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. Xu's research explored the interactions between light and new synthetic molecules. These interactions include chemical changes such as photochromism or physical changes such as thermally activated delayed fluorescence and phosphorescence. This work will impact applications such as super-resolution imaging and display technology. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Magalh√£es studied the importance of tree species interactions in projecting the effects of climate change on forests. She designed software to predict tree growth similar to the way that Google predicts e-mail sentences. Her research highlights the relevance of competition to accurately simulate tree growth responses to climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Zarei studied and implemented machine learning techniques for cancer detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. She developed technology to analyze and detect abnormalities in the cervix, and to classify and grade prostate cancer. Her work will ultimately help to reduce healthcare costs and increase patients' quality of life. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dao's research identified relevant brain imaging markers for studying vascular cognitive impairment, a common form of dementia. She found that greater beta-amyloid plaque deposition and reduced myelin integrity contributed to worse clinical outcomes. This research is important for improving care in people with vascular cognitive impairment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Su developed two radiation therapy modalities, known as trajectory-based treatments, where the couch moves continuously. This work introduces a novel algorithm for treatment planning, which can accurately model proposed treatment modalities. This method can achieve plans superior to those generated by standard planning systems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kunimoto discovered 17 new planets outside of the Solar System, including one that may be considered potentially habitable. She also analyzed her planet catalogue to reveal important information about planet formation and evolution theories. Her results indicate that there may be as many as one Earth-like planet for every five Sun-like stars. | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chen studied numerical algorithms for stiff elastodynamic simulation, a key procedure in computer graphics applications. He developed models for natural physical movements that would maintain stability and produce lively simulations at a lower cost. This work will improve the efficiency and accuracy for physically-based computer simulation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Sanford examined brain activity and working memory deficits in schizophrenia. Using a novel multi-dataset approach, she found that a brain network that activated during initial memory encoding predicted both verbal and visual memory capacity. This will inform the development of treatments to improve working memory in schizophrenia patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. McFadden studied the dynamics of lithium ions at ultra-dilute concentrations inside single crystalline materials. The results from these novel experiments will help to refine models of ion transport in solids, which can be applied in the operation of many practical devices, such as lithium-ion batteries. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dong studied the integration of renewable energy into electric power systems. He proposed several renewable energy controller designs that have adjustable response speed, reduced output-power coupling, and fast synchronization speed. His research results will enable power systems to integrate more environmentally-friendly renewable energy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Freshwater depletion has become a major problem for the global minerals industry. Dr. Hashemzadeh studied the use of seawater for copper extraction from ores, demonstrating the feasibility of using seawater in the extraction process. His findings will help to address water-related challenges facing the resources sector. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Reza developed a highly-scalable, distributed solution to support practical pattern matching based analytics in large graph datasets. He demonstrated the effectiveness of this technique through scaling experiments on massive real-world graph datasets and at platform scales, orders of magnitude larger than used in the past for similar problems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Booth investigated the development of small airways disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He showed that patients in the early stages of COPD already have chronically inflamed airways and tissue destruction. His work increases our knowledge of small airways disease in COPD and provides new avenues for treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ghazani's doctoral studies focused on the development of an easy method to sort particles into different classes. He designed and made a device to continuously separate microfibre particles. His findings contribute to the bio-product industry and will allow for either reduced energy usage or enhanced service performance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Babanezhad's research explored optimizing parameters for machine learning algorithms, like those used in data processing, focusing specifically on computational cost. His proposed method, which he has tested on a new set of constraints and machine learning models, can train models in less time and achieve better results than previous methods. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Abdelsalam developed a lightweight protective system to help shallow underground structures withstand blast attacks. Using an advanced validated numerical model, his findings show that these composite reinforced concrete panels, which are inexpensive and easy to repair, help to dissipate blast energy and prevent structures from being damaged. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Roberson investigated the impact of immigration background on social belonging. Situating the measurement of social belonging in schools within an international comparative context, he shows that immigration background and national multicultural integration policy are valuable explanatory variables in the ecological validity argument. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jones examined the epidemiology of common mental disorders in workers with short term work disability due to musculoskeletal work injury. She found that workers with a common mental disorder were less likely to achieve sustained return to work. Her findings will inform work disability management policy and practice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Plourde studied how the distribution of earthquakes near tectonic plate boundaries is affected by the distribution of groundwater. To help unravel these tectonic systems, he presents new computational methods to illuminate detailed earthquake source processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Soth examined the impact of a quality assurance program on dental hygiene care in BC. She found that the new program had little or no impact on practice and that the business culture of the workplace negatively impacted participants' ability to implement patient-centered care. The findings have implications for practitioners and regulators. | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ai developed a photo-acoustic imaging system through optical excitation and acoustic detection to illuminate the prostate from within the urethra using a transurethral probe. This technique will improve the detection and imaging of malignant tissue and prostate cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Yeo examined the fundamental chemistry of early and late transition metal complexes. She studied the reactivity of early transition metal dinitrogen complexes and synthesized novel late transition metal complexes, exploring the capability of these chemical systems to provide insight for future advances in synthetic chemistry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Mohseni studied matrix defects in aerospace composites manufacturing. He developed analytical models and approaches for process optimization to minimize waste and reduce the manufacturing cost, especially for small enterprises. This research will inform improvements to cure cycle design, which will enable defect-free part manufacturing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Bashir investigated the behavioural and neuropathological consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). She showed that CHIMERA, a rodent model of head injury, can replicate many features of human TBI. Dr. Bashir hopes that, in the future, CHIMERA can be used to validate promising drug targets to help in the treatment of TBI. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. McDowell examined how people living in the Nepal Himalayas and Peruvian Andes are adapting to changes in glacial hydrology. His work makes substantive contributions to how adaptation is studied in mountain areas, as well as what we know about and can do to address adaptation needs in mountain communities at the frontlines of climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD) |