Choosing a research field can be a pivotal decision, but choosing the right mentors can be just as consequential. A mentor can help a researcher navigate unfamiliar challenges, open doors to new opportunities, and build confidence along the way. Yet meaningful mentorship rarely happens by accident, nor is it a one-way relationship: it takes communication, trust, and willingness from those involved. We asked The Scientist’s postdoctoral readers to share: How did you find good mentors, and what makes a mentor-mentee relationship successful?
Perla Ontiveros-Angel, Systems Neuroscientist, Columbia University
Good mentors have entered my career at different stages and have offered very different things: scientific rigor, technical expertise, advocacy, intellectual freedom, or simply the willingness to challenge how I was thinking about a problem. I have learned that no single person needs to provide every kind of mentorship. For me, successful mentorship requires clear expectations, honest communication, mutual respect, and increasing independence. The goal should not be to create a younger version of the mentor. It should be to help a trainee develop the confidence and skills to become an independent scientist with questions and ideas of their own. That philosophy also shapes how I mentor my own trainees. I try to provide enough structure for people to succeed while progressively giving them ownership over decisions, analyses, and scientific arguments. Some of the most rewarding moments in mentorship happen when a trainee disagrees with me and can defend their reasoning with evidence.
Josephine Yates develops AI models that explicitly incorporate biological knowledge about gene regulation and tissue organization.
Michael Adler
Josephine Yates, Computational Oncology Scientist, Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University
I think finding good mentors is as much about building a strong network early in your PhD as it is about serendipity and taking initiative. I have been incredibly fortunate to work with two outstanding mentors during my postdoctoral research, who bring complementary perspectives to the same scientific problems: one tends to approach them from the perspective of AI and methodology development, while the other begins with biological and clinical questions. Together, they've taught me how important it is to bridge both ways of thinking. Those relationships didn't happen by chance alone. I actively sought opportunities to collaborate with them, and when those opportunities arose, I made sure to show that I could contribute. My advice would be to be proactive, be bold, and make the most of the opportunities you're given. I think a successful mentor-mentee relationship is built on trust, mutual respect, and open communication. I value my mentors' advice enormously and make a real effort to learn from their experience. In return, they have trusted me with increasingly ambitious projects and given me opportunities to lead, collaborate, and develop my own scientific independence. The best mentors don't simply teach you how to do research; they create an environment where you can grow into an independent scientist yourself.
Miruthula Tamil Selvan, Immunologist, Johns Hopkins University
My training has taught me that good mentorship is not simply about finding someone successful in your field. The most valuable mentors are those who challenge you scientifically while also giving you room to develop your own questions and identity as a researcher. I value mentorship built on open communication, constructive feedback, mutual respect, and clear expectations. I also believe that no single mentor can provide everything an early-career scientist needs. Building a network of mentors with complementary expertise in science, career development, teaching, leadership, and professional growth has been particularly important to me. As I progress through my postdoctoral training, I hope to continue building that mentoring network while also becoming a thoughtful mentor to trainees myself.
Nicholas Vest’s research aims to design learning experiences and technologies that expand who gets to participate in, understand, and benefit from mathematics.
Victoria Lee
Nicholas Vest, Cognitive Scientist, University of Florida
I have found good mentors by being proactive: networking through my peers, reaching out to people whose work or perspective interests me, and sometimes simply sending a cold email. Some of my most valuable relationships have grown from being willing to start those conversations. To me, a successful mentor-mentee relationship is bidirectional and dynamic. Both people should learn from each other, and clear, honest communication is essential as the relationship and its goals evolve. I also value mentors who create room for deep thinking and are willing to embrace ideas before they are fully formed. Research can be chaotic and messy, and sometimes the most interesting ideas begin that way. A great mentor helps you explore that uncertainty, challenge your assumptions, and eventually turn those messy ideas into tangible questions and projects that can advance science and learning.
Lauren Ward, Environmental Health Scientist, University of Michigan
I have found my best mentors by looking beyond a single discipline or career stage. My postdoctoral mentoring committee is intentionally interdisciplinary, and they continually push me to think about my science in new ways, challenge my assumptions, and help me see possibilities or connections I might otherwise overlook. I often leave those meetings feeling refreshed and more excited about my work than when I walked in. For me, the best mentors are also genuine and enthusiastic people who love what they do and want you to find the work that makes you feel the same way. Some of the most valuable mentoring I have received has been as simple as someone noticing, “Your eyes light up when you talk about this—do more of it.” I also value having mentors at different career stages: people with decades of experience and institutional knowledge, alongside people who were navigating the same decisions I faced only a few years ago. Together, they offer very different, but equally valuable, perspectives.
Kelly Pimenta investigates how scale sickle cell disease interventions to serve the greatest number of people.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Kelly Pimenta, Epidemiologist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
I found good mentors by seeking out people whose work I admired and whose approach to mentorship matched the kind of researcher I wanted to become. Some mentorship relationships developed through formal research opportunities, while others grew naturally from asking questions, seeking feedback, and staying engaged. Over time, I learned that a good mentor is not only someone with expertise, but someone who is genuinely invested in helping you grow. To me, a successful mentor-mentee relationship is built on trust, communication, and shared expectations. The best mentors challenge my thinking, provide honest feedback, and create opportunities, while also giving me enough independence to develop my own ideas. As a mentee, I think it is equally important to come prepared, follow through, be receptive to feedback, and take ownership of your development. I have also learned that mentorship works best as a network rather than a single relationship. Different mentors have helped me with scientific questions, methodology, career decisions, and professional development. Together, those relationships have helped me become more confident and independent while still knowing when to ask for guidance.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
