This page offers advice to prospective graduate students seeking a response from Prof. Paul Van Oorschot in Carleton University's School of Computer Science.

Due to the volume of email, I may be unable to personally respond to all inquiries.

Q1: Will you be my supervisor for a Master's (or PhD) degree?

After the September 2026 term begins, I will no longer be taking new Masters or PhD students as a primary supervisor. If you would like me to consider being a secondary supervisor, please first contact and discuss this with a primary supervisor (typically one of my peer professors in our School of Computer Science).

Q2: Can you host me (be my advisor) for postdoctoral research?

If you are seeking a postdoctoral host or advisor at Carleton University in Ottawa, please contact one of my peer researchers. Often, the largest obstacle is that the level of funding required for postdoctoral researchers is hard to come by; when you don't have food to eat and a place to live, it is hard to do good research.

Q3: Can you write me a letter of reference? (I am a former student of yours)

If I am personally familiar with your work, I will generally try to accommodate your request. (This becomes a bit more challenging if you were registered in one of my classes but never actually attended any lectures, or over the entire term we never spoke or said hello.) I can usually do this within two weeks of receiving the information listed below. If you require more than one letter, I will write a generic "To Whom It May Concern" letter. Please provide me details on:

1. the position or scholarship you are seeking;
2. the contact details for whom the letter is to, as you would like them to appear on the letter header; and
3. a hard copy of any instructions or forms to be filled out (highlight any criteria which those receiving the letter expect it to address).
   
   I will also need:
   
   
4. up-to-date copies of your transcripts (undergraduate and graduate); and
5. your cv or resume including all degrees, publications and experience (highlight your experience in software security and applied cryptography).

Q4: Can you write me a letter of reference? (I am someone that you don't know; we've actually never met) [Yes, I do get such requests!]

Probably not. If I don't know you, I would hope that any recipient of a reference letter from me would throw the letter away. In my view, the main point of a reference letter is to convey personal knowledge. If I don't know you, I can't speak credibly about you. If I don't already know your work, then it is not really for me to take the time out to read it, summarize it, and cast my opinion on it---that would appear to be a better job for an AI agent.

............. Last updated: Aug 2026