Mentor programme for postdocs
Registration open - please see below
The mentor programme offers one-to-one feedback with experienced colleagues in the period 2023 - 2025. The aim is to support young researchers´ competency and career development and inspire them to a research career at UCHP, hospitals or in the industry. There are 40 mentor-mentee couples in each round.
Structure and content of the programme
Mentorship pairs are put together by consultant Lisa Ott based on individual mentee needs and mentor experience and knowledge.
It is important to ensure a certain organisational distance between the mentee and mentor, and that they are not well acquainted before the mentorship is established.
It is a requirement that mentees participate in a half-day course on the mentor-mentee roles (week 10 and 11). The course is conducted by consultant Lisa Ott who has extensive experience with mentoring in general and for UCPH. New mentors can sign up for a half-day course or have an individual meeting with Lisa Ott (week 11).
The coming round of the mentor programme runs from 2 May 2024 to the end of March 2025. During this period, it is recommended that the mentor and mentee have six to ten meetings.
2 May 2024 from 16:00-18:00 there will be a joint kick-off workshop and in November 2023 a second joint workshop will be held after the mid-term evaluation to provide new insights and inspire the participants to structure and make the most of the remaining part of the programme.
Mentee:
What´s in it for you?
Quote from experienced mentor Professor Nicole Schmitt, Department of Biomedical Sciences:“You may ask yourself how you should find time in your busy schedule for being a mentor? A very relevant question - what's in it for me? Actually a lot. I am a regular mentor in the UCPH programme for assistant professors. Seeing the workplace through the eyes of the mentees made me reflect on my own leadership approaches and gave me other perspectives on UCPH as an organization. Realizing that my questions helped the mentees to develop was very rewarding, both as a professional and as a person. We attend many meetings - these ones really have an impact."
Sign-up here no later than 2 April 2024
Link to Lisa Ott´s website: Mentor program for postdocs – Lisa Ott
Selection criteria – for mentees
Selection criteria in order of priority:
1) Those who are not employed at SUND as Postdocs (These applicants will be rejected)
2) Those who are only employed at SUND for such a short time that it does not make sense. Requirements for a minimum of four months ' employment from the 1st of May. (This means that the date for the end of employment at SUND in June, July and August is not ok and that these applicants will be rejected).
3) Those who have participated in the programme before (will be put at the bottom of the waiting list)
4) Those who would be able to apply again to participate in the next round (will be put on the waiting list)
The fourth round with 40 matched mentors and mentees ran from 1 May 2022 to 31 March 2023.
65% of the mentees and 73% of the mentors have completed the evaluation forms.
These are some of the main topics that mentees list they have discussed with their mentors:
- Career planning, development and opportunities
- Leadership and working to become group leader
- Goal and priority setting
- Expectations towards postdocs from colleagues/boss(-es)
- Student supervision
- Research group dynamics and how to handle them
- How to move from postdoc to associate professor and further up
- Career in Academia vs. Industry – pros and cons + requirements
- How to move from academia to industry
- How to start my own lab
- Work-life balance, mental health, interests, personal development
- Guidance on life choices (values, career direction, motivation)
- Grant writing and funding structure
- Application process, Cv structure and job interview tips and tricks
- Academia in Denmark/at UCPH
- Teaching
These were some of the main topics that mentors list were discussed with the mentees:
- Career opportunities, planning, development and progression
- Deciding on a career path - values, motivation, skills
- Jobseeking process and getting feedback
- CV and cover letter preparation
- Funding opportunities and grant writing
- Building a research career in academia and getting papers published
- Frustrations about lack of academic progress
- Gender issues and issues of female staff taking on “academic care work”
- IP issues and spinning out a company from UCPH
- Developing and strengthening networking competences and making contacts
- Academia vs. industry (pros and cons)
- Transition to a job in the industry
- Working environment, workplace dynamics and collaboration
- Supervision of students
- Balancing work and family life
- Managing expectations, workload and stress
- Dealing with conflicts
- Confidence
- Teaching
- Life in Denmark, culture clash, adaptation, feeling at home
Overall the results are very positive, and most participants have a positive impression of the programme. Both mentors and mentees are generally satisfied with the mentor/mentee match, and they have both benefitted from participating. Most mentees would recommend other postdocs to participate in the programme and almost all mentors would like to be mentors another time.