Mark Brynildsen was named one of four recipients of the 2022 Graduate Mentoring Awards by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. The awarees will be honored during the Graduate School’s Hooding ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 23.

A faculty member since 2010, Mark Brynildsen studies the interactions between pathogens and hosts as well as bacterial persistence toward antibiotics.

Students were grateful for the weekly meetings he holds with all advisees. One student remarked that the meetings provided not only direct feedback from Brynildsen, but also a valuable opportunity to learn from fellow students. “I am certain that I have grown in confidence as a researcher more quickly than I otherwise would have been able,” the student said.  

“Mark stands out as a mentor because he truly trusts me as a researcher,” another student said. “Under Mark’s guidance as my adviser, I have enormously improved my ability to problem-solve, critically assess data and draw conclusions from observations.”     

One student observed that graduate school “is filled with highs and lows, and many points when you feel like you are spinning your wheels.” After each meeting with Professor Brynildsen, “I’ve always left with a new sense of invigoration and a path forward.”