About MacSphere

MacSphere is McMaster University's Institutional Repository (IR). The purpose of an IR is to bring together all of a University's research under one umbrella, with an aim to preserve and provide access to that research. The research and scholarly output included in MacSphere has been selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centres on campus.

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Students wishing to deposit their PhD or Masters thesis, please follow the instructions outlined by the School of Graduate Studies.

Communities in MacSphere

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Recent Submissions

Demand Responsive Grid Emissions Metrics Incorporating Renewable Intermittency and Scalable Space Heating Load Modeling using Physics-Informed Neural Networks
(2026) Banerjee, Ahijit; Cotton, James; Mechanical Engineering
Electrification is fundamental to decarbonization; however, its climate benefit is contingent upon the marginal generation source and the efficiency of the replacement technology. Conventional Average and Marginal Emissions Factors (AEF, MEF) do not adequately capture these effects. This thesis introduces three complementary tools to address this gap: the Extended Marginal Emissions Metric with Renewables (XMEF-R) metric, its technology-aware extension, the Comparative Emissions Factor (CEF), and Thermostat Hysteresis Embedded RC Model ODE (THERMO), a physics-informed deep-learning framework for building heating prediction. CEF is a technology-sensitive metric that quantifies the emissions consequence of replacing a specific end-use with an electric alternative by explicitly linking outcomes to the marginal fuel and device efficiency. XMEF-R refines marginal-fuel identification by accounting for renewable intermittency and thermal generator dynamics, enabling real-time, regionally specific emissions assessments. Applying these methods shows that electrification is not intrinsically low-carbon: light-duty vehicle electrification typically reduces emissions, whereas space-heating yields reliable reductions only when paired with high-efficiency heat pumps; conversely, systems with useful secondary outputs (e.g., CHP) can achieve emissions reductions even with carbon based fuels if waste heat is utilized. These results support policy priorities, such as accelerating coal-to-gas transitions where necessary, scaling up renewables, and sequencing equipment replacement with grid decarbonization. THERMO couples Neural Ordinary Differential Equations and a reduced-order resistance-capacitance (RC) thermal model within a Physics-Informed Neural Network to infer envelope and thermostat parameters from minimal metadata, producing physics constrained space-heating load forecasts and RC parameters for future studies at low computational cost. Together, CEF/XMEF-R and THERMO create a scalable, data-driven framework that links building-level demand to grid emissions, enabling robust policy evaluation, real-time predictions, and strategic pathways for electrification.
Fabrication and Characterization of Europium Doped Silicon-based Thin Films
(2026) Azmi, Fahmida; Mascher, Peter; Engineering Physics
This Ph.D. research presents a comprehensive investigation of europium-doped silicon-based thin films for the development of CMOS-compatible light-emitting materials. Europium (Eu) is an attractive rare-earth element because it can emit in the blue (in some cases, green) and red spectral regions. This blue emission from the Eu2+ ion and red emission from Eu³⁺ make Eu very interesting to study for different light-emitting applications, including photonics and solid-state lighting. To understand how the host matrix governs Eu incorporation, charge state, and optical activation, three material systems, silicon oxynitride (SiOₓNy), silicon nitride (SiN), and silicon (oxy)carbonitride (Si(O)CN), were systematically studied. All films were fabricated using a custom-made electron cyclotron resonance plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ECR-PECVD) system integrated with in-situ magnetron sputtering, enabling precise control over matrix composition and rare-earth doping. With a wide variety of host matrices, detailed structural, compositional, and optical characterization was performed using advanced characterization techniques including Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and room-temperature photoluminescence (PL). Eu-doped SiOₓNy films revealed tunable luminescent emission, governed by varying the O/N ratio in the host matrix and a transition from Eu²⁺ blue to Eu³⁺ red emission was observed. In Eu-doped SiN, we studied the optical and mechanical properties of the luminescent thin film and investigated the effects of sputtering power and argon flow on the luminescent properties. This study demonstrates that thin films properties are mostly governed by the sputtering power and that Ar flow to the deposition chamber has minimal impact. Also, the luminescence intensity strongly depends on sputtering power, governed by dopant concentration. We found that high-temperature annealing activated Eu³⁺ emission without forming silicon nanocrystals, instead producing Eu-containing phases within the amorphous nitride matrix. Eu-doped Si(O)CN