MItHRIL welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, including women, Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and members of sexual minority groups. Members of these designated groups are encouraged to self-identify. Please see below for qualifications, as well as details specific to domestic and international students.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Please refer to the ECE graduate program webpage for all other application and program details.
Preferred Skills and Experiences
Preference is given to applicants who demonstrate:
- Strong background in mechatronics or related disciplines (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and in some cases cognitive science)
- High GPA in academic career, particularily in relevant courses
- Applied demonstration of technical skills through projects
- Hands-on instrumentation skills
- Strong programming skills (C++, Python, MATLAB/Simulink)
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English
- Excellent interpersonal skills and attitudes
- Strong references from supervisors (especially from people we know, or whose work is related to our area of research)
Training and/or industrial experience in the following domains are considered assets:
- robotics, controls, motion planning
- machine learning, artificial intelligence
- signal processing, computer vision
- human factors, cognitive science
- physiology, physical therapy
- other related areas
Domestic (Canadian or Permanent Resident) Students
Exceptional domestic students wishing to join MItHRIL at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels should complete the form linked below prior to applying to the School of Graduate Studies. Please note that due to the volume of applications, you will not receive a response unless you are under consideration for a position. Application deadlines for the School of Graduate Studies are shown in the table below. You will need to apply to MItHRIL well in advance of these deadlines in order to be considered.
| Admission Date | Application Deadline | Notice of Acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| January | August 15 | |
| May (Deferred Start) | August 15 | |
| September | March 1 | May 31 |
If you are a prospective graduate student then you are also strongly encouraged to apply (early) for scholarship funding through NSERC, OGS, and others. Students holding major scholarships such as NSERC are urged to apply at any time and should indicate the award received in their communication.
International Students
Due to limited funding and volume of interested applicants, international students (i.e., not a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant) are asked to formally apply to the Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies (SGS) portal before we consider your application to join MItHRIL. This allows us to more easily understand your qualifications. Please ensure you have completed all necessary prerequisites required by the SGS before applying. More information on this can be found here. When completing the application, please indicate your interest in working at MItHRIL or with Dr. Matthew Pan in your personal statement.
Application deadlines for SGS are shown below:
| Admission Date | Application Deadline | Notice of Acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| January | August 15 | |
| May (Deferred Start) | August 15 | |
| September | January 31 | Mid-February to end of April |
Note for international students: there are typically two types of master’s degrees that can be obtained while studying engineering in Canada: the Master of Applied Science (MASc) and Master of Engineering (MEng) degrees. The MASc program requires research work and some coursework while the MEng program requires mainly coursework and a project. Another notable difference is that MASc students receive funding through stipends whereas MEng positions are unfunded.