Mentors versus Research Advisors
Distinguishing between these two roles is critical for success in graduate school
Contrary to popular belief, research advisors and mentors are not synonyms. In my experience, many issues in academia stem from conflating these two roles, but this is a tendentious topic I won’t explore at the moment.
For many students, the “good research advisor” package comes with a strong mentorship component attached to it. I’ve learned, however, that mentorship is a premium add-on to the research advisor’s service during graduate school.
The key point here is:
learning how to distinguish mentorship from standard research advising is a crucial step towards identifying mentoring deficiencies early on in a graduate program.
Students, read on.
The research advisor
A research advisor will be a guide as you navigate a research study. They will be primarily responsible for providing advice to overcome technical obstacles, prioritize experiments, and can also facilitate collaborations. They may make sure your oral and written communication skills get to a professional proficiency level. In some cases, they may advise on coursework and overall scientific literacy.
What sets mentorship apart
Consider the following quote by Dr. Beronda Montgomery about what advising entails:
“Advising at its core is offering advice or factual information that would benefit any individual on a defined course of action — and I was clearly prepared to do that valiantly. I knew exactly what classes a student seeking a doctoral degree in my student’s chosen discipline needed to take.”
Dr. Beronda Montgomery
Taking this quote as a starting point, we can identify two ideas highlighting the divergence between an advisor and a mentor.
First, effective mentorship should be personalized and tailored to the specific student’s background and needs. When leveraging tools such as MyIDP or The Mentor Mirror, a young professional’s career, not a mere research question, is at the center. If the student is removed from the picture, mentorship disintegrates while a research project just continues with a different student.
Second, effective mentorship is not constrained to academic milestones. Mentorship takes a holistic view of a student’s development. It should consider both the student’s background, doubts, and aspirations. Rick Woolworth, the founder of the mentoring non-profit Telemachus, argues effective mentorship should focus on the whole individual (beliefs, values, behaviors, etc.) and not just their career.
Why this distinction matters
As a student, when choosing an advisor, it’s important to be cognizant of these differences. For success in grad school, you need both a research advisor and a team of mentors.
I must say, as a PhD student, I’ve had a much better experience the years where I’ve sought additional mentorship than when I only recognized my research advisor as my mentor.
Areas in which you could seek additional mentorship include:
- General support and guidance to navigate work relationships
- Career exploration
- Effective communication strategies
- Goal setting and accountability
- Science communication and outreach
- Self-promotion and advocacy
The Faculty Mentor
Ideally, you’ll find someone who can wear both hats — the holy grail of The Faculty Mentor. A research advisor-mentor combo ensures your technical and professional development needs are well addressed.
For many research advisors, mentorship is a priority, and they exhibit unequivocal commitment. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t “reward” effective mentorship. Therefore, the commitment to mentorship varies widely among faculty members.
As a student, as long as you’re able to distinguish between the two, you’ll be able to navigate your needs for additional mentorship and craft a plan to seek the mentorship needed.
