 He did postdoctoral training in biophysics at the NIH, and spent a year at Columbia University New York training in structural biology with Eric Gouaux.Mayer's research interests are in Biophysics, Glutamate receptors, Structural biology and Ion channels.Mayer was awarded a Harkness Fellowship in 1980, a Beit Memorial Fellowship in 1982, and the Society for Neuroscience young investigator award in 1979.