benefit individuals with neurological disorders, by advancing scientific understanding. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (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. Gunaratnam investigated iron behaviour and silver deportment through a unique industrial process employed in the mining industry to recover silver and gold from minerals with high iron and sulfide content. Her research illuminates the best operating conditions that maximize silver recovery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Poisson has investigated various uses of surface-initated polymerization techniques to solve current challenges in organic optoelectronics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Egoriti developed new particle accelerator targets and diagnostics that improve the quality and quantity of radioisotopes produced at TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator center. This work has enabled new scientific experiments that previously failed, and improved key metrics allowing for quicker and more effective research activities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Ren investigated heterogeneous ice nucleation by computational simulations and laboratory experiments. Her work demonstrated how atmospherically relevant ice nucleating particles can be influenced by ions and pH conditions. These results improve our understanding of how environmental conditions affect ice formation in the atmosphere. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (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. Yogev examined the reliability and validity of wearable near-infrared spectroscopy during exercise, to better inform practitioners about the utility of measuring muscle oxygenation in field conditions. His work provides valuable guidelines for muscle oxygenation monitoring in real-time during exercise. | Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology (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 | Dr. Whelan examined the genomes of a group of poorly-studied organisms called microsporidia. Their reduced genomes make them invaluable models to study complex cellular processes as there has been significant simplification. Overall, his research has broadened our understanding of the minimum requirements for cellular machinery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Huang revealed how the next-generation wireless networks can benefit from machine learning and artificial intelligence. He developed machine learning-based algorithms to push the limits of wireless networks, making it more intelligent, reliable, and efficient. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Pataky's research explored methods to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of precision medicine technologies. She found that using genomic testing to define eligibility for cancer therapy can provide value for money. These new evaluation methods will help health care systems to better assess the value of funding precision medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Kang's doctoral project evaluated how anti-racism and cultural safety paradigms are taken up in local health authorities. The three-phased study highlighted the significant need for provincial and national health organizations to incorporate principles of anti-racism, cultural safety, equity and social justice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |