Prospective Students

Potential graduate students: 

Note (13 January 2023): Graduate recruitment for Fall 2023 entry is now closed. I plan to recruit one student (MA or PhD) for the next admissions cycle (Fall 2024 entry). Please get in touch with me this fall if you are interested in working with me.

In a typical year (space permitting), I usually plan to recruit MA and PhD students to work with me at the University of Victoria. I do not typically recruit MS/MSc students. I especially welcome Indigenous applicants and applicants from diverse backgrounds.

If you are interested in working with me, please e-mail me:
-Your CV
-A brief introduction of yourself
-A brief description of the type of work that you want to do.

I receive a very large number of e-mails inquiring about working with me as a graduate student every admissions season–while I try my best to respond to every inquiry, generic e-mails or inquiries that demonstrate a lack of engagement with or understanding of the broader work I do and/or subfields I engage with will receive low priority for a response.

I work fully in Indigenous contexts and have a geographical focus on North America in my work. I do not require that my graduate students work on the exact same topics or in the same geographical areas as myself (my Ph.D. advisor and I had different research interests, for example). I am open to working with students who work in international contexts. Still, there should be at least some broad topical overlaps, such as interests in qualitative Indigenous research methods, Indigenous geographies, Indigenous environmental issues, or political ecology, so that I can best advise you on your course of study.

It is extremely important that we have some form of contact/conversation before applying–UVic Geography departmental policy is that no student can be admitted to our graduate program without an advising/funding commitment from a faculty member, and I will not commit to a student who I have not been in touch with.

I will respond to your e-mail as soon as I can–either to further discuss your interest or to suggest possible other supervisors (at UVic or elsewhere) if there is not a great research fit between us. If I do not respond within a few weeks, please send another email gently reminding me.

I’m happy to schedule a Zoom chat or phone call (or an on-campus visit if you live close to Victoria) to answer any questions you may have about the program or working with me, but these conversations are informational only and are not a formal commitment to serve as a supervisor on my part (more on admissions decisions below).

I recommend getting in touch with me starting in August to ensure timely responses.

Admissions to UVic Geography’s graduate program

Currently, admissions decisions in our department are made once a year, in early Spring (February-April) for Fall entry (September). The usual application deadline is January 15th.

Admission to our graduate program is not my decision to make alone. Admission to the University and admission to our graduate program are two distinct, but linked processes. Your application will first be evaluated by the Faculty of Graduate Studies to see if you meet the University’s minimum admissions requirements. If it does, your application will be evaluated by the department’s graduate affairs committee to see if you will be eligible for departmental awards and to see if I will support your application as a potential advisor.

Please note that my policy is to not make any decisions about supporting your application for admission without any form of contact, as I feel it’s important to get to know you as a scholar! You are the most important part of the graduate student experience, after all.

I recommend taking some time to familiarize yourself with UVic’s Geography graduate program via our website, which includes application instructions, admissions requirements, and other important information, including language testing and further details related to coming to Canada if you are an international student. 

Important Note: I can only take on an extremely limited number of graduate students each year, to provide my current students with a high level of advising, funding, and mentorship. A decision to not recruit or not admit is in no way an indicator of the worth of your project or your worth or intellect as a student.

Funding Information:

Similar to admissions, many aspects of departmental funding decisions are not my decision to make alone; as these conversations are had by the Department. Departmental funding at UVic Geography is internationally competitive, and it is not plentiful, although students who do receive departmental funding can expect to be funded for 2 years for a Master’s degree and 3 years for a Ph.D. program. These funds include entrance scholarships, lab instructor (TA) positions, and other funds. I also commit funds to students’ awards packages, as the supervisor.

Internal (Geography Department) and external funding sources are available besides standard departmental sources, but international students (this includes American students) should know that they may be ineligible for certain types of Canadian funding (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, etc). Depending on my research grant situation, there may be extra funding that I can provide beyond my required contribution, but this will vary from year to year. Please bear this information in mind when considering applying.