We strongly encourage all new graduate students to become fully aware of the research opportunities in the Chemistry Department by engaging in broad consultation with faculty members and senior graduate students. This consultation can occur prior to and/or upon arrival. Because the choice of a supervisor is a major commitment on the part of the student and the supervisor, it is the Chemistry Department's intention to provide maximum flexibility and opportunity for students to investigate all research options before making their final choice. There are two methods by which students can select supervisors: before or after beginning graduate studies.

Selecting a Supervisor Before Beginning Graduate Studies
Students who have a clear and specific area of research interest may contact the faculty members in the Department who share those interests. After gathering information about the research projects of those faculty members and/or meeting them or members of their groups during an arranged departmental visit, a student may feel certain about their first choice of supervisor. He/she may then contact the faculty member and commit to that person and ask for a commitment in return, which the faculty member may give. In this case, the student would meet with the Graduate Advisor upon arrival at UBC to confirm that all proper arrangements have been made. The student would join the research group of their chosen faculty member and begin the research project upon arrival. If the faculty member is, for some reason, unable to commit to the student, the student should investigate other options. If there is still a possibility of working with the original choice, the student may decide to wait until arrival to make their decision.

Selecting a Supervisor After Beginning Graduate Studies
Students who do not have a clear idea of the specific research area that interests them and/or which faculty members they should consider, are nevertheless advised to investigate and contact faculty members prior to arrival. It is acceptable to arrive at UBC without a chosen supervisor and many students do so. In these cases, students meet with the Graduate Advisor upon arrival, and together, they draft a list of suitable faculty with whom the student should meet to discuss research/supervision. This list will provide focus consistent with the student's research interests. Students should feel free to contact any faculty member to discuss possible research projects. After this consultation process, students are requested to submit a rank-order list of three choices for research supervisor; this list should be submitted to the Graduate Advisor by the end of the first month of the student's arrival. Supervisor commitments cannot be made in September or January and the Graduate Advisor will discuss placement with new students by the beginning of October (September start) or February (January start). Although many students are accepted by the supervisor of choice, spaces are limited and first choice cannot be guaranteed. The common interests of new students in a given year cannot be predicted and students must understand that the chosen supervisor must have the accommodation, facilities and funds to support the student's research program.