The Mavis Future Faculty Fellows (MF3) Program is a one-year program for senior PhD students (who have passed their qualifying exam) to facilitate the training of the next generation of engineering faculty in research, teaching, and mentoring.
Syllabus
2025-2026 MF3 Program Syllabus
Program Meeting Time
The MF3 Program meets every Friday from Noon to 12:50 pm during the fall and spring terms. All Mavis Fellows must maintain a full-time status and register for ENG 591 MF3, which is a 1 credit hour course, for both semesters.
Optional Textbook
Tomorrow’s Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering by Richard M. Reis. Download book at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470546727.
Program Goal
Mavis Future Faculty Fellows (MF3) is a one-year program for senior Ph.D. students (must have passed the qualifying exam) designed to facilitate the training of the next generation of engineering faculty in research, teaching, and mentoring.
Learning Objectives
As a result of participation in this program, a Mavis Faculty Fellow will
- Understand the different responsibilities of a faculty member – teaching, research, and service.
- Understand how to be an effective mentor.
- Become knowledgeable on activities that strengthen an application for an engineering faculty position.
- Receive guidance on how to search and interview for academic positions.
- Network with peer Mavis Fellows across Grainger Engineering departments.
MF3 Staff
Diana Gonzalez (dgonzal2@illinois.edu)
Laura Reiter (lreite2@illinois.edu)
Fall 2025 Canvas Course: https://canvas.illinois.edu/courses/59681
Attendance and Grading Policy
ENG 591 MF3 is pass/fail only. Students are expected to attend all class sessions unless there is a documented reason for your absence. Please email Diana Gonzalez (dgonzal2@illinois.edu) in advance to seek approval. Students may only miss one class during each semester without advance approval. Fellows will be required to complete a make-up assignment and submit a signed “Mavis Make-Up Seminar Form” located on the Requirements page for each missed seminar.
Course credit (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) will be awarded based on class attendance and completion of all assignments. To earn a satisfactory grade, fellows must complete all assignments by the stipulated deadlines. Fellows who miss more than four (4) seminars per term are not eligible for the fellowship stipend during that term.
Program / ENG 591 Assignments
Identify a faculty member (typically your thesis advisor) to serve as your Mavis mentor, and submit a signed copy of a Faculty Mentor Form via Canvas by September 15, 2025.
Fall 2025 Assignments
The following assignments must be submitted as a single PDF (include a cover page with your name, UIN, and a list of completed assignments) in Canvas by the deadline specified in the course syllabus.
Prepare and submit partial faculty application materials as a single PDF. Include a cover page with your name, UIN, and list of completed assignments. Submit via Canvas by December 5, 2025.
- CV
- 3-page Research Statement
- 2-page Teaching Statement
- 1-page Service and Value Statement
Spring 2026 Assignments
Complete only two (2) activities, each from a different category listed below. Submit applicable proof of completion of assignments and include a cover page with your name, UIN, and a list of completed assignments via Canvas by May 1, 2026.
Research Category
- Research Talk: Prepare and deliver a 20-minute research talk for a broad audience, including those outside your field. Present it to the Mavis program coordinators and peers in the Mavis Future Faculty Fellows program. Inform Laura Reiter by March 2, 2026, if you plan to complete this assignment.
- White Paper: Identify a funding opportunity from an agency relevant to your research and write a two-page white paper in response to it.
Teaching Category
- Observation of Teaching by an Instructor: Identify an instructor from the list of Teachers Ranked as Excellent in your department, observe their instruction for one week, and write a two-page summary of your observations.
- Observation of your Teaching: Arrange to teach a class session or a mock lesson that is observed by a faculty member. Discuss the observation with the observer and write a two-page essay reflecting on the teaching experience and the observer’s feedback.
- Teaching Development Course: Enroll in a course that enhances teaching skills (e.g., EPOL 554: College Teaching). MF3 staff will verify your course completion.
- Graduate Academy Facilitation: Facilitate training sessions at the Graduate Academy for College Teaching, a required pre-semester orientation for new teaching assistants offered through the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Contact Lucas Anderson (lander23@illinois.edu) by November 1, 2025, if you are interested in facilitating the January 2026 session.
Mentorship Category
- Mentor a Student: Mentor an undergraduate or a less experienced graduate student in your lab and write a two-page reflection on your mentorship experience.
- Mentorship Statement: Prepare a one-page Mentorship Philosophy statement outlining your approach to mentoring students in your future research group.
Communication Category
- Job Talk: Prepare and deliver a 20-minute job talk. Present it to the Mavis program coordinators and your peers in the Mavis Future Faculty Fellows program. Inform Laura Reiter by March 2, 2026, if you plan to complete this assignment.
- Communication Course: Take a communication course (e.g., ENG 598: STEM Writing – Practice/Pedagogy). MF3 staff will verify course completion.
- Communication Workshop: Attend a communication-focused workshop (e.g., through the Graduate College or the Writers Workshop) and write a two-page reflection paper.
Overview of Program Topics
Here is a sample of the topics that will be covered in the MF3 Program during the academic year. For more details, see the Program Syllabus.
- Faculty Career Tracks
- Launching Your Faculty Job Search
- Faculty Panel: Postdoc Pathways to Academia
- Preparing Your Application Materials for an Academic Job Search
- Writing Teaching and Research Statements
- Life as an Academic
- The Interview Process
- How to Handle the Negotiation Process
- Best Practices for Your Interview Research Talk
- Mentoring Workshops
- Networking as a Faculty
- Integrating Community, Opportunity, and Engagement into Your Research, Teaching, and Service
- Professional Ethics in Academia
- How to Select Graduate Students When Starting Your Faculty Career
- Preparing a White Paper
- Faculty Experiences with Intellectual Property
- Writing a Successful Grant Proposal the Stands Out
- Start-Up Companies
- How to Become an Excellent Instructor
- Blended Learning and Online Teaching
- Active Learning and Teaching
- How to Manage Conflicts with Colleagues and Students
- Tenure Process – Tips on How to Be Successful