For Faculty

Faculty mentorship is essential and has a long-lasting impact on your students’ professional development as independent researchers. The BUILD Student Training program provides research and mentoring activities that support students’ competitiveness to pursue PhD programs with the long-term goal of them entering health-related research careers. Faculty mentored research experience is a core component of the program.

Training with a BUILD research mentor operates on an apprenticeship model: Trainees learn from their mentors by observing and assisting with their mentor’s research. Mentors serve as role models for the trainees and as a resource for information. The research mentor provides the undergraduate researcher with rigorous guidance regarding research activities, academic achievement, graduate education and professional goals. 

The overarching objective of this collaboration is to develop the undergraduate researcher's confidence, research skills, and critical thinking abilities in order to succeed in their undergraduate career, in graduate school and as research professionals. Your thoughtful and dedicated mentoring is essential to the success of our students. So, we thank you for your interest in becoming a BUILD Mentor!

BUILD Mentor Eligibility, Benefits & Responsibilities

  • BUILD mentors must be full-time tenure line CSULB faculty members with active research programs or full-time lecturers with an established research lab/facility. 
  • Faculty members must demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate education and training. While we seek a diverse array of mentors, research topics, and laboratory styles, the research must provide the trainee with skills and background supporting a research career in health-related disciplines. Such research includes basic, applied and translational approaches to studying health issues facing our communities and nation. This includes a number of disciplines (e.g., engineering, public health, behavioral, biological, clinical, physical and social sciences) that are relevant to the research goals of the NIH.
  • Faculty must complete the Beach Mentor program offered by the Faculty Center or the college-specific Beach Mentor program prior to or within one year of working with a BUILD trainee.

In addition to working with motivated students to support your research, the program provides $500 of professional development funds per student per year. The funds can be used toward instructional and research supplies, research-related equipment and service, and travel expenses. The funds will not be carried over to the next year. 

Your name and research profile will be added to the Office of Undergraduate Research Services (OURS) searchable Faculty Mentor Directory. 

The basic responsibility of a BUILD mentor is to support students in research and professional development activities toward pursuing advanced degrees in health-related research disciplines. 

Faculty mentors should ensure that trainees complete necessary safety and relevant training before they begin work. They will also hold fiscal responsibilities for reviewing trainee timecards and the use and record keeping of the professional development fund. 

BUILD Mentors will work in conjunction with the BUILD Training Director (TD) and Training Program Coordinator to provide feedback on summer research internship/graduate application materials as part of the student’s participation in the BUILD Learning Community (LC). 

  • Beach Mentor Program – The Advancing Inclusive Mentor (AIM) program, known on our campus as the Beach Mentor Program is offered year-round by the Faculty Center. The goal of this hybrid program is to share best mentoring practices among faculty members who work with students on their research, scholarly, and creative projects and among staff members who work with students. The program includes online modules covering topics that promote effective mentor/mentee relationship and professional growth including communicating with mentees, inclusive mentoring, facilitating mentee health and wellness, cultivating mentee growth and development, mentoring RSCA projects, and creating a personalized mentoring plan. Faculty members who complete the training will receive the Beach Mentor digital badge issued by the Faculty Center, a status that will be recognized for specific internal grants, such as the Summer Student Research Assistantships awards provided by the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED).
     
  • National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN)- The NRMN works closely with all ten BUILD Programs nationwide, and was created to address the need for greater diversity in the biomedical and behavioral research workforce. NRMN offers professional development programs to foster persistence and advancement of research trainees (BUILD Scholars & Fellows) and early-career investigators (BUILD Mentors) from diverse backgrounds. NRMN offers various resources to support investigators at a later training stage, specifically postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. These programs are designed to enhance trainees' career development, preparing them to meet each program's ultimate goal: the submission of strong research and research career development proposals for funding in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. See National Research Mentoring Network for further information.

Student Mentoring Opportunities

BUILD Program offers two types of student training opportunities. Each is focused on students at differing points in their undergraduate career.

This two-year program, including summers, provides faculty-mentored research and professional development training that includes presentation skills, career development planning, and graduate school application preparation. In addition to faculty-mentored research, Scholars participate in an 8-week summer Learning Community (Summer Undergraduate Research Gateway to Excellence – SURGE) in the first year of the program.

Scholars are also expected to apply for summer research programs at Ph.D.-granting institutions during the second summer and then Ph.D. programs in the fall of their second year. Scholars receive hourly salary and guidance from BUILD training directors on the summer internship/graduate application process. They also participate in a 1-unit weekly learning community seminar class during the academic years.

This one-year program, including summer, provides faculty-mentored research and professional development training that includes presentation skills, career development planning, and graduate school application preparation for graduating seniors. Unlike Scholars, Fellows are required to have at least 1 semester of mentored research experience before being admitted. Fellows also participate in an 8-week summer Learning Community (Summer Undergraduate Research Gateway to Excellence – SURGE) and are expected to apply to Ph.D. programs in the fall semester. Fellows receive hourly salary and guidance from BUILD training directors on the graduate application process. They also participate in a 1-unit weekly learning community seminar class during the academic year.

Prospective BUILD applicants will typically reach out to BUILD faculty mentors listed on the OURS Research Mentor Directory before or while they are applying to the BUILD program. Faculty can also encourage students in their classes, current research assistants, and other students who would be a good fit for the program to apply. On the BUILD student application, students are required to list faculty mentors who they would be interested in working with. In some rare cases, a student is accepted into the BUILD program without having identified a potential faculty member and, in these cases, the BUILD program will provide recommendations of BUILD mentors who students could reach out to based on their research interests. 

Faculty mentors who are interested in accepting a BUILD trainee are highly encouraged to apply to become a BUILD mentor before the start of the student application cycle in November.

Apply to Become a BUILD Mentor

Ready to apply? Submit your BUILD Mentor Interest form: APPLY HERE

What do you need before completing the Interest Form?

  • A brief description of your research that clearly emphasizes relevance to human health and well-being.  From the perspective of the BUILD program, “health-related research” is research that in its focus and/or skill set training prepares the trainee to successfully enter a doctoral or Ph.D. program and a research career where they would be successful applicants for NIH research funding.  We define “health-related” research broadly. NIH funds a wide range of Institutes and Centers, and through them, it funds research that has direct or indirect implications for understanding and/or improving human health and well-being.  NIH-funded researchers might be engaged in a wide range of research from the Biological to Physical, Engineering, Psychological, Social or Clinical sciences.             
  • Current CV: You will be required to upload a current version of your CV.

The interest form will be reviewed by the BUILD training program faculty and coordinator. Once approved, your research profile will be added to the OURS Faculty Mentor Directory.