Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Scholars
Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars serve as team leaders in the Knight Research Scholars Program. In this role, they guide team members through hands-on research experiences while advancing their own development as mentors and leaders. Participating as a team leader supports progress on research projects, enhances mentorship skills, and strengthens leadership abilities. KRSP provides the structure, resources, and collaborative community needed to help team leaders grow professionally while fostering meaningful learning opportunities for their team members.
Through their participation, Team Leaders also have the opportunity to become Certified Knight Research Scholar, a recognition awarded each semester to those who complete all program components. This distinction highlights a commitment to high-quality mentorship and leadership in undergraduate research.
Team Leader Registration
Registration:
To participate, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars must submit their research project with the Team Leader Registration Form.
Team Composition:
Teams should consist of 2 to 8 undergraduate students as participants.
KRSP is designed to support both new and ongoing research projects. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with existing research teams are welcome to join and benefit from the program’s structured mentorship training, leadership resources, and recognition.
Although KRSP gives role distinctions, team structure can be flexible. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars may co-lead if they share the same faculty mentor, and graduate students may also serve as team members in certain arrangements.
The team leader should be the primary mentor and point of contact for KRSP, as they receive mentorship training and support through the program.
Faculty Mentor Approval:
Team leaders are required to have a faculty mentor approve their registration and support the research project.
Compliance with Research Regulations:
Team Leaders are responsible for ensuring that their project and Team Members comply with state, federal, and university research policies, including those related to human subjects (Institutional Review Board), vertebrate animals (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee), and biohazards (Institutional Biosafety Committee).
Mentoring Role:
Mentoring is emphasized and supported through KRSP. Team leaders are responsible for fostering personal, academic, and professional growth in team members. The KRSP team is here to help support team leaders with mentoring resources and guidance.
As part of this support, monthly team leader meetings are held to create a space for collaboration, reflection, and growth. These meetings offer team leaders the opportunity to share experiences, discuss challenges, exchange strategies, and receive evidence-based mentorship tools. They also help foster a sense of community among KRSP team leaders across disciplines. Attendance is encouraged to help you feel connected, confident, and supported throughout your mentoring journey.
Team Leader Requirements
Weekly Surveys:
Team leaders must complete surveys about team engagement and provide feedback. These weekly progress reports are completed by both team leaders and team members to reflect on tasks, contributions, learning outcomes, and team dynamics. The responses help assess engagement and highlight mentorship successes or areas for improvement.
Use of Surveys:
Surveys are used to track research progress and engagement from both team leader and team member perspectives, identify mentorship opportunities and challenges, and provide formative data to support teams throughout the semester. Reports include open-ended responses and a Likert matrix measuring confidence, contributions, learning, and project momentum.
Learning Community Participation – Monthly Mentorship Meetings:
Team leaders are expected to participate in monthly meetings to share challenges and discuss strategies for effective leadership. These virtual sessions are designed to be efficient, collaborative, and supportive and offer practical tools for mentoring, leading, and navigating undergraduate research supervision. They also help build a community of mentors across disciplines.
Mentorship Component:
Mentorship in KRSP is embedded in the program’s structure. Team leaders are supported in developing their own leadership style through KRSP resources like monthly meetings and reflective feedback from survey responses. The goal is to promote leadership growth while fostering a meaningful and supportive experience for undergraduate researchers.
Best Practices Report:
At the end of each semester, team leaders must submit a 1-page report detailing their research experiences, challenges, and interventions implemented.
These requirements ensure that team leaders are focused on research and mentoring, compliance, and community engagement within the program.
Interested in Becoming a Team Leader?
- Must be a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar at UCF
- Identify a research project (new or ongoing) that offers meaningful, hands-on roles for perspective team members
- Complete the Team Leader Registration Form to provide your research project details and your desired team size
- Once approved, your research project will be posted on the KRSP website for undergraduate students to view and contact you
- Attend a required orientation session before beginning recruitment and participation in the program
Note: Projects can be added and launched year-round, but most team leaders begin recruiting before the start of a semester.
For more information or questions, contact us at knightresearch@ucf.edu.