His lab works on the structure and function of ligand gated ion channels using X-ray diffraction, biochemical, and electrophysiological techniques. He received the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator award in 1989 for work with Dr/ Gary Westbrook on Ca permeability and Mg block of NMDA receptors and an NIH Merit award in 2003. Dr. Mayer is listed in the ISI highly cited researchers data base. His H-index is 50, and papers from his lab have been cited more than 15,000 times by other groups. He has served on the NIH MDCN3 study section; the editorial boards of Molecular Pharmacology, The Journal of Neuroscience and The Journal of Neurophysiology; the tenure committees of NICHD and NINDS; and he was chair of the 2004 Ion Channels Gordon Research Conference.