“在任何學科領域，是否有一個好導師都將決定學生的研究生涯初期的成敗” ，甚至影響到學術以外的人生，一個差的導師甚至會造成人生的悲劇，比如近期因不堪忍受導師壓榨在實驗室自焚的南郵同學，那什么樣的導師是才是好導師呢？

2005年，Nature創立了the Nature awards for mentoring in science，用于表彰在指導研究生方面卓有成效的導師。有關人員廣泛收集總結了學生們對其導師的評價，總結成了給導師的16條建議，如對學生的智力與能力的尊重，對學生職業發展（甚至選擇非學術道路）的尊重等等。

本文分別列出這16條建議，并引用學生的comments作為例證。基于我與自己的博士導師 & 我與本科期間的兩個導師的各種經歷，highlight了這些comment里讓我深有感觸的地方。在異國求學，一個supportive的好導師是如父親一般的存在。

此外，我認為導師“nice”這個說法太籠統。我認為挑導師主要有兩個維度：一個是做人，一個是治學。

真正的好導師，做人方面要正直、得體，尊重學生，讓學生如沐春風，心情愉快，感到個人價值受到認可；做研究方面，要非常responsible，對學生的研究生涯發展很給力，所以push至少比放羊好一點，讓學生緊張一點總比松懈要好——五年PHD實在是好短噠。

1

Be available：給學生及時的幫助和反饋

“喬治定期與他的學生見面，并且隨時都可以見面。我不記得他曾取笑我們的見面，盡管對他的時間有著極大考驗（他曾擔任過部門主管，我是他的學生）。及時地提供明確的、建設性的評論。他從不負，甚至不會貶低任何學生，哪怕是新生。”

“毫無疑問，查爾斯的導師風格的最大特點是他的隨時可以聯系。我在實驗室的6年里，我很少注意到他不對我們實驗室內外的人敞開大門，實驗室的任何人都可以與他討論最近的實驗結果。隨時可尋求幫助以及查爾斯平易近人的態度，使得你不會害怕說話，無論你有什么結果，不管是積極的還是消極的。即使在離開他的實驗室后，我發現他總是敞開大門與我們討論科研想法。”

"George meets with his studentsvery regularly and is always available to them. I cannot remember him evercancelling an appointment with me despite the tremendous demands on his time(he was Head of Department for some of the time that I was his student). Hereads drafts promptly and provides clear, constructive comments. He is nevernegative and never belittles even the most junior of students."

"Undoubtedly the greatest attributeof Charles's mentorship style is his accessibility. Rarely in the 6 years I wasin his laboratory did I note him not to have an open door to discuss recentresults with anyone from within, or indeed from outside, her/his laboratory.This availability combined with Charles's approachable attitude resulted in amentor that you were not afraid to speak to, with whatever result you had inhand be it positive or negative. Even after leaving his laboratory I founds hisdoor was always open to discuss scientific ideas."

2

Respect：尊重學生的人格和智力

“瑪麗對待她的合作伙伴，無論他們是在攻讀博士還是教授，都同樣尊重。在這樣做的過程中，她激發了對她的合作者的信心。”

"Mary treats her colleagues,regardless of whether they are doing a PhD or if they are a fellow Professor,with the same high regard. In doing so, she inspires confidence in hercollaborators."

一般而言，被吐槽的導師都是這一點做得差，把學生當做干活機器。

3

Be generous：無私的分享精神

“Mark無私的分享自己的想法和贊賞他人的成功方面也是一種鼓勵，不僅僅是對我自己，也是對新一代的年輕科學家。”

“Sally做了，并且仍然這樣做是為了讓他們能夠利用自己的想法來發展，甚至完全自我創作，并允許他們在重要論文上擔任主要作者，即使她可以讓自己成為爭取。”

"Mark's magnanimity in sharing hisown ideas and delight in seeing others succeed has also been an inspiration,not just for myself but for a whole generation of younger scientists."

"Sally did and still does this by allowing them to run with ideas that shehelped to develop or even produced herself entirely and by allowing them, totake on senior authorship on important papers even though she could claim itfor herself."

