Mentoring Academic-Research Careers (MARC)

Purpose

The purpose of the Mentoring Academic Research Careers (MARC) program is to support PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and early-career faculty in obtaining and succeeding in faculty–researcher positions in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). Enrollment in the MARC program for the 2025–2026 academic year opens August 1, 2025 and closes September 3, 2025. More information is below about eligibility requirements, the format of the program, and how to enroll in MARC.

“As a T32 predoctoral trainee in language impairments interested in multilingual language acquisition, MARC provide[d] me with intentional mentorship that complements my institutional research training. From the “Meet and Greet” orientation to the timeline for setting and working toward joint mentorship goals, I have benefited from MARC’s structured framework. I have applied the tools I learned in MARC from my mentor to work toward entering the scholarly community for multilingualism.”

MARC is part of ASHA's Academic and Research Mentoring (ARM) Network. The ARM Network offers programs for those who are considering, launching, and advancing academic-research careers in CSD. ASHA measures the impact of these programs by collecting participant outcomes data.

Eligibility Requirements

MARC mentees must meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• Student currently enrolled in a PhD program in either:
  • Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) or
  • a department outside of CSD, and the student intends to work at a CSD academic program or research setting upon graduation
• Postdoctoral fellow
• Early-career faculty (below the level of associate professor) who has a full-time faculty appointment within a CSD department, who is teaching academic coursework and conducting research, and who has one of the following degrees:
  • PhD in CSD
  • PhD in another related field (e.g., linguistics, neuroscience, or engineering)
  • Clinical doctorate in CSD (e.g., SLPD or AuD)

MARC mentors must have a research doctorate (e.g., PhD) and meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• Early-career faculty member who is willing to serve as a mentor to PhD students and/or post-doctoral fellows
• Associate professor
• Full professor
• Director/chair of research program who holds a research doctoral degree
• Professor emeritus

Format

The MARC program is an online, nine-month mentoring program that starts as soon as a mentee connects with a mentor in the mentoring system and lasts throughout the academic year. MARC's online mentoring platform enables:

• Mentees and mentors to self-select matches based on shared mentoring and academic interests;
• Custom development of a Mentoring Connection Plan; and
• Access to templates and online resources.

Mentoring focuses on providing guidance on a range of activities required for successful academic research careers, including scholarly publishing, grant writing, setting up a lab, developing coursework, and negotiating start-up packages and salaries, among other topics. The MARC program provides flexibility for participants to tailor their mentoring experiences to meet their specific needs and goals.

In addition to one-on-one mentoring through the online Mentoring Connection Plan, all MARC participants are invited to participate in the MARC Online Community—a virtual community to share resources, engage in discussions, and network with other MARC participants.

How to Enroll

Enrollment in the MARC program for the 2025–2026 academic year opens August 1, 2025, and closes September 3, 2025.

To enroll as a mentee:

• Sign into the online system using your ASHA login e-mail and password. If you do not have an ASHA login e-mail and password, you must create an account first.
• Answer all the questions to create your Mentee Profile.
• After creating your Mentee Profile, select "Mentors" in the left-hand panel and view Mentor Profiles to find the right match for you. Note that mentee eligibility has expanded this year to include early career faculty with clinical doctoral degrees as the highest degree earned. If you are a returning mentor, please be sure to update your mentoring preferences.  
• Send a mentoring request to 2–3 mentors who match you well based on shared areas of interest. To do this, select "Connect" and "Request Mentoring Connection" for each mentor of interest.
• Enrollment is complete once a mentor accepts your request.

To enroll as a mentor:

• Sign into the online system using your ASHA login e-mail and password. If you do not have an ASHA login e-mail and password, you must create an account first.
• Answer all the questions to create your Mentor Profile.
• Once complete, your Mentor Profile will be visible to mentees, who will then send requests to connect. Mentors may choose to mentor up to two mentees.
• Enrollment is complete when you have accepted at least one request for mentoring.

Questions? Contact the Academic Affairs and Research Education (AARE) unit at marc@asha.org.