Advisors are meant to guide students academically, supporting their research and career objectives. For MIT graduate students, the Committed to Caring program recognizes those who go above and beyond.
Professors Iain Stewart and Roberto Fernandez are two of the 2023-25 Committed to Caring cohort, supporting their students through self-doubt, developing a welcoming environment, and serving as a friend.
Iain Stewart: Supportive, equitable, and inclusive
Iain Stewart is the Otto and Jane Morningstar Professor of Science and former director of the Center for Theoretical Physics (CTP). His research interests center around nuclear and particle physics, where he develops and applies effective field theories to understand interactions between elementary particles and particularly strong interactions described by quantum chromodynamics.
Stewart shows faith in his students’ abilities even when they doubt themselves. According to his nominators, the field of physics, like many areas of intellectual pursuit, can attract a wide range of personalities, including those who are highly confident as well as those who may grapple with self-doubt. He explains concepts in a down-to-earth manner and does not make his students feel less than they are.
For his students, Stewart’s research group comes as a refreshing change. Stewart emphasizes that graduate school is for learning, and that one is not expected to know everything from the onset.
Stewart shows a great level of empathy and emotional support for his students. For example, one of the nominators recounted a story about preparing for their oral qualification exam. The student had temporarily suspended research, and another faculty member made a disparaging comment about the student’s grasp of their research. The student approached Stewart in distress.
"As your advisor,” Stewart reassured them, “I can tell you confidently that you know your research and you are doing well, and it’s totally OK to put it off for a while to prepare for the qual."
Stewart’s words gave the student a sense of relief and validation, reminding them that progress is a journey, not a race, and that taking time to prepare thoughtfully was both wise and necessary.
Always emphasizing positivity in his feedback, Stewart reminds advisees of their achievements and progress, helping them develop a more optimistic mindset. Stewart’s mentorship style recognizes individual student needs, a trait that his students find uncommon. His research group flourishes due to this approach, and a large number of his graduate and postdoc students have achieved great success.
During his six years as director, Stewart has made significant contributions to the CTP. He has improved the culture and demographics due to strong and inclusive leadership. In particular, a noteworthy number of women have joined the CTP.
In his own research group, a large number of international and female students have found a place, which is uncommon for groups in theoretical physics. Currently, three out of seven group members are female in a field where fewer than 10 percent are women.
Stewart’s nominators believe that given the number of women he has mentored in his career, he is single-handedly contributing to improving the diversity in his field. His nominators say he supports diverse backgrounds, and financially supports and encourages participation for marginalized groups.
Roberto Fernandez: Professor and friend
Roberto Fernandez is the William F. Pounds Professor of Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management as well as the co-director of the Economic Sociology PhD Program. His research focuses on organizations, social networks, and race and gender stratification. He has extensive experience doing field research in organizations, and he currently focuses on the organizational processes surrounding the hiring of new talent.
Fernandez describes himself as a “full-service professor.” He tries to attend to differing needs and circumstances of students and the situations they find themselves in, offering advice and consolation.
Fernandez is very understanding of his students, and is happy to speak to them about academic and personal problems alike. He acknowledges that each student comes from a different background with individual experience, and Fernandez attempts to accommodate each one in an ideal manner.
He advises in a way that respects a student’s personal life, but still expects a reasonable amount of produced work that motivates the student, allows for them to excel, and keeps them to a high standard.
Fernandez says, “It is just my sense of duty to pay forward how my mentors treated me. I feel like I would dishonor their work if I were not to pass it on.”
A nominator shared that Fernandez serves as both a professor and a friend. He has gone out of his way to check in and chat with them. They said that Fernandez is the only professor who has taken the time to truly get to know their story, and Fernandez speaks to students like an equal.
The nominator noted that many people at MIT enjoy a high level of privilege. Despite the differences in their circumstances, however, the nominator feels comfortable talking to Fernandez.
Happily, the professor continued to touch base with the nominator long after their class had finished, and he is the one person who really made them feel like MIT was their home. This experience stood out as unique for the nominator, and played a large role in their experience.
In addition to providing genuine connections, Fernandez advises incoming graduate students about the need for a mindset shift. Graduate school is not like undergrad. Being an excellent student is necessary, but it is not sufficient to succeed in a PhD program. Excellent undergraduate students are consumers of knowledge; on the other hand, excellent graduate students are producers of knowledge.
The nominator enthused, “[Fernandez] really went above and beyond, and this means a lot.”
