Responses to our ECR survey indicated that ECRs are looking to develop their mentoring skills to, amongst other things, start preparing for future supervision responsibilities, and to forge stronger links with the HDR community. With that in mind, the ECR representatives, Chelsea Barnett, Joel Barnes and Anna Temby, have been working with the HDR representative, Joshua Black, to develop a new mentoring scheme that will take place in 2021. This scheme will pair ECRs with HDRs in a mentor/mentee relationship, creating space for HDRs to ask questions and get advice from somebody who has successfully completed their doctoral study in this recent, challenging environment, and for ECRs to offer advice about how they navigate the various elements of academic life.
This will be a scheme that runs from February to November 2021, and is for AHA members only. (Remember to head to the AHA website if you want to sign up for new membership, or renew it!)
What you have to do:
Complete this Google form, making sure you let us know if you’re signing up to be a mentor (ECRs) or a mentee (HDRs). The form also asks what areas you’d like to focus on in the relationship: so, ECRs, do you think you can help with publishing, for example? Or career development? HDRs, would you like help with networking, for instance, or how to look for funding? Let us know.
We’ll use these responses to match people together; the now widespread use of Zoom means that we’re less concerned with where people are located, although if you and your mentor/mentee are geographically close (and relevant Covid restrictions allow), do feel free to meet in person.
We think that meeting every six to eight weeks is sufficient; at minimum, that means that you should be prepared to meet six times by the end of the year. However, if you both find that you’d like to meet more often, then please do! This is a self-directed program, where you and your mentor/mentee can really take the reins and create a schedule that works for you both. We’ll be checking in throughout the year, and of course are here to take questions should you have any, but otherwise will trust both parties to work and communicate with each other.
Applications for this scheme close Sunday 31 January, with respective pairs to be notified in February. Shoot us an email or contact us on Twitter if you’ve got any questions!