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College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Mentoring Support


CALS is committed to providing faculty development opportunities to support strong mentoring relationships between faculty and their student and postdoctoral mentees and between senior faculty and their early-career colleagues. Effective mentoring is critical to mentee satisfaction, success, retention, and career advancement.

The CALS Mentor Academy meets biweekly online over each spring and fall semester to help faculty develop strong mentoring skills to support the career and psychosocial development of their student and postdoctoral mentees. The eight sessions are based on the evidence-based CIMER curriculum. Contact Dr. Heather McAuslane with questions about the Mentor Academy.

An abbreviated program will soon be offered to mid and later-career faculty to encourage their participation in structured and formalized mentoring relationships with early-career faculty. Best practices identified by the IFAS Faculty Assembly form the minimal basis for these critical mentoring relationships.

Join the next cohort of the CALS Mentor Academy!

Our Graduates 

  • Cohort 7 - Spring 2024
    • Flavia Zambon, Horticultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Zachary Siders, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Victoria Donovan, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center
    • Stephen Enloe, Agronomy, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
    • Pavlos Tsouvaltzis, Horticultural Sciences, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
    • Xiaoying Li, Horticultural Sciences, Tropical Research and Education Center
    • Jonathan Judy, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Gainesville
    • Golmar Gomohammadi, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Range Cattle Research and Education Center
    • LaToya O'Neal, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Bianca Burini, Entomology and Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
    • Panpim Thongsripong, Entomology and Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
    • Raquel Dias, Microbiology and Cell Science, Gainesville
    • Andrew Mongue, Entomology and Nematology, Gainesville
    • Cora Best, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
  • Cohort 6 - Fall 2023
    • Jeanette Andrade, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Ebrahim Babaeian, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Gainesville
    • Kelly Balmant, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville
    • Carolina Baruzzi, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, North Florida Research and Education Center
    • Dana Choi, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
    • Ramdas Kanissery, Horticultural Sciences, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
    • Kotryna Klizentyte, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Gretchen Lescord, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Lisa Lundy, Agricultural Education and Communication, Gainesville
    • De-Fen Mou, Entomology and Nematology, Everglades Research and Education Center
    • Cortney Ohs, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Liu Tie, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville
    • Kevin (Xu) Wang, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
    • Katherine Witrick, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Boce Zhang, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Chang Zhao, Agronomy, Gainesville
  • Cohort 5 – Spring 2023
    • Fernando Alferez, Horticultural Sciences, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
    • Fernanda Batistel, Animal Sciences, Gainesville
    • Corey Callaghan, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center
    • Raelene Crandall, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Dan Hofstetter, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gainesville
    • A. J. Lindsey, Environmental Horticulture, Gainesville
    • Ana Martin-Ryals, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gainesville
    • Marcio Nunes, Soil, Water and Ecosystems Sciences, Gainesville
    • Gerardo Nunez, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville
    • Silvana Paula-Moraes, Entomology and Nematology, West Florida Research and Education Center
    • Dorota Porazinska, Entomology and Nematology, Gainesville
    • Nicole Quinn, Entomology and Nematology, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Lorenzo Rossi, Horticultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Hardeep Singh, Agronomy, West Florida Research and Education Center
    • Xuan Wei, Food and Resource Economics, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
    • Xingbo Xu, Environmental Horticulture, Tropical Research and Education Center
  • Cohort 4 – Fall 2022
    • Jenee Duncan, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Kate Fletcher, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Laura Greenhaw, Agricultural Education and Communication, Gainesville
    • Isaac Esquivel Entomology & Nematology, North Florida Research and Education Center
    • Cameron Jack, Entomology & Nematology, Gainesville
    • Rachel Mallinger, Entomology & Nematology, Gainesville
    • Samuel Martins, Plant Pathology, Gainesville
    • Emma Matcham, Agronomy, Gainesville
    • Nia Morales, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville
    • Philipe Moriel, Animal Sciences, Range Cattle Research and Education Center
    • Carlos Silva, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Katia Viana Xavier, Plant Pathology, Everglades Research and Education Center
    • Cătălin Voiniciuc, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville
    • Diwakar Vyas, Animal Sciences, Gainesville
  • Cohort 3 – Spring 2022
    • Eben Broadbent, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Pratap Devkota, Agronomy, West Florida Research and Education Center
    • Peter DiGennaro, Entomology & Nematology, Gainesville
    • Sarah Doore, Microbiology and Cell Science, Gainesville
    • Jen Doty, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Tre Easterly, Agricultural Education and Communication, Gainesville
    • Kate Fogarty, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Martie Gillen, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Basil Iannone, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Jaclyn Kropp, Food and Resource Economics, Gainesville
    • Andrea Lucky, Entomology & Nematology, Gainesville
    • Mica McMillan, Environmental Horticulture, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center
    • Ajay Sharma, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center
  • Cohort 2 – Spring 2021
    • Michelle Abraczinskas, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
    • Miguel Acevedo, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville
    • Juan Andrade, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Haimanote Bayabil, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Tropical Research and Education Center
    • Ziynet Boz, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gainesville
    • Anna Braswell, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Eva Buckner, Entomology & Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
    • Catherine Campbell, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
    • Lindsay Campbell, Entomology & Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
    • Eric Caragata, Entomology & Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
    • Mysha Clarke, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville
    • Razieh Farzad, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Ryan Klein, Environmental Horticulture, Gainesville
    • David (Guodong) Liu, Horticultural Sciences, Gainesville
    • Chris Marble, Environmental Horticulture, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
    • Willm Martens-Habbena, Microbiology and Cell Sciences, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center
    • Charles Martin, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Nature Coast Biological Center
    • Estelle Martin, Entomology & Nematology, Gainesville
    • Swathi Nadakuduti, Environmental Horticulture, Gainesville
    • Alexandra Revynthi, Entomology & Nematology, Tropical Research and Education Center
    • Esteban Rios, Agronomy, Gainesville
    • Ashley Smyth, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Tropical Research and Education
    • Marcelo Wallau, Agronomy, Gainesville
    • Carissa Wickens, Animal Sciences, Gainesville
    • Kim Wiley, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Gainesville
  • Cohort 1 – Fall 2019
    • Candice Prince, Agronomy, Gainesville
    • Sarah Strauss, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Tropical Research and Education
    • Kevin Begcy, Environmental Horticulture, Gainesville
    • Julien Beuzelin, Entomology & Nematology, Everglades Research and Education Center
    • Liliana Cano, Plant Pathology, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Zhiyong Cheng, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Lauren Diepenbrock, Entomology & Nematology, Citrus Research and Education Center
    • Mariola Edelmann, Microbiology and Cell Sciences, Gainesville
    • Antonio Faciola, Animal Sciences, Gainesville
    • Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Horticultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Celina Gomez, Environmental Horticulture, Gainesville
    • Zhengfei Guan, Food and Resource Economics, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
    • Sandra Guzman, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Indian River Research and Education Center
    • Sriyanka Lahiri, Entomology & Nematology, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
    • Amit Levy, Plant Pathology Citrus Research and Education Center
    • Emily Miller-Cushon, Animal Sciences, Gainesville
    • Naim Montazeri, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Gainesville
    • Mike Mulvaney, Agronomy, West Florida Research and Education Center
    • Chris Reisch, Microbiology and Cell Sciences, Gainesville
    • Laura Reynolds, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, Gainesville
    • German Sandoya, Horticultural Sciences, Everglades Research and Education Center
    • Matthew Sowcik, Agricultural Education and Communication, Gainesville
    • Denis Valle, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, Gainesville

Resources