4

Individual difference：尊重個體差異

每個學生想要追求的人生目標是不同的，每個學生也都有自己的私人生活。

“導師需要有能力與實驗室的每個成員建立獨特的關系。Francis 擁有這個個性，他能看到每個人的優勢和天賦，然后設計項目以適應這些優勢。她知道不是每個人都用同樣的方式工作或者想要同樣的東西，這個能力讓她從每個人那里得到最好的結果。”

“并不是每個人都想成為研究員，有些人的能力更適合其他職業。鼓勵年輕人接受他們可能不適合他們或者有壓力或不感興趣的工作是沒有意義的。所以我認為有時需要鼓勵他們進入其他方向。”

這段話讓我非常感動——我覺得這種對個人意志與自由選擇的無私尊重，簡直是一種偉大的人性的光輝。正如原文[2]指出“除了在實驗室里所做的事情，他們還有更多的生活。他們需要自由地“嗅聞玫瑰”，正如一位老師所說的那樣。如果事情發生變化并且出現問題，我們要試著理解原因。如果個人生活變得艱難，那就給他們時間和空間。好導師會讓自己意識到這一點。我們經常這么忙，我們沒有注意到。所以，一位優秀的主管/導師會理解這些差異，并不會嘗試在圓孔中安裝方形釘。他們知道什么時候退縮，讓人們做出自己的決定，也知道何時進來并提供幫助和表達同情。”

"A mentor needs the ability tocreate a unique relationship with each member of the lab. Francis possessesthis attribute and sees the strengths and skills of each individual and thendesigns projects to suit these strengths. Her ability to understand that noteveryone works in the same way or wants the same things from their livesenables her to produce the best results from people."

"Not everybody wants to be aleading researcher and some have skills that better suit them to otheroccupations. There is little point in encouraging young people to take on acareer to which they may be unsuited or which they will find stressful oruninteresting. So I believe it is necessary sometimes to encourage them intoother directions ."

there is more to life that what theydo in the lab. They need freedom to "smell the roses" as one menteeput it. If things change and appear to be going wrong we need to try andunderstand why. If personal life is becoming tough, then give them time andspace. Good mentors make themselves aware of this. Again we are often so busywe don't notice. 所以，A good supervisor/mentorappreciates these differences and does not try and fit square pegs in round holes.They know when to back off and let people make their own decisions and when tocome in and offer support and sympathy.

5

For Life：一日為師，終身為父

“Hassan 給他的學生持續不斷的提供幫助：所以，在我和他一起完成博士學位二十年之后，當我有一個棘手的問題需要討論或者急需一個建議時，他仍然是我的第一個想要尋求幫助的，他從來沒有讓我失望過。”

“同意知道一個博士生需要做出的承諾不僅僅是對一系列實驗的日常概述，或者是開發一種新的物理數學理論的分析程序。它包括與學生建立融洽關系，并可能持續一生。”

"Hassan takes a continuing interestin his students: so, twenty years after I completed my PhD with him, he isstill my first port of call when I have a thorny issue to discuss, or urgentlyrequire a reference – and he has never let me down."

"Agreeing to supervise a PhDstudent entails making a commitment to much more than the day-to-day overviewof a series of experiments, or the development of a programme of analysis thatleads to new physical-mathematical theory. It involves forging rapport with thestudent that potentially lasts a lifetime."

6

Actively research：經常親臨一線的研究工作

站在一線領導，自己也要參與一線研究。穿上白大褂而不是只坐在辦公桌前。

Lead from the front, be a researcheryour self, white coat on and not desk bound.

7

Balance direction：平衡指導與放手

又要放手讓學生去explore自己的想法和project，又要在需要的時候給予學生關鍵性的指導和建議，以此可以有效地提高學生的自主性和能動性。

"As a research supervisor andmentor she/he has an incredible ability to find the perfect balance between:allowing the student to develop and explore their own ideas, research plans andprojects; providing them with expert guidance, direction when needed; and mostimportantly providing the inspiration to achieve their best."

