We are pleased to announce that MaryAnn Christison, TIRF Trustee and Co-chair of TIRF’s Research Advisory Committee, has received the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Distinguished Mentor Award from the Graduate School at the University of Utah. The award honors the accomplishments of a faculty member who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars throughout their professional training and in continuing, multifaceted partnerships.

Distinguished Professor MaryAnn Christison has been mentoring graduate students in the Department of Linguistics, and in other departments in the College of Humanities, for more than 20 years. Her mentoring expertise has benefited the work of the Foundation, as well.
Serving alongside Dr. Deena Boraie (Chair), Dr. Kathi Bailey, and Dr. David Nunan on the TIRF Mentoring Working Group, Dr. Christison has played a key role in developing the TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards (RMA). The RMA program was first offered last year and will continue this year. Further details will be announced in late May via our website and newsletter (click here to subscribe).
“Mentors support, give advice, help their mentees define and reach goals, and have the potential to impact career choices and trajectories,” said Dr. Christison. She added, “I was so lucky to have had two excellent mentors during my graduate studies, so I know firsthand how important the process of mentoring can be. I also recognize that while I was most fortunate to have had excellent mentors, this affordance is not available to all young scholars. I am so pleased that TIRF has now established a research mentoring program in collaboration with the British Council so that more young researchers in our field have the opportunity to experience research mentoring. It is an important new program for TIRF and one that is much needed in our profession.”
Please join the TIRF community in congratulating Dr. Christison on this outstanding accomplishment!