The value of mentorship in your academic career
Published: 9 December 2020
Anna Henschel’s experience in seeking out a board of mentors enabled her to build a powerful support structure.
Who comes to mind, when you hear the word ‘mentor’? Do you think about your supervisor, or your line manager? Or a fictional character in the Star Wars universe with a weird, linguistic quirk?
In a recent Nature article, Anna Henschel writes about the value of recruiting an “unofficial board of mentors” to complement the already existing professional relationships you have with your supervisors or managers. This unofficial board of mentors can consist of people who give you career advice, who provide emotional support and those who can help you develop a specialised skill set.
Research has shown that especially PhD students can benefit from additional mentoring and support, with those seeking mentors outside of their supervisory relationships more likely to complete their degrees.
Luckily, at the University of Glasgow, there are also various programs for early career researchers interested in a more formal mentorship agreement. The PhD Society recently launched their peer-to-peer mentoring program, which, in its first iteration, was already met with overwhelming interest. 90 peer-to-peer mentors were matched up.
For postdoctoral researchers, the Glasgow Crucible, a leadership program, might be of interest, as the 2021 round will be accepting applications in Spring/ Summer 2021.
You can read the full story, published on the 25th of November as part of the Nature Careers column, here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03339-5
References
Henschel, A. (2020). Why seek a single mentor when you can have three-or more. Nature.
First published: 9 December 2020
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