What suggestions do you have for finding and choosing a mentor?
When choosing a mentor, choose someone who treats people fairly and whose values and goals align with yours. In my view, alignment in values and goals is as important—maybe even more important—than alignment of research interests.
What is the best advice that you received as a graduate student?
One piece of advice that I often remember is to “Do your best work and then let it go.” The “letting go” part can be hard for me!
What is the best advice that you often give to your students and mentees?
Organize your life so that you nourish important relationships in your personal life as part of your weekly routine, so that these things don’t go by the wayside when you are busy with work and pressed for time. This applies to family and also to valued friends and colleagues. You can do this in lots of ways (e.g., by scheduling regular date nights, lunches, walks, game nights, phone calls).
What are the most rewarding and most difficult aspects of being a mentor?
It is extremely rewarding to see growth in my mentees, and to see their joy and satisfaction as they accomplish their goals!
I feel very fortunate that, as a mentor, I get to share intellectual pursuits with others who have different histories, different experiences, and different skills than I have. I learn many things—about research, about the world, and about life—from my mentees.
One thing I find difficult as a mentor is discerning how to support mentees when they encounter challenges. Different mentees—and different types of challenges—require different forms of support. It can be hard to find the right path or the right way to support.
Another challenge is managing interpersonal conflicts within my research group. They are rare, but they do arise. It is often difficult to help the people who are involved to see other sides of an issue or to take a different perspective on a situation.
What advice would you give to graduate students who want to have careers in academia?
Perseverance is important! The most successful academics are ones who keep trying and do not give up.
Write for 15 minutes every workday on your highest priority paper or proposal. Try to do this at a time when you can spend more than 15 minutes if you get on a roll. As the proverb goes, “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”
Take care of yourself. Eat, sleep, rest, and spend time with friends and family. This line of work requires a lot of energy. Try to manage your energy in-flow and out-flow in a balanced way! Figure out what things (activities, relationships, hobbies, etc.) fill your own cup and try to do some of those things every week.
What advice would you give to early career scholars?
Practice academic kindness. This means: Listen carefully to others. Offer feedback gently and constructively. Be supportive of others. Give students and colleagues the benefit of the doubt. Put in a “good word” for others. Help others network and make connections whenever you can.
What lessons have you learned as a mentor?
Each mentee is unique, so each needs different forms of support and advice. What “works” for one mentee may not work for others! It is important to get to know each mentee and to ask them what kinds of support they need.
I try to make sure that each mentee feels that they can have my time or attention when they need it. I do this by scheduling a standing, individual meeting for each mentee each week during the academic year. We sometimes cancel, but this way they know that they have a “claim” on my time and energy.
I also try to create a culture of cooperation in my research group. I try to do this in several ways: by encouraging group members to talk to one another about their research and about their challenges, by encouraging them to help one another if there is an opportunity to do so (e.g., assisting each other with data coding, reviewing each other’s preregistrations, or checking each other’s analysis code), and by recognizing the value and experiences each brings to the group. I often remind my lab members that we are one another’s “home team”—we can all support and uplift one another.
I also try to remind my students that there are many, many different paths in academia and in related fields. I remind myself that my job is not to “create" scholars like me (as if I could!). Instead, I believe that my job as a mentor is to help students find the path that suits them best and that allows them to be productive and generative.
How has being a mentor/teacher influenced your research?
I believe that being a mentor has helped me become a better collaborator. Being a mentor has taught me that it is important to communicate why I do things in particular ways. I believe that communicating this kind of information is exceptionally valuable in collaborative work.
Each person has things to offer and things to learn. Being a mentor regularly reminds me that we all bring different things to the table, and we can all learn from one another.