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 descending Academic Unit
McCasland, Jamie Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Koppes, Michele Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Geography
Hoppmann, Christiane Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Hirsh, Elizabeth Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Heatley, Stephen Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Tenzer, Michael Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Bablitz, Leanne Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Dixon, Joy Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Lauer, Sean Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Severs, Jeffrey Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Hanser, Amy Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Norenzayan, Ara Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Speller, Camilla Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Prueitt, Cat Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Doberstein, Carey Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Bourges, Antoine Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Theatre & Film
Patterson, Christopher Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Huyser, Kimberly Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Raker, Ethan Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology
Hammerly, Christopher Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
Kadir, Aynur Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies
Sherpa, Pasang Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, Department of Asian Studies
Sultan, Nazmul Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Nunn, Nathan Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Ongchoco, Joan Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Nobiss, Jac Assistant Professor Faculty of Arts School of Social Work
Rouse, Robert Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Rullmann, Hotze Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Linguistics
Price, Richard Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Political Science
Weston, Darlene Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Anthropology
Girard, Jonathan Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Francois, Patrick Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Al-Kassim, Dina Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of English Language and Literatures
Chaudhry, Ayesha Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice
Coulthard, Glen Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, Department of Political Science
Song, Kyungchul Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
O'Brien, Heather Professor Faculty of Arts School of Information
Kasahara, Hiroyuki Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Taylor, Robert Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Claxton, Dana Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
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
Marshall, Toph Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies
Fulton, Bruce Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Chiu-Duke, Josephine Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Miller, Bradley Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Perla, Jesse Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Vancouver School of Economics
Murphy, Anne Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of History
Odic, Darko Associate Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology
Douglas, Jennifer Associate Professor Faculty of Arts School of Information

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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.