Research Supervisors

The supervisor is the key person in a research-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 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 "Supervision".

Advice how to reach out to supervisors

 
Name Rolesort ascending Faculty Academic Unit
Brinton, Laurel Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Granville, David Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Franz, Marcel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Saewyc, Elizabeth Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Kronstad, James Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories
Jenkins, Carrie Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
O'Connor, Deborah Professor Faculty of Arts School of Social Work
Wu, Lang Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Lynd, Larry Professor Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chen, David Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Ryan, Katherine Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Hirst, Martin Professor Faculty of Science Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Michael Smith Laboratories
Schuetz, Christian Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
Ortner, Christoph Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Marti, Jose Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Saddler, John Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Wood Science
Ruitenberg, Claudia Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational Studies
Pauly, Daniel Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Department of Zoology
MacDonald, David Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences
Devlin, Angela Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Gregory-Evans, Cheryl Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Ur, Ehud Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Endocrinology
Donner, Simon Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Wong, Sabrina Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Keeling, Patrick John Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany
Jarus, Tal Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
Vadeboncoeur, Jennifer Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
O'Connor, Timothy Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Walus, Konrad Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Law, Michael Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Giaschi, Deborah Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Kandlikar, Milind Professor Faculty of Arts School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability
Metzer, David Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Wang, Rizhi Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Materials Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering
Khan, Nadia Ahmed Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of General Internal Medicine
Sobolev, Boris Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Soja, Peter Professor Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Foster, Leonard Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Laboratories
Tenzer, Michael Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Nasiopoulos, Panos Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Cynader, Max Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Gibson, William Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Head, C Keith Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Strategy and Business Economics
Loewen, Christopher Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Sindelar, Robert Professor Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Penninger, Josef Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Clifton, Kelly Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Regehr, Glenn Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery
Kopylova, Maya Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Moore, David Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases

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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.