Research Supervisors

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
Anderson, Scott Allen Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Harrison, Kathryn Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Glassman, James Francis Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Arneil, Barbara Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Jeong, Gyung-Ho Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Scholte, Tom Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Donner, Simon Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Jenkins, Carrie Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Ward, Lawrence Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Shneiderman, Sara Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Drelichman, Mauricio Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Badir, Patricia Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Menzies, Charles Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Mawani, Renisa Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Laurin, Kristin Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Huemoeller, Katharine Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Kerns, Connor Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Thauberger, Althea Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Naqvi, Naveena Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Carrabre, T. Patrick Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Makris, Georgios Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Amijee, Fatema Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Silva, Tony Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Huyser, Kimberly Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Hopkinson, Nalo Professor Faculty of Arts School of Creative Writing
Yoo, Philip Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Fabris, Michael Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Brown, William Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Abedinifard, Mostafa Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Karimi, Aryan Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Georgopulos, Nicole Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Barnett, Kristen Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Maghbouleh, Neda Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Marzano-Lesnevich, Alex Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts School of Creative Writing
Phinney, Alison Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Mesbah, Ali Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Poursartip, Anoush Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Materials Engineering
Weijs, Steven Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering
Van Duzer, Leslie Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture
Staub-French, Sheryl Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Civil Engineering
Frigaard, Ian Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mathematics
Byrne, Fionn Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture
Ranger, Manon Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Hooper, Michael Associate Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Li, Xiaoxiao Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rahmani, Mona Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Abdulai, Fatawu Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Caggiano, Holly Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Amini, Kiana Assistant Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Materials Engineering
Green, Sheldon Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering

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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.