Mentor and Mentee Honored with 2025 Eleanor Main Awards
By Jazmyn Burton
Patricia Brennan, PhD, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology, and Chaela Nutor, PhD, have been named the 2025 recipients of the Eleanor Main Graduate Faculty Mentor Award and Graduate Student Mentor Award, respectively.
It is especially meaningful that Brennan and Nutor were both selected for these honors, given their relationship as mentor and mentee. Their dual nomination and selection are powerful testaments to the impact of exceptional guidance and inspired learning.
The Eleanor Main Graduate Faculty and Student Mentor Awards were established to honor the legacy of Dr. Eleanor Main, a beloved Emory faculty member and champion of graduate education. These annual awards recognize outstanding mentorship at faculty and student levels and celebrate those who go above and beyond to guide, support, and inspire others. Named in memory of a scholar who valued transformative relationships, the awards underscore the vital role mentorship plays in shaping academic and professional success across generations.
Patricia Brennan, PhD, Samuel Candler Dobbs professor of psychology, and Chaela Nutor, PhD, have been named the 2025 recipients of the Eleanor Main Graduate Faculty Mentor Award and Graduate Student Mentor Award, respectively.
Given their relationship as mentor and mentee Brennan and Nutor's dual recognition reflects the power of intergenerational mentorship, and the lasting impact it can have on a student's journey.
Established to honor the legacy of Dr. Eleanor Main, a transformative faculty member and advocate for graduate education at Emory University, the awards recognize outstanding mentorship at both the faculty and student levels. Each year, they celebrate individuals who exemplify a deep commitment to guiding, supporting, and inspiring others, underscoring the essential role mentorship plays in academic and professional development.
According to one of her nominations, Brennan exemplifies the highest mentorship, leadership, and scholarship standards within the Laney Graduate School community.
"Not only is she an advisor who says "yes" to every request, but she also thoughtfully considers how each opportunity aligns with the long-term career goals that her students outline," said Kimberly Jacob Arriola, Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Dean of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies at Emory University.
Those around her have shared that Brennan embraces the multifaceted nature of academic life, guiding her students to build well-rounded experiences that best prepare them for a future inside or outside the academy.
Brennan's impact and mentorship extend beyond graduation. Former students who conducted research in the Biosocial Underpinnings in Learning and Development (BUILD) Lab continue to lean on her for support and guidance in the early stages of their careers.
Brennan's relationships with her current and former students created a community that lives by the motto "Once in the BUILD Lab, always in the BUILD Lab."
Chaela Nutor, PhD, a member of the 2025 graduating class, exemplifies the impact of Dr. Brennan's mentorship.
Despite beginning her graduate studies at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nutor, who recently earned a PhD in psychology, remained deeply committed to supporting others, demonstrating resilience, leadership, and a dedication to community.
Nutor's peers described her as an excellent mentor who demonstrated what it meant to build a cohesive, inclusive environment where everyone felt seen and comfortable.
She was also well known in Brennan's BUILD Lab for consistently striving to ensure that graduate students developed connections and community outside their research.
"In graduate education especially, where the journey is often long and challenging, mentoring ensures that students are not only acquiring knowledge, but that they are also learning how to become leaders, innovators, scholars, and mentors for those who come behind them," said Arriola. "At its best, mentoring transforms potential into lasting impact."