8

Celebrate：為學生慶祝他們的成功

“Jane 明白社交生活和工作結合在一起的重要性。我們實驗室總是熱衷于為實驗室成員提供咖啡和蛋糕，戶外活動，或去她家燒烤。”

“有人第一次提出他們自己的新想法或實驗，這應該在實驗室大家都在的場合公布慶祝，因為它是對大多數年輕科學家來說具有重要意義的里程碑。”

"Jane sees the importance ofbringing people’s social lives and work lives together. Our lab is always keen tocelebrate the achievements of its members with coffee and cakes; outings forlunch; or BBQs at her house."

"The first time a person comes upwith a novel idea or experiment of their own. This should be an occasion forpublic recognition within the lab as it is a milestone of great significancefor most young scientists."

9

Building a community：培養一個共同體

在研究組里培養和諧的關系與社區歸屬感，鼓勵合作而非競爭。

“Eli 設法創造了一個科學氛圍濃厚的實驗室，提高了科研效率，這里沒有復雜的人際競爭因素，很多實驗室尤其是美國的實驗室，這一點很明顯。”

"Eli manages to create a nurturingyet scientifically intense lab atmosphere that promotes the production ofhigh-quality science without the element of interpersonal competition that isunfortunately so evident in many laboratories, particularly here in the UnitedStates"

10

Be social：大家一起玩~

“我的目標是通過全年支持社交活動，慶祝實驗室每一個成員的生日來建立團隊精神。最初都是我組織了社交活動，但我現在將細節留給其他成員，這樣我們我們可以享受各種各樣的大家都感興趣的活動，從劃獨木舟到卡拉OK“。

“我學到的最有用的一件事就是巧克力餅干對每個人的幽默和熱情的作用都比任何一種感覺良好的談話都要多。從一開始，血糖的作用對于生物學家來說應該是顯而易見的，但我只是通過實驗學到了這一點。請注意，愉快和鼓勵的談話也很好，因為它像杜松子酒和滋補品一樣。”

"I aim to build team spirit bysupporting social events throughout the year and by celebrating every birthdaywith a morning or afternoon tea at work. Originally I organized social eventsmyself, but I now leave the details up to group members so that we can enjoy adiverse range of events that reflect the interests of the group, from canoeingto karaoke".

"The most useful single thing I'velearned is that chocolate biscuits do more for everyone's good humour andenthusiasm than any amount of feelgood talk. The role of blood sugar shouldprobably have been obvious to a biologist from the outset, but I only learnedthis by experience. Mind you, cheerful and encouraging talk are good too, asalso are gin and tonic."

11

Create networks：創造機會

給學生創造合作與展示的機會。

"An important catalyst for many ofus was Rene’s attitude to networking – he endeavored tosend all his students and postdocs to good scientific meetings because herealized how important it was for us to start making connections with peers inour field early in our careers. Right from the start we were exhorted to takeevery opportunity to talk to people because it was a strongly held opinion ofhis that you learnt just as much at breakfast conversations and inpost-conference drinks as you did from the presentations themselves. It was notuncommon to hear that he had lobbied for an opportunity for a postdoc to speakat a conference rather than doing so himselfbecause he recognized the value ofbecoming known, especially given our distance from North America andEurope."

"Elizabeth has maintained contact with her previous students and is quickto make links between the many people she knows and any project that comesunder her discussion. She encourages collaboration and would very quickly pointto potential collaborators. Liz also would be quick toinclude students in onsocial occasions with high profile scientists visiting the university. Thisallowed students to get to know the scientists, and vice versa, and againserved as a time when students could voice their thoughts and ideas to veryknowledgeable and experienced researchers."

小小的comment：我覺得B在這方面可以加強。比如，介紹他的“contacts to promote their students and young staff”， 比如“when a distinguished scientist comes to visit the School they, notonly introduce them, but also give them an opportunity to present or discusstheir work”，比如，如果B能多給我指點一些其他學校的合作研究者就更好了。

12

Question & Listen：問好問題，激發好的答案

用一連串的好問題persistently keeps the questions flowing to help the answer come along

"Rather than directly providing mewith interesting ideas, he/she is able to ask the right questions to allow meto come up with my own theories and ideas."

