Faculty Engagement in Research Mentorship

GW is thrilled to be launching a new GW Faculty Engagement in Research Mentorship (G-FERM) training program this spring, designed to strengthen the culture of graduate and postdoc research mentorship across the university. This pilot initiative is adapted from the nationally recognized Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) model, which provides evidence-based, interactive mentor training to help faculty build practical skills for effective, inclusive, and development-focused mentoring.

G-FERM is a full-day, faculty-led professional development program for GW mentors who are looking to deepen and refine their mentorship practice. Through a combination of guided reflection, peer exchange, and hands-on strategies, participants will explore approaches to strengthening communication, setting clear expectations, and supporting the academic and professional growth of graduate students. The program is designed not as remedial training, but as an opportunity for already committed mentors to further enhance their impact.

In this pilot offering, we expect to offer up to three training sessions in March and April of 2026. Each session will bring together a cohort of 20 faculty members from across disciplines. In this first year, the program will accommodate up to 60 faculty participants total, helping to build a network of mentorship leaders who can model and share best practices within their departments and schools. As a pilot, G-FERM represents an important step in GW’s broader effort to elevate mentorship as a core component of research training and graduate education.

Curriculum Description 📖 

The G-FERM training workshop has been adapted from Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) which provides evidence-based, interactive mentor training that helps faculty and other mentors build practical skills for effective, culturally responsive mentoring relationships across all career stages. The training equips participants (in our case, GW-nominated faculty) with frameworks, strategies, and tools to train other GW faculty in becoming better mentors, focusing on communication, expectation setting, and mentee development.

Trained facilitators will lead a highly interactive workshop that centers on tools to foster effective communication, address the challenge of assessing mentee understanding, and support mentee independence. Attendees will learn from mentoring dilemmas and guided discussion. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a refined mentoring philosophy, practical ideas for handling difficult mentoring situations, and a concrete plan for elevating their mentoring practices.

Dates 📅

• Session 1: Mar 25, 2026
• Session 2: April 15, 2026

Location: USC📍

Invitations with exact location will be sent to those who register.

Faculty members who would like to participate in one of the sessions should contact the Dean’s office of their school/college. Nominated faculty who are selected to attend will be contacted in March with more details.

Facilitator Bios 👋

Both Dr. Balaras and Dr. Dodge completed the CIMER training in 2025.

Elias Balaras, PhD

Dr. Elias Balaras is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and serves as Director of Graduate Studies for the department. He teaches advanced graduate courses in simulation science and advises a multidisciplinary cohort of graduate students tackling complex, real-world research challenges. Through his laboratory mentorship, he guides students in developing as rigorous, independent computational scientists. His advising philosophy centers on preparing graduate students to transition confidently into leadership roles in academia, industry, and research.

Tonya Dodge, PhD

Dr. Dodge is an Associate Professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences with extensive graduate mentorship experience at GW. She served as Director of Graduate Studies for the Applied Social Psychology doctoral program for a decade and currently serves on the Graduate Studies Committee. She has mentored doctoral students across laboratory, clinical, and exercise-based research settings. A trained facilitator of the nationally recognized CIMER Entering Mentoring curriculum, she brings evidence-based mentorship expertise to faculty development at GW.

Questions? Contact ogagwu [dot] edu (oga[at]gwu[dot]edu)