Putting mentoring first

Abstract

“What is more important in our jobs: the research or the researchers?” This question came up recently during an impromptu phone conversation with my colleague Neil Garg of the University of California, Los Angeles. Our daily goals may be focused on producing scientific research, but as faculty, we also have a significant role to play as mentors to the people in our research labs. To answer this question , we need to have a deeper conversation with those we mentor, because the choices we make have a huge impact on them. After our phone conversation, Neil and I convened our groups for a joint Zoom meeting to explore the role of faculty as mentors, and we’re coauthoring this column to share what we learned. Our lab members were quick to identify examples where research productivity and good mentoring complement each other. When faculty invest time in professional development for their