Kinesiology professor honored with Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Mentoring

For Auburn University Professor Michael Roberts, mentoring students is the most rewarding part of his career. However, it’s far from the only part of his role as a professor. He also conducts research in his Nutrabolt Molecular and Applied Sciences Lab, where his work examines how training and diet influence molecular adaptations related to performance, aging, and overall health.

Roberts, whose lab is housed in the College of Education’s School of Kinesiology, has spent more than a decade on the Plains, mentoring students and exploring skeletal muscle biology, exercise physiology, and nutritional interventions. 

His high level of performance working with students and in the lab recently earned him a prestigious Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Mentoring.

“I’m fortunate to have graduated 18 fantastic doctoral students, and several of these individuals have gone on to have great careers,” Roberts said. “Their creativity, drive, and research papers that they have and continue to publish have made my job fulfilling and exciting.”

Roberts has secured more than $5 million in extramural funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense and has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.

A respected scholar and mentor, he has guided graduate students to remarkable success—co-authoring more than 120 publications, securing more than $100,000 in research funding and earning prestigious awards from Auburn and national scientific organizations. Through his mentorship, Roberts has helped many students pursue postdoctoral positions, tenure-track faculty roles and leadership positions in industry. Known for his supportive, research-driven approach, Roberts provides detailed feedback, professional guidance and networking opportunities that help shape the next generation of scholars.

“The success of Dr. Roberts’ students is a result of his exceptional mentorship,” said Matthew Miller, interim director of the School of Kinesiology. “His students publish so many peer-reviewed journal articles and acquire so much external funding because he works tirelessly to give them feedback about their research protocols, manuscripts, and grant proposals and provide them encouragement.”

Miller said Roberts is always available for his students while they are working in their offices or his laboratory throughout the workday, and the dedicated professor spends up to 50 hours per month during nights and weekends providing his students with edits and comments about their research documents.

“The success of Dr. Roberts’ students in receiving awards at scientific conferences and finding outstanding employment opportunities upon graduation is due to his efforts to secure funding for the students to travel to prestigious conferences, where they present their work and network with leaders in their field,” Miller said.

Roberts said his inspiration for his mentorship style came from his own postdoctoral mentor, Frank Booth, Emeritus Professor at the University of Missouri, who once said “You won’t be best remembered for the papers or grants, but for the people you’ve trained.”

“That really hit home with me and set the tone for my mentoring approach,” Roberts said. “Treat students with respect and have a genuine interest in seeing them succeed.”

Roberts has established four central tenets to mentoring, which include: treating students in his lab like he would treat his own four children, being consistently present and attentive, helping students define a strong career trajectory, and generating a well-defined blueprint that incrementally fosters critical thinking and independence.

“I feel like my four-pronged approach has trained my students to adopt an incredible work ethic and exhibit independence while critically thinking through their own independent projects,” Roberts said. “Moreover, my ‘work-father’ figure approach aims to influence the students in my laboratory to become compassionate and servant mentors, emergent leaders in their respective fields, and positive reflections of the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University.”

Max Michel, a current doctoral candidate being mentored by Roberts, said what sets his mentor apart is his unique ability to recognize and cultivate each student’s individual research passions.

“His mentorship extends beyond graduate students; he meaningfully involves undergraduates in research and publications, which is far from typical,” Michel said. “He believes in his students deeply and cultivates a lab environment grounded in positivity, respect, and excellence. His reputation precedes him; when I mention his name at conferences, it is often met with a warm reception and genuine respect. His mentorship has been the cornerstone of my academic and professional growth.”

Established in 2012, the Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Mentoring annually recognizes two faculty who demonstrate a strong commitment to undergraduate and graduate student research and creative scholarship, whose efforts support Auburn students interested in careers in research and creative works, and who have shown outstanding services to students.

“I’m honored,” Roberts said. “Since being at Auburn, I’ve seen a lot of great faculty members win this award. Being selected this year sort of validates that what I’m trying to do with mentoring is making an impact on students’ lives and careers.”