Research Supervisors

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The supervisor is the key person in a thesis-based graduate degree program. The principal role of the supervisor is to help students achieve their scholastic potential and to chair the student’s Supervisory Committee. The Supervisor will provide reasonable commitment, accessibility, professionalism, stimulation, guidance, respect and consistent encouragement to the student. Learn more

Graduate programs have different expectations regarding prospective students contacting faculty members. Some require commitment of a faculty member as thesis supervisor prior to applying while others assign supervisors in the first year. Please review the requirements for each program in the degree listing under the heading "Admission Information & Requirements" in step 3 "Prepare Application" under "Thesis Supervision".

Advice on how to reach out to supervisors

 
Name Rolesort descending Faculty Academic Unit
Raibmon, Paige Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Taylor, Steven Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
Ventura, Carlos Estuardo Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering
Bryan, Stirling Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Benedet, Janine Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Gates, Derek Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Coombs, Daniel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Friedlander, Michael Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science, Department of Mathematics
Rieseberg, Loren Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany
Wilton, Steven Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Milligan, Kevin Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Gao, Zu-Hua Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Tomc, Sandra Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Goold, Benjamin Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Wyatt, Christopher Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Health Sciences
Slade, Gordon Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Dancygier, Barbara Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Masri, Bas Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics
Sanatani, Shubhayan Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Langager, Graeme Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Hoodless, Pamela Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics, School of Biomedical Engineering
Dunbar, W Scott Professor Faculty of Applied Science Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering
Richardson, Alan Walter Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Aleksejuniene, Jolanta Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Health Sciences
Belliveau, George Professor Faculty of Education Department of Language & Literacy Education
Kong, Hoi Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Carrabre, T. Patrick Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Kelly, Deirdre Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational Studies
Walley, Keith Professor Faculty of Medicine Critical Care Medicine
Vedam, Saraswathi Professor Faculty of Medicine Midwifery Program
van Jaarsveld, Danielle Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources
Jorgenson, Andrew Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Leipsic, Jonathon Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Radiology, Department of Medicine
Carpenter, Mark Professor Faculty of Education School of Kinesiology
Hieter, Philip Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Medical Genetics
Nardizzi, Vin Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Anderson, Siwan Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Bustin, Robert Marc Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Cheek, Timothy Professor Faculty of Arts School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Department of History
Forster, Bruce Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Radiology
Fels, S Sidney Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Vanwynsberghe, Robert Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational Studies
Mayor, Thibault Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Laboratories
Scott, Alexander Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Physical Therapy
Simard, Suzanne Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences
Sayer, Jeffrey Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences
Mank, Judith Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Marti, Jose Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Brussoni, Mariana Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health
Thobani, Sunera Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies

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Reaching Out Tips

Complete these steps before you reach out to a faculty member!

Check requirements
  • Familiarize yourself with program requirements. You want to learn as much as possible from the information available to you before you reach out to a faculty member. Be sure to visit the graduate degree program listing and program-specific websites.
  • Check whether the program requires you to seek commitment from a supervisor prior to submitting an application. For some programs this is an essential step while others match successful applicants with faculty members within the first year of study. This is either indicated in the program profile under "Admission Information & Requirements" - "Prepare Application" - "Supervision" or on the program website.
Focus your search
  • Identify specific faculty members who are conducting research in your specific area of interest.
  • Establish that your research interests align with the faculty member’s research interests.
    • Read up on the faculty members in the program and the research being conducted in the department.
    • Familiarize yourself with their work, read their recent publications and past theses/dissertations that they supervised. Be certain that their research is indeed what you are hoping to study.
Make a good impression
  • Compose an error-free and grammatically correct email addressed to your specifically targeted faculty member, and remember to use their correct titles.
    • Do not send non-specific, mass emails to everyone in the department hoping for a match.
    • Address the faculty members by name. Your contact should be genuine rather than generic.
  • Include a brief outline of your academic background, why you are interested in working with the faculty member, and what experience you could bring to the department. The supervision enquiry form guides you with targeted questions. Ensure to craft compelling answers to these questions.
  • Highlight your achievements and why you are a top student. Faculty members receive dozens of requests from prospective students and you may have less than 30 seconds to pique someone’s interest.
  • Demonstrate that you are familiar with their research:
    • Convey the specific ways you are a good fit for the program.
    • Convey the specific ways the program/lab/faculty member is a good fit for the research you are interested in/already conducting.
  • Be enthusiastic, but don’t overdo it.
Attend an information session

G+PS regularly provides virtual sessions that focus on admission requirements and procedures and tips how to improve your application.