All EngSci students are required to complete an independent thesis in their final year of study.
Students can work on an approved engineering-related project under the supervision of any U of T faculty member.
U of T's exceptional breadth and strength in research allow students to find projects that fit their individual interests, and work in theoretical, clinical, design or laboratory setting.
Students experience the entire research process from initial project framing and literature review, through experimental design to documentation of their work in a final research thesis and oral presentation. Support is provided throughout the course through lectures and workshops on topics like proposal writing and research documentation.
The course is excellent preparation for those intending to pursue graduate studies and provides all students with valuable experience in independent critical thinking and problem solving.
Deb Raji (1T8 PEY Robotics)
Deb was internationally celebrated for her research into racial and gender bias in artificial intelligence algorithms.
Thesis title:
Investigating the Influence of Demographic Diversity on Model Performance in Facial Recognition
(Prof. Ashton Anderson, CompSci)
"My thesis supervisor and the thesis course coordinator taught me to think broadly about the impact of technology on society."
Students begin thinking about potential supervisors and topics in Year 3, with a focus in the Winter and Summer terms on firming up commitments with supervisors. By mid-October of Year 4, students are expected to write a formal thesis proposal that defines their projects, though many students have already started their research by then.