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Early-career faculty members typically have questions when they start their positions, including about research. Deborah Cockerham wants to help.

“Some early-career researchers need help connecting with others, particularly with finding interdisciplinary collaborators,” said Cockerham, a clinical assistant professor of learning technologies. “Others don’t know how to get started designing a project. Some are much farther along in their research but might need help with data analysis or putting all the research pieces together.”

This semester, as a Faculty Fellow in the Learning Institute, Cockerham is beginning a LEEF Research Ambassadors program. The experience is designed for early-career faculty members and postdoctoral scholars to build research capacity, develop mentoring skills, and create meaningful learning and education research outcomes.

After participants identify their specific research needs, Cockerham and her team will schedule targeted research training this fall. In January, applications will open for graduate students to join the research community.

“Graduate students are often motivated to do the research, but they may need support,” Cockerham said. “This will provide them with guidance and opportunities to collaborate.”

Research Ambassadors will train and mentor the students in the spring, as participants form smaller research groups around common interests and pursue a research project.

“The teacher always learns the most,” Cockerham said. “If the faculty are learning, and then immediately turning around and teaching it to graduate students, they’re going to retain a lot more.”

The research teams have a year after May 2027 to finish their projects, which could be article manuscripts, presentations, grant proposals or other outputs. One of the program’s goals is to support sustainable collaborative networks and provide professional growth opportunities that continue after participants finish their projects.

By the end of the program, Cockerham hopes the participants will have gained confidence in their research skills and will be able to collaborate across disciplines and experience levels. She would also like to see the Research Ambassadors continue with new cohorts each year.

Cockerham was inspired by her own experiences as an early-career faculty member in a mentoring group which combined participants at different stages of academia.

“It ended up being a mentoring circle. The leader was not the one that did all the mentoring,” she said. “We would all add our feedback. Such a rich variety of perspectives can really strengthen any project.”

To apply for a Research Ambassador position, fill out this form by Oct. 5.