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 ascending Faculty Academic Unit
Regier, Dean Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Steel, Daniel Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Shin, Leo Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History, Department of Asian Studies
Calam, Betty Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Family Practice
Lee, Steven Hugh Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Ducharme, Michel Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Vellutini, Claudio Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Kim, Michael Associate Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Operations and Logistics
McIver, Jess Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Drew, Yvette Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Medical Oncology
Holmes-Cerfon, Miranda Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Neumann, Oliver Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture
Ong, Christopher Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Urologic Sciences
Bena, Jan Associate Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Finance
Kirchen, Patrick Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering
Cool, Julie Associate Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Wood Science
Vora, Siddharth Associate Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Health Sciences
Pennefather, Patrick Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Hung, Lillian Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Matthews, Philip Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Brain, Robert Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Snyder, Jason Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Meitner, Michael Associate Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest Resources Management
Kamat, Vinay Ramnath Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Mansoor, Jaleh Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Zhao, Jiaying Associate Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Psychology
Riseman, Andrew Associate Professor Faculty of Land and Food Systems Applied Biology
West, Christopher Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Roy, Marina Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Norman, Moss Associate Professor Faculty of Education School of Kinesiology
Cavanaugh, Lisa Associate Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Marketing and Behavioural Science
Moran, Patrick Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies
Lim, Theodore Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Elango, Rajavel Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health
Sawatzky, Bonita Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics
Smit, Matthijs Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Gordon, Julia Yulia Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Yip, Stephen Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Nolan, Seonaid Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Social Medicine
Bhandar, Brenna Associate Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Sarsons, Heather Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Talmy, Steven Associate Professor Faculty of Education Department of Language & Literacy Education
Loutzenheiser, Lisa Associate Professor Faculty of Education Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy
Brown, Kelly Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
James, Gareth Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Beristain, Alexander Guillermo Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Burgess, Miranda Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Salh, Baljinder Singh Associate Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Gastroenterology
Marshall, Katie Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
McGowan, Sharon Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Creative Writing

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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.