Best Doctoral Thesis Award - 2022 Recipients
Kevin Neil
Medicine and Health Sciences
A weapon against antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a very real threat. By 2050, the number of deaths linked to infections that have become untreatable could exceed those linked to cancer.
Under the direction of professors Sébastien Rodrigue and Vincent Burrus, PhD student in biology Kevin Neil explored a possible solution: the creation of a probiotic bacterium genetically programmed to eliminate bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Using genetic engineering approaches to program cells capable of performing specific tasks, this outstanding student has made significant progress in the fight against antibiotic resistance and synthetic biology, and his work constitutes an important step toward the development of microbiota manipulation tools.
A patent application has been filed for this innovative technology, and is at the heart of a new company that could ultimately provide new tools in the fight against several diseases for which no other treatment is available.
For the considerable scientific value of his interdisciplinary research, the University is proud to award Kevin Neil the Best Doctoral Thesis Award in Health Sciences.
Yaoyu Xiao
Natural Sciences and Engineering
The advent of flexible robots
Picture tiny, soft rubber-like robots travelling inside the body to repair organ damage. This is the focus of the emerging field of soft robotics.
For her thesis carried out under the direction of Professor Yue Zhao, PhD student in chemistry Yaoyu Xiao pushed the limits of this promising science by developing robots made from liquid crystalline elastomers, a fascinating polymer.
By inducing a stimulus to this polymer in the form of intermittent electrical heating, the talented student achieved what no one had been able to accomplish to date in this field: making these flexible robots move in such a way as to mimic creatures found in nature.
This major innovation from the young researcher allows us to understand how to “program” these robots. Her work has also resulted in an impressive number of publications, mostly in the best general interest journals in the field of materials science.
For her remarkable contribution to her field and her great qualities as a researcher, the Université de Sherbrooke is very pleased to award Yaoyu Xiao the Best Doctoral Thesis Award in Natural Sciences and Engineering.
Mathieu Busque-Carrier
Humanities and Social Sciences
Whistling at work: The influence of work values
In a context of acute labour shortage, fostering professional fulfilment becomes a priority issue.
For his thesis, PhD student in education Mathieu Busque-Carrier has tackled a crucial task in the field of vocational guidance and development: designing and empirically testing a model to better understand the influence of work values on professional fulfilment.
Under the direction of Professor Yann Le Corff, from the Université de Sherbrooke, and Professor Catherine Ratelle, from Université Laval, the researcher has collected an impressive amount of data on some 500 people, and used sophisticated and innovative analysis methods in his field of research.
This relevant and meticulous work has notably led to the development of a psychometric instrument that will be published by one of the main publishers of psychometric instruments in Canada. Mathieu is also continuing his research on work values as a professor at the Université de Sherbrooke’s Vocational Guidance Department.
For his original contribution and the high quality of his research, the Université de Sherbrooke is honoured to award Mathieu Busque-Carrier the Best Doctoral Thesis Award in Humanities and Social Sciences.