Mentoring philosophy

My goal is to provide trainees in my laboratory (graduate, undergraduate, and high school students) with opportunities to develop both technical and professional skills while carrying our their research projects. I believe strongly in promoting a sense of belonging among the trainees through dialogue and group activities. I have learned over the years to listen to the concerns of my trainees, identify their individual needs, discuss their goals, and work with them to meet those goals. I work hard to implement changes in policy to accommodate different needs of trainees, both in my laboratory and beyond. The greatest challenge of being a mentor is that all trainees are different; each has different skills sets, motivations, and perspectives. As a mentor, I strive to be open-minded, learn from my mentees, and accept differing opinions. I continually work towards creating a positive environment for all trainees by discussing a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics with the entire group.

I value the new ideas, enthusiasm, and creativity of my trainees, as well as their teamwork and willingness to share their knowledge and assist others. My role is to help them channel their ideas into a cohesive and productive research experience that will lead to publications, a thesis, and ultimately their desired career. It is important that I serve as an advocate for the trainees from our first meeting to graduation and various stages of their careers. I help tailor a trainee’s project to meet their individual goals while also supporting the broader goals of our entire research team. I also serve as a challenger. This aspect of the mentoring includes motivating my trainees to develop a wide range of skill sets that can be used in their future careers and to engage in research that will benefit society. By the end of their training experience, students will have gained independence and the ability to perform high quality research with rigor and reproducibility, along with strong communication and leadership skills.

Training record

I have mentored over 150 students (graduate: 54 Ph.D., M.S., M.A.; undergraduate: 116 B.A., B.S., B.S. with honors), 5 postdocs, and 21 visiting scientists, including 40 students from underrepresented groups, in my lab since 1994 and coauthored over 75 manuscripts with students. In addition, I have established multiple collaborations, within and outside Wayne State, to strengthen both the chemical and biological aspects of our research, enhance the training experiences of students in my lab, broaden and deepen students’ knowledge and expertise, and increase the level of rigor and reproducibility of our work. The 33 Ph.D. graduates from my lab have gone on to a variety of positions, including 43% in industry (e.g., AbbVie, Abbott, and MilliporeSigma), 22% in academia (e.g., University of Arizona, Kent State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, OntarioTech University, Van Andel Institute, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University), 7% in regulatory affairs, and 7% in research administration.