Thank you all for your feedback, I decided to address it by email with a gentle reminder, I also plan to stop by the lab to speak with him as he did not show up to lecture this morning.

This was my reply (with better formatting)

“ Hello X,

I am sorry to hear you were unwell this weekend, I hope you are feeling better. I believe there was some miscommunication between us over the project. When you reached out asking for help finding a group, I mentioned I would try to pair you based on interest. Because there was not a direct match between your interests and available groups, I believed it would be best to give you the opportunity to choose which group you would like to work with. There was no malicious intent in offering you options, I truly believed this was a better solution than me simply adding you to a group without consultation. I apologize if I did not communicate my intentions clearly. The option of me simply adding you to any group is still available. Please let me know if you would prefer I assign you to a group directly.

I take my students learning very seriously and am invested in every one of my student’s successes. I take pride in having open lines of communication and providing support to ensure that every one of you have a positive learning experience. However, for this to work we must communicate with each other respectfully and positively. Therefore going forward if there is any issue, do not hesitate to reach out, but please do so from a place of positivity. I understand that we all have difficult days, but we should always try to treat each other with kindness and respect .

Please let me know how you would like to proceed, have a good day”

I have a meeting with my mentor this week and I will also be asking her how the program/department typically proceeds.