films were investigated as SiCN provides wide optical tunability and high thermal, chemical and mechanical stability. These Eu-doped Si(O)CN films exhibited a unique response compared to the other host matrices studied in this thesis. The as-deposited Si(O)CN films produced a broad band emission however, after high-temperature annealing, the broad emission band was completely suppressed, and sharp Eu³⁺ emission lines in the red were observed. According to XRD analysis, the film annealed at 800 °C remained fully amorphous, while Eu-containing crystalline phases began to appear in samples annealed at higher temperatures (from 1000 °C to 1200 °C) Collectively, these results provide an in-depth understanding of Eu-doped thin films, and these findings are very promising for their applications in silicon-based lighting applications.
"A lot more than painting!": [Re]Membering, [Re]Storying, and [Re]Claiming First Nations Women's Healing, Health, and Well-Being Post-Incarceration by Connecting the Mind, Body, and Heart through Body Mapping
(2026) Clifford, Alicia Gayle; Gabel, Chelsea; Health and Aging
Despite Canada's ongoing commitment to truth-telling and reconciliation, Indigenous women represent the fastest-growing demographic in Canadian prisons, even as overall incarceration rates decline. This dissertation, guided by an Indigenous research paradigm rooted in relational accountability, explored the impact of Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge (OOHL), a state-run cultural prison in southern Saskatchewan, on the healing, health, and well-being of First Nations women from the Prairies. Conducted in partnership with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan, a non-profit organization serving women and gender-diverse adults who are criminalized or at risk of criminalization, the study employed a community arts-based method called body mapping. Through two 4-day workshops, eight First Nations women created life-sized body maps to communicate and process their experiences of colonialism, incarceration, and healing. Using inductive thematic analysis, these visual maps illuminated how Correctional Service Canada's cultural healing lodge influences healing, health, and well-being. The findings highlight collective themes of severed connections, somatic impacts, culture as healing, and the importance of relationships. Participants also offered recommendations that exposed gaps in programming, post-release supports, and tensions between OOHL's healing mission and its continued carceral regime. These insights reveal how correctional policy can either be an enabler or a barrier to First Nations women's healing. This dissertation contributes to critical criminology and Indigenous studies by demonstrating the value of body mapping as a research method and an evaluative tool to inform distinctions-based, culturally responsive approaches to carceral policy.
Supporting Survivors of Digital Harm: Findings from Hamilton, Ontario's Gender-Based Violence Sector
(2026-02-23) Cochrane, Alexis-Carlota; Brockbank, Maddie; Fox, Jasmine; Jansen, Grace; Jurilj, Miranda; Maureen
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an increasingly urgent concern in Canada, as digital tools have become central infrastructures through which abuse, coercion, and surveillance are enacted. Despite being at the forefront of responding to these rapidly evolving harms, frontline gender-based violence (GBV) service providers are rarely recognized as experts in shaping policy, prevention strategies, or systemic responses. This project examines the perspectives of service providers across the Greater Hamilton Area who support survivors experiencing TFGBV. Drawing on in-depth video consultations with frontline staff, crisis workers, public educators, organizational leaders, and survivor advocacy groups at four local GBV organizations, the study investigates how TFGBV manifests in service provision, identifies gaps in resources and institutional supports, and gathers recommendations grounded in practitioner expertise. The findings demonstrate that technology functions as a core infrastructure of contemporary gender-based violence; institutional responses frequently minimize digital abuse; frontline providers lack structured digital safety training and resources; TFGBV is increasingly shaping youth peer relationships and digital cultures; artificial intelligence–enabled harms are intensifying; and survivor-informed knowledge remains insufficiently integrated into policy and prevention frameworks. Recommendations include developing practice-oriented TFGBV training; adopting trauma-informed, survivor-centered approaches; recognizing the intersecting dimensions of digital violence; ensuring ongoing, accessible professional learning; targeting education toward key stakeholders; fostering collaborative capacity-building; formally recognizing GBV organizations as experts in digital violence; providing sustained institutional support and funding; establishing cross-sector coordination mechanisms; and meaningfully engaging GBV expertise in platform governance.
Impact of Higher-Order Modes on Nonlinear Optics in Annealed Proton-Exchanged PPLN Waveguides
(2026) Xu, Lai

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