Background: Science identity formation is integral to the transformation from a student to a member of the STEM workforce. However, the formation of a student's science identity is affected by various factors such as support from mentors and community members, the student's perception of their peers' acceptance of them, as well as the student's own perception of their role in research. The aim of this study is to investigate mentors' understanding of science identity formation, their mentoring

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... tyle, and if it is effective when working with students from historically excluded populations. A phenomenological approach was used to conduct this study. Structured interviews were conducted with natural history collections faculty members of various backgrounds and career levels. Results: Three themes emerged that contribute to science identity formation through mentoring: 1. Factors for science identity formation; 2. Mentorship among different career stages, and 3. Defining own mentoring style. Predominantly, participants realized that their own experience as a mentee shapes how they approach mentoring.Conclusions: Although this study describes the mentee's science identity formation from the mentor's point of view, the study's participants realized the importance they play in a student's science identity formation, and that mindful mentoring is necessary for success when engaging historically excluded groups in the STEM workforce.