More Like this

1. Intentional Mentoring Networks for Minoritized Postdocs within a University System

   Aumiller, Jennifer G; Enekwe, Blessing O; Carter-Veale, Wendy Y; Cresiski, Robin H (November 2023, The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching)

   Trube, Mary B (Ed.)

   Postdoctoral scholars have traditionally received mentoring from a single mentor (creating a “dyad”), limiting the psychosocial support they receive, which is particularly challenging for minoritized scholars (Deanna et al., 2022; Ransdell, et al., 2021). The AGEP Promise Academy Alliance (APAA) (Cresiski et al., 2022) provides multiple mentors for postdoctoral fellows to expand their academic, professional, and support networks. This mixed-method case study involves postdoctoral fellows in the APAA faculty conversion program to identify the extent to which these multiple mentoring opportunities occurred and benefited the APAA fellows. Surveys administered to participants and their non research mentors elucidate the mentorship experience. The findings provide insights for implementing a multi-mentor network within a state university system. This study explores the broader ecosystem of mentorship and its influence on the advancement of minoritized postdocs in biomedical sciences, particularly those who may experience social isolation within their departments. It recognizes that mentorship extends beyond the formal research mentor-mentee relationship and encompasses a network of support that can positively impact the career trajectories and professional development of minoritized individuals. Scholars report benefits from having multiple mentoring opportunities within their institution, within the university system, and from external scholars through our mentors in residence program. “Just in time” mentoring on time-sensitive issues supplemented sustained mentoring. The inclusion of inter-institutional peers, administrators and faculty mentors enhanced this multiple mentor model. Minoritized postdoctoral scholars often have limited opportunities to receive mentorship (Yadav et al., 2020). Mentoring in dyads remains pervasive, though multiple mentors have been proposed (Deanna et al., 2022). We demonstrate that state university systems can be leveraged to provide a unique ecosystem of both short and sustained mentoring interactions that benefit minoritized postdocs without overburdening already over-worked faculty mentors. 

   more » « less
2. Intentional Mentoring Networks for Minoritized Postdocs within a University System

   Aumiller, Jennifer G; Enekwe, Blessing O; Carter-Veale, Wendy Y; Cresiski, Robin H (November 2023, The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching)

   Postdoctoral scholars have traditionally received mentoring from a single mentor (creating a “dyad”), limiting the psychosocial support they receive, which is particularly challenging for minoritized scholars (Deanna et al., 2022; Ransdell, et al., 2021). The AGEP Promise Academy Alliance (APAA) (Cresiski et al., 2022) provides multiple mentors for postdoctoral fellows to expand their academic, professional, and support networks. This mixed-method case study involves postdoctoral fellows in the APAA faculty conversion program to identify the extent to which these multiple mentoring opportunities occurred and benefited the APAA fellows. Surveys administered to participants and their non research mentors elucidate the mentorship experience. The findings provide insights for implementing a multi-mentor network within a state university system. This study explores the broader ecosystem of mentorship and its influence on the advancement of minoritized postdocs in biomedical sciences, particularly those who may experience social isolation within their departments. It recognizes that mentorship extends beyond the formal research mentor-mentee relationship and encompasses a network of support that can positively impact the career trajectories and professional development of minoritized individuals. Scholars report benefits from having multiple mentoring opportunities within their institution, within the university system, and from external scholars through our mentors in residence program. “Just in time” mentoring on time-sensitive issues supplemented sustained mentoring. The inclusion of inter-institutional peers, administrators and faculty mentors enhanced this multiple mentor model. Minoritized postdoctoral scholars often have limited opportunities to receive mentorship (Yadav et al., 2020). Mentoring in dyads remains pervasive, though multiple mentors have been proposed (Deanna et al., 2022). We demonstrate that state university systems can be leveraged to provide a unique ecosystem of both short and sustained mentoring interactions that benefit minoritized postdocs without overburdening already over-worked faculty mentors. 

   more » « less
3. Postdoctoral Supervisors’ Expectations of the Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes Required for and Developed During Postdoctoral Training

   Banson, M.; Berdanier, C. G.; Ross, M (January 2022, International journal of engineering education)

   Postdoctoral fellows report experiencing misalignment between their expectations and their experiences in postdoctoral training. Little research explores their experiences with less still attempting to identify advisors’ expectations of postdoctoral fellows. This research aims to describe the knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSA) advisors/principal investigators expect when postdoctoral fellows begin and the expectations for developing postdoc KSA during the fellowship. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with postdoctoral advisors provide data about the hiring, starting, and development expectations advisors have for postdocs. Axial coding with KSA and abductive analysis identify advisors’ KSA expectations. Postdoctoral advisors describe hiring requirements and development expectations that do not clearly align. This misalignment starts postdocs and advisors in a new relationship with already misaligned expectations. Clarified language in hiring requirements and development expectations can help advisors and postdocs begin the fellowship with better-aligned expectations. The research reported here provides language to advisors and postdocs to assist and guide KSA expectations. 

   more » « less
4. The untapped potential of early career researchers in academic publishing: Lessons learned from the Journal of Emerging Investigators model

   https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1470  

   Otero, Claire E.; Osinski, Victoria; Mattison, Kari A. (July 2022, Learned Publishing)

   Key points The lack of formal training in peer review can be detrimental to the publishing activities of early career researchers, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.Lack of recognition of the work of early career researchers (ECRs) in review means that journals cannot easily identify them as potential reviewers in the future.Participation as peer‐reviewers increases understanding in early career researchers of their own writing and review process.ECRs can be highly motivated to volunteer for journal editorial work—Journal of Emerging Investigatorsencourages this by offering many different roles.Publishers that utilize and train early career researchers as peer‐reviewers can prevent poor reviewer practices. 

   more » « less
5. Using Observational Learning Theory to Interpret How Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Learn to Mentor Postdoctoral Scholars

   Bahnson, M.; Berdanier, C. G.; Ross, M. (January 2022, ASEE annual conference exposition)

   In this research paper, we describe faculty development as mentors to postdoctoral fellows (postdocs). Postdoctoral fellowships have become a significant step in academic and industry positions, while little research investigates the purpose of a postdoc position, the experiences of postdocs, and how faculty develop as postdoc advisors. As part of a larger project investigating postdoc mentorship, nineteen semi-structured qualitative interviews with faculty advisors uncovered themes about how postdoc advisors learn to mentor and advise postdocs. Faculty from U.S. and Canadian universities completed 60-minute online interviews. Participants had varying experience and expertise in advising postdocs. Observational learning theory provides a framework for identifying the process of learning from observation and the replication of mentors’ past experiences. Open and axial coding was used to identify faculty experiences that informed how they mentored their postdoctoral fellows. Faculty who had completed a postdoc as part of their training reflected on their experiences, often identifying positive and negative experiences they used to guide, mentor, and plan the development of the postdocs they advise. Faculty who did not complete a postdoc used doctoral and industry experiences to inform their decisions. This work provides a unique window into postdoctoral training and 

   more » « less