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
Piret, James Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Li, Xin Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany
Maldonado, Maite Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
MacDonald, Colin Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Altshuler, Doug Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Shepherd, Bruce Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
White, Rachel Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Pasquier, Thomas Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Tarling, Matthew Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Choptuik, Matthew Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Angel, Omer Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Scoates, James Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Tokuriki, Nobuhiko Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bohlmann, Joerg Professor Faculty of Science Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany
Patey, Grenfell Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Haber, Eldad Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Pakhomov, Yevhenii Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Martone, Patrick Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany
Pawlowicz, Richard Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Bouchard-Cote, Alexandre Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Bryman, Douglas Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Van de Panne, Michiel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Johnson, Pauline Professor Faculty of Science Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Radic, Valentina Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Yoon, Dongwook Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Giang, Amanda Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Zou, Ke 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
Wang, Yan Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Harvey, Nicholas Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
O'Connor, Mary Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Plan, Yaniv Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Greif, Chen Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Satterfield, Theresa Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability
Irwin, Darren Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Schmidt, Mark Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Fernandez, Rachel Professor Faculty of Science Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Oberg, Gunilla Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability
Tortell, Philippe Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Botany
Chen, David Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Sammis, Glenn Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Kiczales, Gregor Professor Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science
Davies, Jonathan Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences
Dierker, Steve Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Man, Allison Assistant Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Cohen Freue, Gabriela Associate Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics

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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.