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 Rolesort descending Faculty Academic Unit
Johnson, Pauline Professor Faculty of Science Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Klein, Peter Professor Faculty of Arts School of Journalism, Writing, and Media
Ryerson, Christopher Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Respiratory Medicine
Campbell, Heather Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Yilmaz, Ozgur Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Cheung, Wai Lung Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Davies, Hugh William Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Krahn, Andrew Professor Faculty of Medicine Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery
Conibear, Elizabeth Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics
Maillard, Keith Professor Faculty of Arts School of Creative Writing
Holsti, Liisa Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
Mancini, John Professor Faculty of Medicine Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery
Liu, Siyuan Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Teichman, Joel Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Urologic Sciences
Webb, P. Taylor Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational Studies
Tang, Shuo Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Takei, Fumio Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Ferreira da Silva, Denise Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Tsang, Teresa Professor Faculty of Medicine Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery
Parkes, Debra Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Berlinguette, Curtis Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Shapka, Jennifer Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
Sundstrom, Lisa Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Harris, Leila Professor Faculty of Science Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Murphy, Timothy Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
O'Donoghue, Donal Professor Faculty of Education Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy
Schoof, Christian Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Pauly, Daniel Professor Faculty of Science Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Department of Zoology
Lacaille, Diane Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Rheumatology
MacLachlan, Mark Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Stoessl, A Jon Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Neurology
Gergel, Sarah Professor Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences
O'Connor, Deborah Professor Faculty of Arts School of Social Work
Li, Guofang Professor Faculty of Education Department of Language & Literacy Education
Lemieux, Thomas Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Sammis, Glenn Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Takahata, Kenichi Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Naus, Monika Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Population and Public Health
Ramana, M. V. Professor Faculty of Arts School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Davies, Jonathan Professor Faculty of Science Department of Botany, Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences
Dierker, Steve Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Caron, Nadine Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery
Kieffer, Tim Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, School of Biomedical Engineering
Milstein, Sara Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Dechaine, Rose-Marie Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
Perrin, Benjamin Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Cox, Daniel Professor Faculty of Education Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
Rea, Christopher Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Davis, Henry Thomas Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
van Willigenburg, Stephanie 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.