Each year, York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies honours the exceptional research achievements of its graduate students through the Thesis & Dissertation Prizes.
The 2024 prize winners are six early-career scholars whose work advances knowledge in their fields and tackles urgent global problems, proposes creative solutions and imagines a better, more sustainable world.
From developing a wearable brain-monitoring headset and tracking hazardous space debris, to uncovering the power of caregiver-infant bonds under socioeconomic stress, these students demonstrate what’s possible when bold questions meet rigorous research.
The annual prizes – valued at $2,000 for doctoral dissertations and $1,000 for master’s theses – recognize work defended in the previous calendar year that demonatrate originality, excellence and impact.
Doctoral Dissertation Prizes
Linn Biörklund (PhD, geography)
“Moving, Waiting, Searching Across Borders: Gendered Geographies of Violence, Disappearance and Contestation in Southern Mexico”
With deep compassion and scholarly precision, Biörklund’s dissertation investigates the lived realities of migrant women navigating the violent and often invisible systems of state-bordering in southern Mexico. Her feminist, participatory approach sheds light not only on trauma and disappearance but also on resilience, collective care and political resistance.
“This dissertation is an innovative feminist examination of everyday state-bordering practices as experienced by classed and racialized migrant women who are collectively searching for the disappeared,” says Alison Bain, program director. “Biörklund’s work is original and leading for its politically-relevant production of new knowledge about invisibilized gendered spaces, actions and relations that span national borders.”
Alireza Dabbaghian (PhD, electrical engineering and computer science)
“Modular High-Dr Artifact-Resilient Wearable EEG Headset with Distributed Pulse-Based Feature Extraction And Multiplier-Less Neuromorphic Boosted Seizure Detection”
Dabbaghian’s research is transforming the future of brain-computer interfaces. His work led to the creation of a next-generation, portable EEG (electroencephalogram) headset that’s robust, artifact-resistant and suitable for real-time health monitoring and seizure detection. With a U.S. patent pending, his work is already gaining momentum in both clinical and consumer neurotechnology.
“Dabbaghian’s dissertation represents an outstanding contribution to biomedical circuits and systems, well exceeding the expectations of a typical PhD thesis,” says Manos Papagelis, program director. “Their research demonstrates rigour, depth and originality, positioning it at the forefront of its discipline.”
Muhammad Salman Chaudhry (PhD, earth and space science)
“Development of an Autonomous In-situ Bioprinting System for Skin”
Imagine a future where wounds can be treated instantly by printing healing tissue directly onto the skin. That’s the bold vision behind Chaudhry’s autonomous bioprinting system, which enables on-site tissue regeneration with remarkable precision.
“Chaudhry exemplifies the best of our students as an exceptionally competent and curious researcher who has achieved much over the course of his studies, but clearly still has great things ahead of him,” says John Moores, program director. “He was able to translate his work into nine journal articles and eight conference papers, an exceptional number for a PhD dissertation in our program and more than any other nominated student in our program.”
Master’s Thesis Prizes
Ana Badal (MA, psychology)
“Associations between Socioeconomic Stress, Engagement in Joint Attention, and Infant Neurodevelopment in 24- to 36-month-old Infants”
Can a parent’s eye contact help protect a child’s brain from the effects of stress? Badal’s thesis explored how joint attention – shared moments of focus between caregiver and infant – can potentially buffer the negative effects of socioeconomic stress on early brain development.
“Ana is a thoughtful and conscientious scientist through every step of the research process in a manner that far exceeds her career stage,” says Adrienne Perry, program director. “This study with secondary longitudinal data on a sizeable sample of women and their infants enabled Ana to go beyond what would be possible for a typical master’s thesis.”
Diego A. Hernandez-Ospina (MASc, civil engineering)
“Study of a Bacterial Coculture for Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene Degradation”
As environmental threats to groundwater grow, Hernandez-Ospina is helping lead the charge in sustainable remediation. His research developed a breakthrough bioremediation strategy using bacterial cocultures to efficiently degrade toxic BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) compounds, offering a low-cost, scalable method to protect water supplies.
The examination committee highlighted Hernandez-Ospina’s thesis as an example of academic excellence, innovation and societal responsibility. By advancing affordable, scalable solutions for groundwater protection, his work transcends disciplinary boundaries and positions York as a leader in sustainable engineering.
Perushan Kunalakantha (MSc, earth and space science)
“Resident Space Object Tracking for Space Situational Awareness”
Space is getting crowded – and dangerous. Kunalakantha’s thesis focuses on tracking objects in low Earth orbit to prevent satellite collisions and reduce space debris. His algorithms enhance the ability to monitor fast-moving satellites and other debris that threaten essential systems like GPS and weather forecasting.
“Kunalakantha exemplifies the best of our students as an exceptionally competent and curious researcher who has achieved much over the course of his studies,” says Moores, “but clearly still has great things ahead of him.” With four peer-reviewed papers already published, his contributions are both timely and important.
For more information about the prizes and how they are awarded, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.