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. Kim studied movement disorders in precariously housed and homeless people. He found that substance use and psychosis were differentially associated with movement disorders, and that parkinsonism rapidly increased over time. His research helps increase awareness of movement disorders in at-risk groups, especially during the overdose crisis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (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 | 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. Newhouse used data from CERN's Large Hadron Collider to search for signs of yet-undiscovered "sterile neutrinos." He helped develop new algorithms and analyses to extend the reach of this search to new parts of the ATLAS detector. If found, these particles may answer several open questions about the fundamental nature of our universe. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Solis-Becerra examined how indigenous cuisine can serve as an effective tool to achieve local Food sovereignty while preserving regional biocultural diversity. Both are key aspects in the development of sustainable food systems and food security strategies aligned with culturally respectful initiatives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Hathaway studied risky decision making in rats. They found that pairing lights and sounds with reward on a risky decision-making task can both increase risky choice and impair flexibility. They identified the orbitofrontal cortex as a key region underlying this effect. These findings advance our understanding of gambling disorder in humans. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Lacy Boersma examined how the language of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, especially the words used to articulate doctrines of the Church of England, contributed to England's modern identity. She shows that it is not only ideas which define a nation. Terminology, the origins and associations of terms used to express those ideas, also matter. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Zimmermann reviewed how modern German-language literature challenges views of refugees as problems that threaten European liberal nation-states. Texts can illustrate that neither European citizens nor refugees are permanent outsiders or insiders to a place. The findings are relevant for literary discourses on the categorization of migrants. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (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. Somo investigated the adaptation of aerobic capacity in fish in the intertidal environment. Focusing on the effects of oxygen, temperature, and body size, these studies illuminate how marine organisms in this environment have evolved to thrive under harsh, variable conditions, with lessons for how species might fare under climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2023 | How do conservation actors make decisions in practice? Dr. Stevens shows that governance of protected areas is changing to reflect new commitments to human rights, collaboration and evidence. Her analyses highlight diverse solutions to the biodiversity crisis, offering policy-relevant insights for more just and effective community-led conservation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (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. 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. Diabo studied the politics of listening in Mohawk and other First Peoples' literatures. Taking the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace as a blueprint, their research theorizes what it means to listen politically in both First Peoples and settler-colonial contexts. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. MacAldaz examined blood stem cells capable of life-long blood production. She identified a strategy to isolate these cells at high purity from fetal sources and discovered culture conditions that preserve their potent regenerative properties. This research will enable the development of ways to manipulate these cells for clinical applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Vergara explored the uptake of Latin American literature in Metro Vancouver classrooms. She found that sometimes teachers and students used stereotypes and misrepresentations when interpreting such texts. This research illuminates the complexity of teaching diverse literature and discusses ways of supporting teachers and students in the process. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (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. Dickson-Hoyle examined how Secwépemc Nation communities and territories are recovering from recent megafires in British Columbia. She identifies key lessons from joint recovery efforts and describes Secwépemc Elder Ron Ignace's concept of walking on two legs to guide collaborative research and restoration in Indigenous territories. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Queinnec examined the ability of novel airborne and spaceborne remote sensing technologies to characterize three-dimensional vegetation structure in boreal forests of Canada. His work provides enhanced knowledge about forest resources in both managed and unmanaged forested ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Stensrud studied the function of hypocrisy accusations in the U.S. slavery debates, tracing this rhetoric's influence on nineteenth-century writers. He demonstrates that authors incorporated anti-slavery invective in their work to translate political economic analysis into a moral vocabulary capable of mobilizing the public against slavery. | Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD) |
| 2023 | Atmospheric aerosols are all around us: in kitchens, cities, forests, and wildfires. Dr. Kiland measured the viscosity of aerosols from each of these environments, and developed a new temperature-variable viscometer along the way. These studies are helpful to improve the accuracy of climate change and air quality predictions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Lingua's work explores the opportunities that arise from the analysis of social media images for the study of nature-based recreation. His work shows that by combining machine learning and traditional economic techniques, it is possible to assess forest recreational values. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Angsongna's work explored the word structure and the sound system of Dagaare, a language spoken in northwestern Ghana. His research showed how words are formed and how they differ in the expression of grammatical meanings. This research contributes to the documentation of the language and to the development of linguistic theory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Dutta developed and optimised membrane systems for resource recovery from wastewater. Using this energy-efficient technology he extracted over 90% of dissolved methane and ammonia, which are profitable chemicals. This research highlights the potential of a circular economy in the waste sector while reducing environmental pollution. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Khanna examined how nanoscale flow cytometry could improve the analysis and isolation of extracellular vesicles. He identified how STEAP-1 positive extracellular vesicles can be diagnostic of prostate cancer more accurately than currently available blood tests, and subsequently developed a novel method to isolate this subpopulation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |