Faculty Profile

Professor
Oral Biology
rdziak@buffalo.edu

• PhD, Biophysics, University at Rochester, 1974
  

• Professor, Oral Biology, University at Buffalo
  

I consider mentoring graduate students an important part of my academic career. Over the many years that I have served as a research mentor to students working in my lab, I have observed that the elements of being an effective mentor extend beyond being a scientific advisor to being available whenever students have questions or concerns regarding many aspects of their professional paths and at times the intersections of their goals and various personal difficulties. It is important for students to know that I may be able to offer them advice and care about them as individuals and want the very best for them. I had fantastic mentors when I was a graduate student; I knew my advisors were there for me and I benefited greatly from their advice on career opportunities and how to balance professional and personal aspects of my life. I hope my students can feel the same about my access to them as a mentor.