Would you like to support a Cambridge Postdoc by becoming their mentor?

28 February 2024

University staff are being encouraged to put themselves forward to become a Postdoc mentor. 

The Postdoc Academy are looking to expand their pool of mentors and to offer Postdocs an opportunity to reflect and develop career conversations. 

A mentor’s role will entail supporting and identifying a Postdoc’s professional goals and help them to overcome challenges.  

Previous mentors have expressed some of the benefits of helping a Postdoc, these include:- 

  • Rejuvenating their interest in aspects of their own work or current role.  

  • Learning about other departments, other sectors and different working practices.  

  • The personal satisfaction of giving back and interacting with the next generation of researchers.  

  • Being prompted to think about their own personal development and goals.   

“I had not realised how much I would get out of the process. First, in terms of being made aware of how far I had come over 25 years myself in overcoming some of the challenges my career had brought with it.  

Second, how my experience could help others at a much earlier stage in their career. Finally, how much pleasure I would get from seeing the progression that my mentee made in the year I have been mentoring her.” 

As a Mentor, you will:- 

  • Be individually matched with a Postdoc/early career researcher from the University of Cambridge. 

  • Aim to meet with your Mentee for one hour, once a month over 9 months  

  • Be supported by the Postdoc Academy mentoring team with online resources, and optional training and support sessions.  

The next round of mentoring will start in May, the deadline to apply to be a mentor in this round is Sunday 10 March 2024. The Postdoc Academy accept applications on a rolling basis so you can apply anytime to be a mentor in one of the future rounds, which take place three times a year. 

For any questions and how to apply visit:- Mentoring | Postdoc Academy (cam.ac.uk)

If you have any questions for the mentoring team, please get in touch with the team at mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk