Mentoring Matters

Taking the time to help trainees develop broad knowledge about biology, become critical readers of the scientific literature, and think independently is essential to my approach to science.

Decades of experience as a mentor have brought me great professional as well as personal pleasure. I strongly believe that developing critical, analytical skills is essential to any scientific career path trainees choose to follow at the completion of graduate studies or postdoctoral training. I encourage students and postdocs to explore the most important questions; to take risks in pursuing wide-ranging, fundamental answers; and to continuously evaluate the larger significance of findings to the field.

Beyond educating trainees in how to conduct experiments and interpret results, our laboratory provides unique opportunities to practice effective scientific communication.

I care deeply about helping trainees to develop crucial skills in writing manuscripts, requesting funding for research, and giving presentations. Groisman lab members receive dedicated support in preparing and editing papers, proposals, talks, and graphical abstracts and in practicing for presentations and interviews.

My door is always open.

To help advance projects, lab members meet with me one-on-one at least every other week. We also hold weekly lab meetings at which one lab member presents recent findings to receive feedback from everyone. Lab members are encouraged to come share findings or creative approaches and to ask for help with conceptual or technical issues any time. Lab members also benefit tremendously by collaborating with each other to take advantage of the diverse expertise and experience that everyone brings to our work.

We change the focus of our research every few years to avoid competition with my former trainees and to explore new scientific territory – often thanks to exciting projects that the different backgrounds of our trainees make possible. When appropriate, collaborations with lab alumni continue in their new roles as Principal Investigators, and I make sure that they receive the recognition and credit they deserve. I am also happy to write reviews or opinion articles with former fellows and to provide feedback on research articles emerging from their laboratories.

I sincerely thank all current lab members and alumni for the outstanding contributions that make possible our highly successful and longstanding research program - and for the honor of receiving the 2019 Yale Postdoctoral Mentoring Award.

A postdoctoral position is available in the Groisman Lab in the Microbial Sciences Institute at Yale University to investigate novel molecular mechanisms promoting fitness of the beneficial bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in the mammalian gut.

• Candidates with Ph.D. degrees in bacteriology, biochemistry, genetics, or molecular biology are encouraged to apply.
• Applicants must have first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals and be highly motivated.

Postdoctoral applicants

• CV
• cover letter presenting your scientific interests within the context of our current research
• contact information for three references
• (preliminary identification of fellowships or other funding).

Graduate students in any program at Yale School of Medicine

• short message describing your scientific interests.

Undergraduate students at Yale University

• short message describing your interest in completing a senior thesis in our lab
• commitment to lab work full-time in the summer before and part-time in the fall and spring of senior year.