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 Role Facultysort ascending Academic Unit
Berlinguette, Curtis Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Yilmaz, Ozgur Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Cheung, Wai Lung Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Harris, Leila Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Samuels, Anne Lacey Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany
Nolde, Natalia Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Plotkin, Steven Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Gustafson, Paul Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
van Willigenburg, Stephanie Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Behrend, Kai Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Wetton, Brian Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Keeling, Patrick John Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany
Schafer, Laurel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Grant, Edward Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Momose, Takamasa Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Hein, Jason Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Heyl, Jeremy Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Wachs, Anthony Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Man, Allison Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Cooke, Ilsa Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Gaynor, Kaitlyn Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology, Department of Botany
Madzwamuse, Anotida Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Todesco, Marco Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany
Alacaoglu, Ahmet Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Karczmarek, Joanna Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Zhitnitsky, Ariel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Bertram, Allan Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Reichstein, Zinovy Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Reinsberg, Stefan Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Harley, Christopher Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Scott, Douglas Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Chen, Jiahua Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Joe, Harry Sue Wah Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Salibian-Barrera, Matias Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Franz, Marcel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Waltham, Christopher Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Lister, Alison Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Perrin, David Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Vincent, Amanda Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Halpern, Mark Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Tsai, Tai-Peng Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Ortner, Christoph Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Heagy, Lindsey Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Park, Mi Jung Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Hinshaw, Gary Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Beckie, Roger Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Johnson, Catherine Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Martin, Gregory Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Boley, Aaron Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Karu, Kalle Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics

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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.