About Jay
My interest in microbiology harks back to when I was just a high school student. An amazing biology teacher, Mrs. Rogalla, inspired me to pursue a career in microbiology, which I did at the University of Michigan. After completing my B.Sc. in Microbiology, I went on to study Pathobiology in the lab of Dr. Lakshmi Rajagopal at the University of Washington in Seattle. After completing my Ph.D., I returned to my roots at the University of Michigan. There, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Michael A. Bachman, where I studied Klebsiella pathogenesis before starting my own lab. While the research is important, I believe that advocacy is a critical aspect of science and the responsibility of a publicly-funded researcher.
In addition to being a scientist, I am a proud father, husband, and midwesterner. My family is an amalgamation of cultural backgrounds, with me being a Michigander, and my wife, Dr. Verónica Santana-Ufret being Puerto Rican. We are now raising a daughter, Charli, as best we can.
Outside of my family, my passions are music and food. I have been playing the French horn for nearly 20 years, and when I am not in the lab or playing French horn, I am usually in the kitchen. For me, cooking and baking are ways to express affection for my wife, family, and friends. Since meeting my wife, my cooking and baking interests are squarely focused on traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, and I am lucky that there are patient abuelas that are willing to teach me their secrets! I love to host friends, family, and co-workers, so if you are hungry, just ask!
Follow Jay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MGoBacteria
Jay’s equity and inclusion statement
I am a white, cis-identifying, heterosexual male. Thus, I am one of the most privileged individuals in our society. As such, it is my responsibility to use my privilege to enhance equity and inclusion in all spaces I occupy. My expectation of myself is to create an environment that encourages anti-racist, anti-misogynistic, anti-ableist, and anti-phobic behavior in my work and personal space. This task takes on many forms; however, I consider it incomplete until our society is fully equitable, inclusive, and just. I aspire to behave in a way that discourages discrimination and empowers those that are historically oppressed. Additionally, I expect that I will be respectful and introspective in all my interactions. Finally, when I fail to realize the expectations outlined above, I desire to be held accountable.
And I will fail. I am from West Michigan, which is a very conservative, white society built on native lands. It was not until I lived in other areas, such as Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Seattle, Washington that I was exposed to the variety of experiences necessary to begin to understand my privilege. As such, the recognition of my privilege is in progress. I am committed to acknowledging my shortcomings and learning from my mistakes while working toward a more just society.
Jay’s mentorship statement
A significant responsibility of all scientists is the mentorship and education of the next generation of scientists and learners. My mentorship philosophy focuses on empowerment, respect, and advocacy.
Positive mentorship and advocacy are critical to success in science and as such mentors hold substantial power over mentees. Historically this power imbalance has been used to benefit the mentor at the expense of the mentee, and too often this power structure has permitted abuse. I believe this is wrong and that my responsibility as a privileged mentor is to subvert this structure. The most direct way to work toward equity in the mentor-mentee relationship is for the mentor to enter the relationship with a focus on empowerment. This starts with respect. First, it is my responsibility to acknowledge that my mentees are whole individuals with their own identities and experiences. I must create an environment that is safe and accessible for any mentee such that they can fully engage in the mentor-mentee relationship and the material of interest. Second, it is my responsibility to treat my mentees as intellectual peers. While I may have knowledge in an area that a mentee is curious about, that does not permit condescension or patronization. I aim to empower my mentees to pursue their interests within my expertise, and a disrespectful or unsafe intellectual space does not foster curiosity. Finally, it is my responsibility to respect that the professional journey and related needs of every mentee will be different. My journey, and the journey of every mentor, is unique. As such I cannot be an expert in fulfilling the professional needs of every mentee, and thus, the permutation of my same experience on my mentees is not appropriate. Moreover, I must recognize that my identity and life experience impacts my interactions with my mentees, and I have to remain conscious of the role that my biases play in my mentorship style to avoid any harm they may cause. An excellent way to put my mentees in the best possible position to succeed in areas where I have shortcomings is through advocacy.
Advocacy is necessary for a positive mentor-mentee relationship. As a mentor, I must enter into a mentor-mentee relationship with the humility to recognize that I do not have the expertise to fulfill all of the needs of a mentee. Thus, when I lack expertise, it is my responsibility to identify and connect my mentee with a secondary mentor that can fill that gap. Additionally, as a mentor, I should be advocating for access to any career development opportunity that will benefit my mentee, even if it does not align with my own career goals. Lastly, it is my duty as a mentor to empower my mentees to advocate for themselves. This necessitates a clear description of my expectations as a mentor and solicitation of a mentee's expectations of me. Then, it is my job as a mentor to create an environment where a mentee feels safe in providing open and honest feedback about their experience as a mentee and to point out when I am failing to meet their expectations. Finally, it is my responsibility to support mentees in any external self-advocacy through networking and lending any leverage provided by my position or title. Ultimately, my goal as an advocate is to help any mentee realize their professional and personal goals, even when they do not align with mine.