“Enjoy your time being a graduate student: you will never again have so much time to immerse yourself in learning and deep exploration of a topic of your interest. Take every opportunity to learn other skills that university provides you with: professional development workshops, communications, public speaking, entrepreneurship..."
Professor
Department of Architectural Science
FEAS Associate Dean,
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies
About Dr. Horvat
Dr. Horvat has been the FEAS Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at Ryerson University since 2015. In this position she oversees the graduate programs through supporting Graduate Associate Chairs, Graduate Program Directors and Graduate Program Administrators, coordinates various initiatives, and develops as well as implements academic and administrative procedures relevant to the specific needs of FEAS graduate programs.
Besides her administrative work, Dr. Horvat continues her teaching and research careers in the Department of Architectural Science. The department houses two separate graduate programs alongside one undergraduate program. This includes Master of Architecture (MArch) and Building Science Graduate Program (MBSc, MASc, PhD). Despite the sheer volume of her administrative duties, she believes that keeping connected to research and teaching is extremely important, looking forward to one day going back to those roles full time.
Areas of Specialization
Performance Evaluation of Existing Buildings
Sustainability
Hygrothermal Performance of Building Envelopes
Solar Energy and Architecture
Advanced Energy Efficient Facades
Housing
Education
| Year | Institution | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Concordia Univeristy | Ph.D. Building Engineering |
| 1998 | McGill University | M.Arch |
| 1992 | University of Belgrade | B.Arch (Dipl.lng.Arh ) |
In her role, Dr. Horvat strives to provide graduate students at Ryerson’s Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science with successful, positive and memorable experiences. Dr. Horvat’s main goals include ensuring competitiveness with comparable programs nationwide though strategies such as implementing guaranteed funding packages for all research students, enhancing learning experiences by organizing FEAS graduate workshops and supporting students’ initiatives such as GradShowcase (opens in new window) and internal symposiums in which students present their research and entice collaboration. The recent FEAS rolling admission of research graduate students as well as the expansion on the international recruitment, which has become the new strategy for the Yeates School of Graduate Studies makes Dr. Horvat glad to be a part of the successful, growing Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science.
She has also created the FEAS Graduate Studies Committee which aims to develop new policies and procedures for graduate programs and manage ongoing academic and operational issues. She is actively advising and providing training to the GPDs and Associate Chairs for appeal process, and new faculty on student supervision and funding responsibilities. She also serves as a liaison between internal faculty and cross-departmental communication to ensure graduate students are aware of existing opportunities.
Moreover, he has developed various programs that support graduate students in terms of their academic and professional career. Some include workshops such as the Art of Communication in Graduate Science and Engineering with Dr. L. Schofield, Graduate and Teaching Assistants (GA/TA) Training with the Learning and Teaching Office (LTO), and the Academic Integrity information sessions with the Academic Integrity Office (AIO). Moreover, she enhanced financial support to Ryerson graduate students such as the FEAS Graduate Studies COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund, FEAS Graduate Studies Travel Fund (opens in new window) , FEAS Graduate Studies Indigenous Graduate Student Support Fund (opens in new window) , FEAS Graduate Scholarships for International PhD and NSERC Recipients.