"Elspeth makes you feel special.She makes you feel valued and is genuinely interested in people’s welfare. She doesn’t preach. She questions and lets you speak. She listens and providesan environment where you can put forward ideas and then she facilitates theevolution of your own answers."

13

Enhancing criticism：加強批判思維訓練

通過各種方式，鍛煉學生的批判性思維。

"Catherine has focused on equippingpeople with the skills to be fully functioning members of the scientificcommunity, able to prepare grant applications, review manuscripts, speak atconferences and engage with scientific administrators in a constructive manner.Such a holistic approach to running a scientific group will ultimately bringenormous benefit to the group’s alumni, giving them all the skills necessary to carve out theirown niches in the academic world."

"To the uninitiated, the scientificliterature is a baffling mass of conflicting ideas and results, accepted wisdomand false assumptions. The mentor can help by alerting the new student topapers that he/she considers of particular interest, and by going over the mostpertinent ones with the student in some detail. It also helps greatly for thelaboratory or department to establish a ‘journal club’ wherestudents regularly take turns dissecting one or two relevant current papers andtheir background, with input from other students and faculty members.Participating in such discussions can greatly sharpen the student’s critical acumen and judgement."

這里還有一段更詳細的建議，讀起來比較高端，離我這種三年級博士生還有很遠的感覺——

“A journal club is one strategy, studentsshould not only participate in the critique of key papers but they shouldregularly take the lead by selecting, reviewing and critiquing papersthemselves. Students should be involved from the beginning in the team's grantapplications. They should also be put in the position of interviewers in mockinterviews. They should take the position of journal referee of paperssubmitted from the group and be encouraged to make a decision re acceptance,resubmission or rejection. The actual reviews that come back then provide thebasic for a very rich discussion. In summary, we should create a situation whereour students practice all the things we do that make us a scientist. "

14

Enhancing writing：加強寫作訓練

鍛煉學生的科學寫作能力，直到好的writing成為學生的第二天性。

"Given the vital role ofpublications and grants in any scientific career, learning to write effectivelyis an essential key to career advancement. Therefore, I try diligently toinstil the basics of clear scientific writing. After an extended discussion withthe student of the results to be shown in a paper, I nearly always let him/herprepare the first draft and then begin the reiterative revision process, using ‘track changes’ to show what has been done."

所以，一個好的練習是present students with a manuscript theyhave not seen with either the abstract, introduction or discussion omitted andgetting them to write their version which can then be compared with theoriginal. 正如文章[2]指出，“The morewriting we give students to do the more we burden ourselves but that is part ofthe contract. A positive comment on all the mentors was that they gave feedbackon written work very quickly. Hard to do but essential.”

15

Enhancing presentation：增強做學術報告的能力

有可讀性的演示，有邏輯的報告，能夠清楚的表達。

“她還希望學生們在參加會議之前先在小組中練習演講，并通過提問和反饋找到改善表現的良好技巧。”

“盡管學生很少有做學術報告的天賦，但是如果有足夠的實踐和建議，所有學生都可以學習。我總是建議學生在報告前一兩周給我提供草稿，以便留出足夠的時間進行修改。”

文章作者還指出，“This was often embarrassing in that the standard of honours seminars and graduate student presentation was way better than the presentations of senior staff members the students experienced at conferences. ”哈哈哈哈。

Enhancing presentation: good readable slides, logicalpresentation, and clear speaking

" She also expects students to givepractice talks in the group before presenting at conferences and has developeda good technique for improving seminar performances through questions andfeedback."

"Although few students have anatural gift for giving a scientific talk, all can learn if given sufficientpractice and advice. I always suggest that the student provide me with arun-through a week or two before a presentation, to allow sufficient time forrevisions."

文章作者還指出，“This was often embarrassing in thatthe standard of honours seminars and graduate student presentation was waybetter than the presentations of senior staff members the students experiencedat conferences. ”哈哈哈哈。

16

Seek feedback：聽聽反饋

有什么優點和不足，聽聽學生怎么說。

參考文獻：

[1] Adrian Lee, Carina Denis and PhilipCampbell. Nature s guide for mentors. Nature 447, 791-797 (14th June 2007)

[2] Adrian Lee and Larry Hulbert.Guidelines on Research Mentoring.