Mentoring students is one of the great pleasures of working at a research intensive university. My goal as an academic mentor is to function as a "sherpa" for graduate student learning and professional development. I accomplish this by approaching mentorship from the same perspective that I approach my research—Caring Science. As such, my mentorship style has a relational ontology, placing emphasis on fostering a collaborative, mutually supportive work environment. I strive to incorporate graduate and undergraduate students into multiple stages of the research process, including opportunities to manage projects, present research at local and national conferences, and co-author manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication.

If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in HDFS under my advisement and mentorship, please contact me for further discussion at bensonjj@missouri.edu. I would also invite you to visit our departmental website to gain a better sense of our culture and learn more about the excellent team of faculty and students we have in HDFS at MU.

I also commonly mentor students from other disciplines (e.g., nursing, medicine, social work) at MU and elsewhere. If you would like to become a part of my research team, or would like to discuss completing a research practicum under my advisement, please send me your resume and a brief description of your research interests and career goals.