My group at the University of Toronto works at the intersection of machine learning, causal inference and healthcare. Below are answers to the questions I am asked most often by prospective students, postdoctoral fellows and visitors.
Graduate students (MSc and PhD)
How do I apply to work with you?
To apply for graduate school with the lab, please apply through the Computer Science department and mention my name in your statement of purpose. Please highlight why your past experience sets you up to explore a topic you're passionate about during graduate school and how the lab might help you get there!
What background do you look for?
I typically take on students with strong foundations in probability, statistics, stochastic processes, linear algebra as well as programming skills that encompass PyTorch, Jax and other autodifferentiation languages. Bill Freeman has excellent and timeless advice on how to think about research in graduate school.
Will you reply if I email you about my application?
Due to the volume of emails I receive, I am unable to respond to individual inquiries. I am unable to comment on individual applications until they have made their way through the admission committee's process.
I'm an MD–PhD student or clinical fellow. How do I apply?
If you're an MD–PhD student or a clinical fellow interested in working with me, please apply through one of the graduate programs in the LMP department.
Postdoctoral fellows
How do I apply for a postdoctoral position?
If you're interested in joining my group as a postdoctoral fellow, please apply through the Vector Institute's Postdoctoral Fellows program or the DSI Postdoctoral Fellow Program and reach out to me to discuss being a host for your fellowship.
What should I include when I email you?
We're always interested to hear from folks passionate about studying the intersection of machine learning, causal inference and healthcare. If you are emailing me about upcoming opportunities, please send your CV, your transcripts, explain why you'd like to work with me, and what your research interests are.
Undergraduate students
How do I join the lab as an undergraduate?
If you're an undergraduate at UofT, please email me directly with your CV, transcripts, and a few paragraphs on what areas of machine learning/healthcare you're interested in exploring. Typically, undergraduate researchers join the lab after excelling in the Introduction to Machine Learning class CSC311 and/or CSC412.
Do you supervise EngSci theses?
I often supervise at least one EngSci thesis per year; please email me as soon as you know you would like to work on your thesis with me.
How is undergraduate research in the lab funded?
I typically accept new students into the lab in the summer supported by the NSERC or UTEA Undergraduate Research Awards, the T-CAIREM Summer Trainee Award, or the Summer Undergraduate Data Science Intern program (run by the Data Science Institute).
Visiting students and internships
Can I visit your group or join as an intern?
If you're a graduate student at another university interested in visiting my group or joining as an intern for a period of three months, you have a few options:
- I'm open to hosting you if your institution has fellowships that support external research stays.
- If you're a graduate student in CS and would like to spend time as an intern, the Vector Institute has an internship program.
