Graduate Student Application Portal

Before You Apply

The Vector Institute is a national AI research institute. While Vector is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Faculty Members and Faculty Affiliates are appointed at universities in multiple provinces, including British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Vector is not a degree-granting institution; if a Faculty Member expresses interest in your work, you will need to apply directly to their university.

Take the time to explore Vector’s Core AI Research Areas and Faculty profiles before submitting your application. Faculty profiles may include research interests, current areas of focus, and links to lab websites, Google Scholar profiles, and other resources that can help you learn more about their work.

Understanding our Faculty’s current research, lab priorities, and areas of expertise will help you identify potential supervisors whose work genuinely aligns with your interests. A well-researched and targeted application will also help you develop a stronger research statement and clearly demonstrate why you see a potential research fit with the Faculty you select.

Please note that applying through the Vector Graduate Application Portal does not replace the university graduate application process. Students who wish to pursue graduate studies must still apply directly to the relevant university graduate program(s). By connecting with potential supervisors through this portal before university application deadlines, students can explore research fit and begin building relationships that may support a smoother application process.

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To apply please submit:

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Personal Information

Full Legal Name(Required)

First Last

Preferred Name

Email(Required)

Academic Background

Most Recent University(Required)

Most Recent Department(Required)

Most Recent Program(Required)

Most Recent Year of Program(Required)

Please enter a number less than or equal to 10.

Most Recent Degree(Required)

GPA from the last two years (convert it to a 4.0 scale)(Required)

Please convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale before entering it. You are responsible for ensuring the conversion is accurate.

Transcripts(Required)

If uploading more than one transcript, be sure to combine the files into one single PDF. Official and unofficial transcripts are accepted.

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 128 MB.

CV(Required)

Upload academic CV

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 128 MB.

Google Scholar Profile (Optional)

LinkedIn Profile (Optional)

Webpage (Optional)

Research Statement (1 -2 pages max)(Required)

In 1-2 pages, describe your research experience, interests, and goals. Your statement should include:

A summary of your past research experience
Key problems or questions you are interested in
Describe why you would like to work with the Faculty members and how your interests align with the lab you are interested in joining
Any publications, projects, or outcomes you consider significant

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 128 MB.

Recommendation Letters

Choose your referees carefully and think about who is best qualified to write you a strong recommendation. Referees must be able to assess your academic performance and research abilities. At least two of the referees should be professionally established at the level of independent investigator, principal scientist, group leader, lecturer or above.

Vector must receive your reference letters no later than two weeks after your submission date

Referee 1(Required)

First Name Last Name

Referee 1 Email(Required)

Referee 2(Required)

First Name Last Name

Referee 2 Email(Required)

Referee 3 (Optional)

First Name Last Name

Referee 3 Email (Optional)

Research

Primary Research Area(Required)

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Applications(Required)

Select up to three

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Deep learning(Required)

Select up to 3

3D Deep Learning

Adversarial Networks

Architecture

Deep Learning Theory

Deep Reinforcement Learning

Geometric Deep Learning

Memory-Augmented Neural Networks

Predictive Models

Supervised Deep Networks

Research Interest Sub-Categories: General Machine Learning(Required)

Select up to 3

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Generative Models(Required)

Select up to 2

Deep Generative Models

Generative Agents

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Data, Challenges, Implementations, and Software(Required)

Select up to 3

Benchmarks

Data Sets or Data Repositories

Software Toolkits

Virtual Environments

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Optimization(Required)

Select up to 3

Bayesian Optimization

Convex Optimization

Discrete Optimization

Non-Convex Optimization

Stochastic Optimization

Optimization Algorithms

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Probabilistic methods(Required)

Select up to 3

Bayesian methods

Causal Inference

Graphical Models

Sampling

Variational Inference

Monte Carlo methods

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Reinforcement Learning and Planning(Required)

Select up to 3

Decision and Control

Multi-Agent RL

Planning

Reinforcement Learning

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Societal Considerations(Required)

Select up to 3

AI Safety

Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency

Privacy, Anonymity, and Security

AI Governance

Interpretability and Explainability

Accountability and Ethics

Robustness

AI Alignment

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Theory(Required)

Select up to 3

Condensed Matter Theory

Game Theory

High-Dimensional Inference

Information Theory

Models of Learning and Generalization

Learning theory

Secondary Research Area(Required)

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Applications(Required)

Select up to three

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Deep learning(Required)

Select up to 3

3D Deep Learning

Adversarial Networks

Architecture

Deep Learning Theory

Deep Reinforcement Learning

Geometric Deep Learning

Memory-Augmented Neural Networks

Predictive Models

Supervised Deep Networks

Research Interest Sub-Categories: General Machine Learning(Required)

Select up to 3

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Generative Models(Required)

Select up to 2

Deep Generative Models

Generative Agents

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Data, Challenges, Implementations, and Software(Required)

Select up to 3

Benchmarks

Data Sets or Data Repositories

Software Toolkits

Virtual Environments

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Optimization(Required)

Select up to 3

Bayesian Optimization

Convex Optimization

Discrete Optimization

Non-Convex Optimization

Stochastic Optimization

Optimization Algorithms

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Probabilistic methods(Required)

Select up to 3

Bayesian methods

Causal Inference

Graphical Models

Sampling

Variational Inference

Monte Carlo methods

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Reinforcement Learning and Planning(Required)

Select up to 3

Decision and Control

Multi-Agent RL

Planning

Reinforcement Learning

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Societal Considerations(Required)

Select up to 3

AI Safety

Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency

Privacy, Anonymity, and Security

AI Governance

Interpretability and Explainability

Accountability and Ethics

Robustness

AI Alignment

Research Interest Sub-Categories: Theory(Required)

Select up to 3

Condensed Matter Theory

Game Theory

High-Dimensional Inference

Information Theory

Models of Learning and Generalization

Learning theory

You may select up to 5 preferred supervisors in total across Faculty Members and Faculty Affiliates. At least 1 selection is required.

Faculty Members

Faculty Affiliates

Additional Information

(Anything else you would like Vector Faculty Members and Affiliates to know (max 250 words)

Consent

Disclaimer

The Vector Graduate Application Portal is intended to facilitate connections between prospective graduate students and Vector Faculty based on shared research interests. Faculty participation is subject to change from year to year depending on research interests, funding availability, and capacity to supervise new graduate students. Submission of an application does not guarantee contact from a faculty member, an interview, a research opportunity, supervision, funding, or admission to a university graduate program.

The Vector Graduate Application Portal is independent of the university admission process. Vector is not responsible for nor involved in university admissions decisions, setting application deadlines, collecting application fees, immigration or visa processes, housing arrangements, relocation, or any costs associated with applying to or attending a university.

University deadlines, admission requirements, and application processes vary by institution and may differ from the timelines of the Vector Graduate Application Portal. Applicants are responsible for reviewing the admission requirements, application deadlines, funding information, and eligibility criteria for each university and graduate program they intend to apply to. Applicants are responsible for submitting applications to universities to request admission to their graduate programs.

Applicants should submit university applications well before the applicable deadlines.

Decisions regarding admissions, supervision, funding, and graduate appointments are made independently by the participating universities and faculty members in accordance with their own policies and procedures.