Joseph James, biologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, discusses his career trajectory and the creation of Binning Singletons, a unique mentorship program built on peer-to-peer networking at scientific meetings and conferences and was first implemented in 2019 at ASM Microbe.

Links for the Episode Binning Singletons and Peer-to-Peer Networking

• Learn more about Binning Singletons.
• Contact Joe James: [email protected]
• Follow Binning Singletons on Bluesky.
• Binning Singletons: Mentoring through Networking at ASM Microbe 2019—mSphere article.
• Binning Singletons: Tackling Conference Networking When You Don’t Know Anyone—Guest post on Addgene Blog.
• Mastering a Mentoring Relationship as the Mentee—asm.org article that James says has really helped him explain Binning Singletons as a coaching form of mentorship.
• Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement—article on developing networks of mentors, another area Binning Singletons tries to address.
• #FEMSmicroBlog: Networking at Online Conferences (for Early Career Scientists).
• Take the MTM listener survey!

James’ Research

• Dietary lead modulates the mouse intestinal microbiome: Subacute exposure to lead acetate and lead contaminated soil.
• In situ differences in nitrogen cycling related to presence of submerged aquatic vegetation in a Gulf of Mexico estuary.
• Quantifying stream periphyton assemblage responses to nutrient amendments with a molecular approach.
• Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Seagrass Bed Sediments by Double-Gradient Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of PCR-Amplified 16S rRNA Genes.
• Use of composite data sets for source-tracking enterococci in the water column and shoreline interstitial waters on Pensacola Beach, Florida.