Science of Mentorship
Mentoring relationships are critical to developing the next generation of researchers. Research on mentorship indicates that effective mentorship leads to enhanced researcher identity and heightened self-efficacy, contributing to increased career persistence, improved research productivity, and enriched career satisfaction.
With support from local and federal funding agencies, CIMER studies the science of effective mentorship through the development, implementation and testing of culturally-responsive interventions and the investigation of mentoring relationships.
Our collective work is aimed at improving research mentoring relationships for research trainees and mentors in higher education, which is a critical factor associated with the career advancement and success of diverse groups.
Visit the CIMER Zotero Library 
for a comprehensive library of publications from our team and collaborators, both past and present.
Collaborations
CIMER collaborates with groups on various aspects of research mentorship and mentorship education. Recent collaborators include:
- Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (AIM)
- Center for Coordination of Analytics, Science, Enhancement, and Logistics (CASEL)
- Fair Play
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
- Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN)
- National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP)
- Root and Shoot
Grants & Projects
CIMER leads and partners on grants to advance the science of mentorship. Recent grants include:
Re-Entry Supplement: Impact of Culturally Aware Mentoring Interventions on Research Mentors and Graduate Training Programs
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Principal Investigator(s): Angela Byars-Winston
Duration: July 2022 – June 2024
Impact of Culturally Aware Mentoring Interventions on Research Mentors and Graduate Training Programs
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Principal Investigator(s): Angela Byars-Winston
Duration: July 2019 – June 2024
Improving the Mentoring Relationships of Gilliam and Burroughs Wellcome Fellows and their Mentors
Funding Agency: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Principal Investigator(s): Christine Pfund
Duration: September 2019 – September 2024
What Matters in Mentoring: Effect of Mentor Cultural Awareness on Mentee Outcomes
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Principal Investigator(s): Angela Byars-Winston & Christine Pfund
Duration: September 2014 – August 2018
CIMER also works with external groups to evaluate research mentorship, the mentor-mentee relationship, and mentorship programs, such as institutional training grants and undergraduate field and research experiences.
These Mentorship Evaluation Partnerships provide an opportunity for groups to contribute to a large national dataset to advance the science of effective mentorship. Below is a list of current partners
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- University of Colorado Anschutz Training Programs
- University of Maryland MARC Program
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Training Programs
Evaluation Services
Learn more about the evaluation process and partnership.
Contact cimerassessment@wcer.wisc.edu.
CIMER Newsletter
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