Description

Research Mentor Learning Communities support graduate students and postdocs who are currently mentoring, or who anticipate mentoring as part of their future professional roles. Through structured, evidence‑based curriculum, participants develop practical skills for effective and inclusive research mentoring.

Why should you join?

Research mentoring is a core professional skill, yet few people receive formal training. These learning communities create space to intentionally build mentoring practices, strengthen communication, and reflect on real mentoring challenges in a supportive peer environment.

• Learn practical mentoring strategies you can apply immediately in undergraduate and graduate research contexts.
• Strengthen communication and expectation‑setting to support effective mentoring relationships.
• Develop inclusive mentoring practices informed by research and reflective practice.
• Build skills relevant to future roles that involve mentoring, supervision, or leadership.

All Research Mentor Learning Communities use a shared curriculum grounded in research on mentor development, with tools you can apply immediately in current or future mentoring roles.

Attendance Policy: Because this is a learning community that builds on previous sessions, consistent attendance is required. We cannot accommodate drop-ins or single sessions.

For-credit options

A 10-hour graduate seminar that can serve as a one-credit elective toward the Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning.

Eligibility:

• current graduate student
• active mentor
• interested in university credit

Dissertators may count this 1-credit course toward the 3-credit enrollment requirement to maintain dissertator status with approval from their faculty advisor.

Tuesday seminar

Tuesdays, September 8 – November 24
9:55 – 10:45 am
Facilitator: Andrew Greenberg
In person

Thursday seminar

Thursdays, October 15 – November 5
9 – 11 am
Facilitator: Andrew Greenberg
Online

Non-credit options

A non-credit workshop series (8-10 hours) that covers the same core curriculum as the credit-bearing seminar. Participants earn a digital research mentor badge upon completion.

Eligibility:

• current graduate student or postdoc

Monday workshop series

For graduate students and postdocs
Mondays, October 12-November 9
10 am – noon
Facilitators: Thomas Browne and Jules Whitaker
In person

Wednesday workshop series

For postdocs only
Wednesdays, October 14 – November 4
1 – 3 pm
Facilitator: Alyssa Leystra
In person

Two-day workshop series

For graduate students and postdocs
Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20
9 am – 2 pm
Facilitators: Wesley Marner and Jules Whitaker
In-person

Looking for someone to mentor?

Check out our program GRADLINK.

What do past participants say?

“One of the best classes I took in my PhD. It prepared me to work well with different types of mentees. I feel much more comfortable with mentoring and advising now.”

“Now I have better strategies regarding how to approach difficult conversations or use appropriate questions for the mentees.”

Not a graduate student or postdoc?

STEMM faculty/staff mentor training sections are available here through WISCIENCE.

Questions?

Contact jawhitak@wisc.edu.

For-credit seminars offered in collaboration with WISCIENCE