I welcome motivated students to contact me about potential Master or Ph.D.
level research opportunities.
How to apply: Many graduate student candidates who
contacted me have impressive qualifications. Regrettably,
I am not able to respond to all inquiries immediately, or respond at all,
especially during the months when such emails are most frequent and if the
email happens to arrive at a time when I am pre-occupied with other things. If
you do not hear from me, the following are a few guidelines derived from some
commonly asked questions:
- You are welcome to email me about your intention to apply, but phone calls
into my office without prior appointment are intrusive. If you choose to attach your CV or transcript to your email, I would prefer that you use PDF instead of MS Word.
- You must apply through the ECE Graduate Office and the School of Graduate
Studies following their posted application procedures. The
Department of ECE uses an online application system.
- I am not able to comment on your chances of admission. The ECE Graduate
Office and the School of Graduate Studies have a whole set of policies
regarding the minimum admissibility of students, and they are available
online. Furthermore, it should be quite clear that, unless you are clearly at
the very top or the very bottom, there will be much uncertainty in whether you
will be admitted, depending on many random factors such as the need of faculty
members, the application pool, and whether your online application happens to
show up in a query.
- The best way to capture my attention when I browse through the hundreds of
online applications (besides a strong CV) is to indicate, in the personal
statement section, your interest in working with me.
- For me to estimate the level of required financial support,
it would be helpful if you could state in your email inquiry whether you will
need a student visa if that is not immediately clear. If you are an
international student and recently completed
a degree in Canada, information on the status of you
permanent-residence application would also be helpful.
- New! If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and are able to support your study through personal funds or industry
funds, or if you are an international student with a government sponsored scholarship,
you are welcome to contact me for self-funded MASc or PhD options. Please
clearly state the case in the subject of your email.
- New! We are not able to financially support many excellent
MASc applicants, who will be rejected because of the university imposed funding guarantee to all MASc and PhD students.
For those MASc applicants who are rejected but are able to fund their own studies, an alternative is to switch to the MEng program.
Under the MEng program, a student has the option to conduct a project under a faculty supervisor in lieu of three courses.
I view this program as a way for master-level students to prove themselves and potentially be transferred into the fully-funded MASc or PhD program
at a later time. If you are interested in joining my group as an MEng project student, you are welcome to contact me directly, either before
or after the MASc admission announcements are made.
Visiting Ph.D. Students: I welcome self-funded visiting Ph.D.
students who are interested in pursuing a career in academia or research after
graduation. Please distinguish your email inquiry with a clear subject heading.
Last updated December 2013.