Diversity is a strength of our group and I especially welcome expressions of interest from scientists who will contribute to our work in this area, through representation, scholarship, activism, and lived experiences.

Ideally, graduate studies should start with a somewhat defined project that seem to have a reasonable chance of leading to publication. This can be developed from an idea the student brings to the table or a preliminary dataset that I have worked on. I would like students to take a very active role in developing their research projects, especially at the PhD level.

After you have read the information on this page, if you are still interested in applying, contact me to discuss project ideas! Please note that due to tuition policies at McGill, it is almost impossible for me to accept MS students who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada unless they bring their own funding (unless you are from a country which has a residency agreement with Quebec).

If you would like to read a variety of blog posts about applying for graduate school and contacting professors, I strongly recommend Female Science Professor. She gives an insider view to the prof's point of view which graduate school applicants might find very helpful.

Postdoc applicants -- funding is rare for postdocs in Canada but there are some possible sources. Contact me to discuss opportunities.

ADMISSIONS AND FUNDING
Detailed and up-to-date information about admission to the program is found on the department website.

Attributes I look for in graduate students: Research background in any area of geology, enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity, getting along well with others (collaboration skills), autonomy, responsibility, sense of humor, ability/tendency to work hard and focus when something interests them. I am working to develop and maintain a diverse and inclusive research group. These attributes are more important than your grades, but minimum GPA to be admitted to McGill is 3.00 (or equivalent) for previous degrees. If I decide to recruit you, your transcripts will be used by the Earth & Planetary Sciences Department in allocating financial support. You will not receive an offer of admission unless full funding is secured, either through me or through scholarships. Research in economic geology can sometimes be funded by partnerships with Canadian companies. If you have potential support from a company to pursue a graduate degree, contact me to discuss the logistics.

Admissions decisions are based on a variety of factors (student background and experience, match between skills/interests and proposed research project, balance in the research group in terms of seniority, funding amount and sources I happen to have). If you are not admitted it is not neccessarily your fault! Applications decisions are one of the hardest parts of my job and I meet many amazing students this way. I have often kept in touch with applicants and am happy to help with career advice or discuss future collaboration opportunities.

The application deadline is February 1 each year. McGill does not request any standardized test scores (such as GRE), but you may include them if you feel it will help your application.

GRAD STUDENT LIFE
Funding package
Our graduate students are usually funded with a combination of grant money and TA job which will cover tuition and fees as well as a stipend for living expenses. Health insurance is provided through the province of Quebec, with supplementary insurance from the McGill Post-Graduate Society. Research expenses and travel (including conferences) are typically covered by the prof unless the student has received support specifically for research or travel.

TA job
As part of the funding package, graduate students in our department work 80 hrs/semester as TAs for undergraduate courses. TAing a course can be a good way to reinforce material that you need to review from your undergraduate years, but you shouldn't TA something to replace a course if the material is new to you. TA assignments are determined by the department according to TA union procedures, which direct us to assign jobs to the most senior students who meet the qualifications for the job. As a result, junior graduate students usually TA introductory courses, and the field courses (which are considered the most desirable TA assignments) must go to the senior students. About 3 months before the semester, a list of courses will be posted and graduate students are asked to give in their list of preferred assignments. Incoming graduate students will receive assignments upon arrival.

Graduate coursework
MS students will take 4 courses at McGill (or neighboring universities), and PhD students (already in possession of a MS degree) take a minimum of 2. The courses must be 500-level or higher. Most of our graduate courses are given ad hoc (by request of the students) rather than on a regular schedule. Students may also design a reading course/independent study with a prof for credit (but the student's own thesis work does not count toward the required courses).

Field Rheology Group
I encourage applicants to contact current and former students in my group to find out more about life at McGill, and more specifically, what it is like to work with me (Contact info and brief biographies here). In general, our group gets together weekly during the academic year to read journal articles, and meets all together a few times a semester. I typically talk with each student - either in a meeting or just informal catching up - several times per week, so I think this makes me a 'hands-on' kind of supervisor. However, I expect my students to pursue research questions that I don't know the answers to, or that require methods which I don't know. Thus, students are expected solve problems independently and network with other profs at McGill and other institutions, to make sure they are getting the support they need. As long as my students are meeting deadlines they set, we are all very flexible with hours at work and time off.

I expect members of the group to be helpful and respectful towards one another and the rest of the community, to perform their TA duties responsibly, to exercise patience and generosity with one another. The research group (and the department at large) are quite social and friendly, we go on field trips together (whether to remote areas or just the neighborhood watering hole). Most of the department is on a first-name basis, from entering undergrads through to every member of staff and faculty. We think the atmosphere of comradery contributes to a dynamic research environment.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

I also co-advise interdisciplinary projects with colleagues in the EPS department - contact me if you have an idea you'd like to discuss!

Although all these projects involve skills development which would prepare students for careers in economic geology, I am not advertising any funded projects related to ore deposits at this time.