Office of Undergraduate Research and Mentoring

Getting Started—Mentor Relationships

Develop a Positive Working Relationship with your Mentor...

  1. Initiate a conversation early in your working relationship in which you and your faculty member agree upon expectations and working agreements: 
    1. How frequently will you meet face to face?
    2. How closely will you work with a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in addition to the faculty member?
    3. What blocks of time, hours of the day, or hours per week, consecutive weeks or quarters will you work? 
    4. How will you be trained?
    5. Will you attend lab or research group meetings, and, if so, will you need to prepare something for them?
    6. Will you work in the lab or research area, or is there work you may take home to complete?
    7. What kind of final product will you produce?
  2. Be the active, responsible party in initiating and organizing one-on-one communication: set meeting agendas, prioritize issues you want to discuss, be a leader in discussions.
  3. Work with your faculty member to set short- and long-term goals and deadlines for the different stages of your project.
  4. Learn your faculty member’s communication habits: when does e-mail suffice, when must you meet face-to-face, and when—if ever—may you call her or him at home?
  5. Consider sending summaries of meetings (agreements, assignments, work outlines) restating tasks and the division of labor.
  6. Always read books or articles your faculty member recommends to you and share your responses. Take the faculty member’s suggestions seriously and let them know that their time with you is well-spent.
  7. Be curious and share your knowledge. The more you do so, the more seriously your work and aspirations will be regarded.
  8. Always express your thanks after the faculty member has taken the time to meet with you. Send a thank you note or an e-mail stating what you gained from the interaction and how you plan to move ahead.
Undergraduate Research Student

Emileigh Greuber '07, Molecular Genetics
“Work with your faculty mentor, graduate students and research fellows. Once you get in a lab, things don't always go as planned and it is important to talk to your colleagues and learn from their expertise.”

Research: Dephosphorylation of G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)