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
Shneiderman, Sara Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Sundberg, Juanita Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Bedke, Matthew Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Beasley-Murray, Jon Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies
Gick, Bryan Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
De Angelis, Franco Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Pohl-Weary, Emily Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Creative Writing
Huddart, Emily Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Drljaca, Igor Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Hunt, Dallas Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Perley, Bernard Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies
Narayan, Priti Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Dadugblor, Stephen Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts School of Journalism, Writing, and Media
Effros, Bonnie Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Te Punga Somerville, Alice Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies
Alaica, Aleksa Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Pierre, Jemima Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Kuhn, McKenzie Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Philbrick, Rachel Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Givens, Terri Elizabeth Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Thompson, Evan Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Dollinger, Stefan Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Marshall, Hallie Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Firkins, Jacqueline Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
McNeilly, Kevin Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Fu, Qiang Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Chang, Dorothy Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Szkup, Michal Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Francois, Patrick Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Main, Jessica Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Sinnamon, Luanne Silvia Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Information
Byrne, Jeffrey Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
McElduff, Siobhan Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Lemieux, Victoria Professor Faculty of Arts School of Information
Werker, Janet Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Kramer, Jennifer Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Biesanz, Jeremy Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Babel, Molly Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
Hermiston, Nancy Jane Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Rehavi, M. Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Chen, Jinhua Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Abdul-Mageed, Muhammad Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
Orell, Julia Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
Wylie, Alison Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Catungal, John Paul Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Heatherington, Tracey Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Macfarlane, Allison Professor Faculty of Arts School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Kim, Eric Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Piechocki, Katharina Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies
Bostanci, Gorkem Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics

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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.