Mission

Our mission is to advance the science and practice of mentorship.

The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER):

  • Facilitates research mentor and mentee training for mentees and mentors at all career stages and across disciplines
  • Develops and studies new approaches and resources for advancing mentoring relationships
  • Promotes cultural change that values excellence in research mentoring
  • Supports a network of those engaged in enhancing and studying research mentoring relationships
  • Advances diversity in the research enterprise
Word cloud. The words are about the same size and include: Mentee, expectations, diversity, effective, STEM, culturally-aware, quality, training, professional, experience, research, equity, inclusion, independence, understanding, relationships, communication, and development.

Our aspiration is to improve mentoring relationships for trainees and mentors at all career stages and disciplines through the development, implementation and study of evidence-based and culturally-responsive interventions.

The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) was created in 2015 to sustain and expand nationwide on the work by scholars at the University of Wisconsin who were deeply engaged in developing, testing, and disseminating grant-funded mentor and mentee interventions to improve research learning experiences and mentoring relationships.

CIMER is a trusted leader in mentor-mentee relationships, higher education, and workforce development. Our researchers and practitioners are recognized experts in mentor-mentee relationships, organizational change and talent development who have served as advisors to federal agencies (e.g., National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy), research organizations (universities, NGOs, industry), and groups providing policy advice (e.g., National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine). Our breadth of expertise and our experience working with large organizations uniquely positions us to advance large scale transformations in the mentorship culture.