A supervisor is a faculty member who mentors a graduate student in their research.  Many research-based graduate programs expect students to identify a prospective supervisor prior to applying for admission. It is best to check with the graduate program you will be applying to, to find out if this is expected. If so, you will need to identify a potential supervisor in your desired field of research.

As a comprehensive university with more than 12,000 faculty and staff members, including over 2,000 potential supervisors, there is a high probability that UBC will have a supervisor for your research interests.

Here are some tips for finding a prospective supervisor at UBC:

• Check the program websites. Most programs provide lists of faculty members/potential supervisors and their research interests on their website. Follow program instructions on how best to approach potential supervisors. 
• UBC Faculties provide directories for their researchers:
  • College for Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Faculty of Applied Science
    • Engineering - Find an Engineering Expert
    • School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
    • School of Nursing
  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Dentistry
  • Faculty of Education - Research Directory
  • Faculty of Forestry
  • Faculty of Land and Food Systems - Directory
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Medicine
    • Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
    • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    • Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
    • Department of Medical Genetics
    • Department of Medicine (Experimental Medicine, Dermatology and Skin Science)
    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
    • Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
    • Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
    • Department of Physical Therapy
    • Department of Psychiatry (Neuroscience Graduate Program)
    • School of Audiology and Speech Sciences
    • School of Population and Public Health
  • Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences - Researcher Search Tool
  • Faculty of Science
    • Department of Botany - Research Faculty
    • Department of Microbiology & Immunology
    • Department of Chemistry
    • Department of Physics & Astronomy
    • Department of Computer Science
    • Department of Statistics
    • Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
    • Department of Zoology
    • Department of Mathematics
• The UBC Calendar lists the names of faculty members in faculties, schools and departments.
• For some topics such as Sustainability you can check special directories to identify potential supervisors working in that area:
  • Sustainability Expert Finder

When investigating prospective supervisors, follow these guidelines:

1. First, view their profiles online and read a couple of their publications to familiarize yourself with their work.
2. Write a brief email to them indicating your awareness of their research and how it fits with your interests (be specific, refer to their publications).
3. Let them know your intention to apply to their graduate program & interest in working with them.
4. Tell them a couple of strong points about your background and who you’ve worked with on research projects.
5. Ask if it is OK to refer to them as a prospective supervisor in your application.

More information on research supervision.