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 descending Faculty Academic Unit
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
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
Johnson, Catherine Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Martin, Gregory Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Ryan, Colm Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Respiratory Medicine
Webb, John Professor Faculty of Medicine Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery
Dreisinger, David Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Materials Engineering
Cenfetelli, Ronald Timothy Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Accounting and Information Systems
Black, Peter Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Urologic Sciences
Taylor, Robert Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Weis, Dominique Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Otto, Sarah Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Rossi, Fabio Professor Faculty of Medicine School of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medical Genetics
Li, Kai Professor Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration Division of Finance
Churg, Andrew Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Ripeanu, Matei Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rogak, Steven Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering
Hepburn, John Professor Faculty of Science Department of Chemistry
Maxwell, Christopher Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
Wylie, Alison Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Clifton, Kelly Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Community and Regional Planning
Krausz, Reinhard Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
Browne, Annette Professor Faculty of Applied Science School of Nursing
Cui, Wei Professor Peter A. Allard School of Law
Schajer, Gary Professor Faculty of Applied Science Department of Mechanical Engineering
Wellington, Cheryl Lea Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Verchere, Bruce Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Surgery, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Marra, Marco Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Genetics, Michael Smith Laboratories
Schulte, Patricia Professor Faculty of Science Department of Zoology
Sin, Donald Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Respiratory Medicine
Hermiston, Nancy Jane Professor Faculty of Arts School of Music
Chen, Jinhua Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Asian Studies
Av-Gay, Yossef Professor Faculty of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
McCormack, James Professor Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Phillips, Anthony Professor Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
Lopes, Dominic Professor Faculty of Arts Department of Philosophy
Bostock, Michael Professor Faculty of Science Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
Vatsal, Vinayak Professor Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics
Rottler, Joerg Professor Faculty of Science Department of Physics & Astronomy
Horwitz, Marc Professor Faculty of Science Department of Microbiology & Immunology

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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.