Dr. Tesar's individualized mentorship approach is anchored on promoting the importance of inclusion and diversity. He holds discussions with each trainee about their goals and interests when they enter the lab and works with them to personalize their research and training experiences in a way that is designed to achieve their goals. Many trainees spoke of the quality of the mentorship that they received, and of Dr. Tesar as a relentless advocate who sought to ensure success for each of them. As one trainee put it: “I want to be Paul when I become a faculty member myself.” Dr. Tesar's lab sits at the interface between stem cell biology and developmental neuroscience. The group uses pluripotent stem cells to model neurological development and disease with a specific focus on glial cells in the central nervous system – oligodendrocytes and astrocytes.