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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dr. Canning studied how people living with advanced dementia in long-term care continued to experience meaningful engagement. Despite significant losses they demonstrated a range of enduring abilities and skills. Her findings support ways for caregivers to connect with residents during both structured activities and informal interactions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Bowles investigated an axiomatic framework for problems concerning optimal ways to transport a distribution into another. In his work, he focused on an associated class of non-linear operators and developed their invariant properties. This research contributes to our understanding of common structures that persists across such problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (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. Sadiq explored language and literacy practices of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, one of the largest, yet understudied, displaced populations. He found that families engage in various literacy practices. At school, females experienced more success than males, as the latter lacked available guardians and schoolwork was beyond their level. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Caveney showed how the final stages of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis can be modulated. These modulations are part of both natural bacterial life but additionally can play an important role in bacterial infection. This research paves the way for improved antibacterial therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jabalee examined the molecular changes that occur during cancer progression. He identified silencing of the SMPD3 gene as a driver of cell motility and demonstrated the presence of morphological alterations in non-cancer cells adjacent to tonsil tumors. This work opens the door to development of novel tests for early tumor detection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lo explored Chinese heritage maintenance in identity and language practice in BC. Findings illuminate perceptions shaped by migratory trajectory, immigrant generation, and embodied racialized identity. Her research enriches the theoretical discourse in heritage maintenance with language as a conceptual link between heritage and identity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies (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. Villacreses proposes a conceptual approach to understand literary production from a writer's global creative project. He incorporates media studies, the analysis of works of fiction, critical interventions, and public image into the overall literary study of an author. He applied this method in Latin American writers from the late 20th century. | Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | As a feminist geographer, Dr. Collard explored the social, political, and legal dimensions of preimplantation genetic tests and the abnormal embryos to which they give rise. She found that the de-selection of these embryos in fertility clinics reflects deeply held assumptions about the bodies and lives we are supposed to want to have and reproduce. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mitelman developed an analogous method for solving ground-support problems, having an impact on the obligation for civil and mining engineers to ensure the stability of underground excavations. His proposed method requires less simplifying assumptions than analytical solutions and less computational resources than numerical methods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Coronel examined how changing response formats and scoring methods affect differences between groups based on electronic device, sexual orientation, and gender; including trans and non-binary folk. His research shows how seemingly small choices in survey research shape statistical results and shouldn't be considered obstacles to survey use. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mitra examined the effect of separate refining and co-refining of mixtures of softwood and hardwood pulps in terms of paper tensile strength. He developed a scaling law for tensile strength increase during refining of pulp mixtures, which will help use NBSK pulp to the highest potential and achieve target strengths depending on grades of paper. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ryan used analyses of rocks from dome-building volcanoes in tandem with high-temperature, high-pressure experimentation to show that crystalline granular materials in volcanic environments heal on short timescales. This research demonstrates that the healing of crystalline granular materials can trigger cyclical explosive eruptions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Yuskiv investigated management practices and treatment outcomes of phenylketonuria, a rare, treatable genetic metabolic disorder. She identified needs for improvement in the areas of diagnosis, management practices, treatment outcomes, and parental quality of life. Her work will benefit families with phenylketonuria. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Docking studied acute myeloid leukemia, a blood-based cancer with very poor outcomes. Using genome sequencing technology, he developed a test that can determine whether patients are likely to respond to therapy, and identified patients who may respond to existing cancer drugs, which has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Durney used mathematical and biophysical modelling to show how the individual and collective motion of cells cause a variety of mechanical behaviors of tissues during development. His work provides understanding to the mechanisms that are responsible for the correct development of form during organ development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dupuis used computer simulations to better understand how an antimicrobial potato protein interacts with model cell membranes, and the role of its disulfide bonds. His research highlighted regions of the protein most likely to mediate membrane interactions, and that the disulfide bonds may aid in membrane targeting specificity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (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. Held studied the cardiovascular responses to exercising on an underwater treadmill. He developed criteria for exercise testing, thermoregulation, and maximal and submaximal exercise prescription. His findings will advance the use of these specialized aquatic therapy pools to improve outcomes in health, training, and physical rehabilitation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jafer explored politics of victimhood and agency in the everyday lives of a religious minority community in BC. She demonstrated that subtle acts of resistance, when motivated by religious convictions, create religio-political identities that insist on active citizenship and equal recognition, providing a new interpretation of victimhood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Danescu established novel microscopic methods to visualize the embryonic face as it develops. He was able to see coordinated and symmetrical patterns of cell behaviour and observe how specific drugs block cell movements. The insights from his work will impact our understanding of normal and abnormal facial development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Craniofacial Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mitra studied how the decline in labour union power led productivity to rise during recessions since the early 1980s in the US. His work also established a limited role for parents in determining income and consumption inequality among children. These findings have policy implications for temporary job-guarantee in recession and bequest tax. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Nguyen developed efficient algorithms for pricing and resource allocation in edge computing. This research assists service providers and network operators to optimize the operation and planning of edge networks. It also facilitates the development of new marketplaces for fair and efficient allocation and trading of edge resources. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (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) |