MIT professors Zachary Hartwig and Wanda Orlikowski exemplify a rare but powerful kind of mentorship - one grounded not just in intellectual excellence, but in deep personal care. They remind us that transformative academic leadership starts with humanity.
Whether it's Hartwig's ability to bring engineering brilliance to life through genuine personal connection, or Orlikowski's unwavering support for those who share in her mission to create meaningful impact, both foster environments where people, not just ideas, can thrive.
Their students and colleagues describe feeling seen, supported, and encouraged not only to grow as scholars, but as people. It's this ethic of care, of valuing the human behind the research, that defines their mentorship and elevates those around them.
Hartwig and Orlikowski are two of the 2023-25 Committed to Caring cohort who are fostering transformative research through growth, independence, and support. For MIT graduate students, the Committed to Caring program recognizes those who go above and beyond.
Zachary Hartwig: Signposts on the way to new territory
Zachary (Zach) Seth Hartwig is an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) with a co-appointment at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). He has worked in the areas of large-scale applied superconductivity, magnet fusion device design, radiation detector development, and accelerator science and engineering. His active research focuses on the development of high-field superconducting magnet technologies for fusion energy and accelerated irradiation methods for fusion materials using ion beams.
One nominator expressed, "although he didn't formally become my advisor until after I submitted my thesis prospectus, I always felt like Zach had my back." This feeling of support was shared by Hartwig's advisees through numerous examples.
When the pandemic started, Hartwig made sure that the student had ongoing support and a safe place to simply exist as an international visiting student during a tumultuous time. This care often presented in small ways: when the mentee needed to debug their cryogenic system, Hartwig showed up at the lab every day to help plan the next test; when this same student struggled to write the introduction of their first paper, Hartwig continued to provide support; and when the student wanted to practice for their qualifying exam, Hartwig insisted on helping until the last day. Additionally, when the advisee's funding was nearing its end, Hartwig secured transition support to bridge the gap.
The nominator reflected on Hartwig's cheerful and positive mentorship style, noting that "through it all, he … always valued my ideas, he was never judgmental, he never raised his voice, he never dismissed me."
Hartwig characterizes himself as "highly supportive, but from the backseat." He is active with and available to his students; however, it is essential to him that they are the ones driving the research. "Graduate students need to experience increasing amounts of autonomy, but within a supportive framework that fades as they need to rely on it less and less as they become independent researchers," he notes.
Hartwig shapes the intellectual maturation of his students. He believes that graduate school is not solely about results or publications, but about whom students become in the process.
"The most important output of a PhD program is not your results, your papers, or your thesis; it's YOU," he emphasizes. His mentorship is built around this philosophy, creating an environment where students steadily evolve into independent researchers.
Importantly, Hartwig cultivates a culture where daring, unconventional ideas are not just allowed - they're encouraged. He models this approach through his own career, which has taken bold leaps across disciplines and technologies.
"MIT should do things only MIT can do," he tells his students. His message is clear: Graduate students should not be afraid to go against the grain.
This philosophy has inspired many of his students to explore nontraditional research paths, armed with the confidence that failure is not a setback, but a sign that they are asking ambitious questions. Hartwig regularly reinforces this, reminding students that null results and dead ends often teach us the most.
"They're the signposts you have to pass on the way to new territory," he says.
Ultimately, one of the most fulfilling parts of Hartwig's work is witnessing the moment when it all "clicks" for a student - when they begin to lead boldly, push back thoughtfully, and take true ownership of their research. "It's a beautiful thing when it happens," he reflects.
For Hartwig, mentorship is about fostering not only the skills of a scientist, but the identity of one. His students don't just grow in knowledge, they grow in courage, conviction, and clarity.
Wanda Orlikowski: Shaping research by supporting the people who make it happen
Wanda Orlikowski is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Information Technology and Organization Studies at MIT's Sloan School of Management. Her research examines technologies in the workplace, with a particular focus on how digital reconfigurations generate significant shifts in organizing, coordination, and accountability. She is currently exploring the digital transformation of work.
Through times of uncertainty, students always find support in Orlikowski. One of her nominators shared that they have encountered many moments of doubt during the research development phase of their dissertation. "I [have had] concerns … that I'm not making progress. I do all this work, and it's not going anywhere, I keep returning back to where I started," the mentee reflected.
Orlikowski has walked this advisee through those moments patiently and with great empathy, connecting her own experiences with those of her students. She often talks about the research process not being a straight line of progress, but rather a spiral.
"This metaphor … suggests that coming back to ideas again and again is in fact progress," rather than a failure. "Every time I come back to it, I'm at a higher plane, and I'm refining the same idea further and further," the nominator wrote.
Students say that Orlikowski makes an effort to support them through moments of doubt, turning these moments into opportunities for growth. "It has … been such a benefit for me to have her near-constant availability," the student said. "She listens to my thoughts and lets me just talk and spitball ideas, without her interrupting."
Orlikowski pushes and prods her students to elaborate, clarify, and expand their thoughts. She does this proactively, spending many hours every week talking to her students, reading their writing, and making scrupulous comments on their work.
Orlikowski has been remarkably perceptive when her students need support. One of the nominators struggled during their first holiday season in the PhD program, unable to visit their family. Orlikowski noticed the student's isolation and reached out, inviting the student to her family's Christmas dinner, a gesture that turned into a heartwarming tradition.
"I gave her an orchid that first year, and to this day, it continues to bloom each year. Wanda regularly sends me pictures of it, and the joy she expresses in keeping it alive means so much to me. I feel that in her care, both the orchid and our connection have flourished," the mentee remarks.
"One of the things I've appreciated most about Wanda is that she has never tried to change who I am," the nominator adds. They go on to describe themselves as not a very strategic or extroverted person by nature, and for a long time, they struggled with the idea that these qualities might hinder their success in academia. "Wanda has helped me embrace my true self."
"It's not about fitting into a mold," Orlikowski reminded the student, "It's about being true to who you are, and doing great work." Her support has made the student comfortable with their approach to both research and life.
The academic world often feels like it rewards self-promotion and strategic maneuvering, but Orlikowski has alleviated much of her students' anxiety about whether they can be competitive without it. "You don't have to pretend to be something you're not," she assures them. "The work will speak for itself."
Orlikowski's support for her students extends beyond encouragement; she advocates for their work, helping them gain visibility and traction in the broader academic community. "It's not just words - she has actively supported me, promoting my work through her network of students and peers," the nominator articulated.
Her belief in her mentees, and her willingness to support their work, has had a profound impact on their academic journey.
