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
Devlin, Angela Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Koppes, Michele Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Hoppmann, Christiane Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Oberlander, Timothy Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health
Heatley, Stephen Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Smith, Gregory Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Wood Science
Lynd, Larry Professor Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faulkner, Guy Professor Faculty of Education School of Kinesiology
Kobor, Michael Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Bromme, Dieter Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences
Lansdorp, Peter Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Hatzikiriakos, Savvas Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Beckie, Roger Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Matsell, Douglas Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Abdi, Ali Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational Studies
McKeown, Martin Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Neurology
Welch, William Professor Faculty of Science Department of Statistics
Khan, Nadia Ahmed Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of General Internal Medicine
Illes, Judy Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Neurology
Hirsh, Elizabeth Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Carvalho, Rick Professor Faculty of Dentistry Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences
Marshall, Toph Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Hunt, Michael Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Physical Therapy
Chiu-Duke, Josephine Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Rothstein, Ralph Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Stirling, Peter Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Kremen, Claire Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Department of Zoology
Hinshaw, Gary Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Zwicker, Jill Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
Kubota, Ryuko Professor Faculty of Education Department of Language & Literacy Education
Milner-Bolotin, Marina Professor Faculty of Education Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy
Herrington, Susan Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture
Griffin, Michael Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, Department of Philosophy
Madden, Kenneth Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Geriatric Medicine
Taubert, Stefan Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Sumaila, Ussif Rashid Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Chaudhry, Ayesha Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Laba, Izabella Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
O'Brien, Heather Professor Faculty of Arts School of Information
Whitehead, Lorne Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Bedke, Matthew Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Cynader, Max Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Trites, Andrew Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Frank, Erica Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Cautis, Sabin Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Zandstra, Peter Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Biomedical Engineering, Michael Smith Laboratories
Razack, Saleem Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Shmerkin, Pablo Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Thompson, Evan Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Ansermino, John Mark Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics

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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.