Mentoring Circles - Postdocs

What are Mentoring Circles?

Mentoring circles are mentoring sessions in which a small group of postdocs are provided a mentor.  They will allow a postdoc to receive mentoring support alongside the opportunity to meet other postdocs with similar interests, challenges, concerns and who may be at the same stage of their career, therefore finding solutions to problems whilst building connections.

This mentoring opportunity is part of our commitment under the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

Benefits of the Mentoring Circles

Mentoring circles provide many of the same benefits to traditional mentoring, with some added advantages including:

• Building connections and expanding networks
• Peer to Peer support
• Sharing ideas and plans around career development
• Broader variety of discussions

How do Mentoring Circles work and what is the time commitment?

The group will be constructed based on preferences provided on registration and will all have similar objectives for taking part in mentoring.  What is discussed, a schedule, and the focus of the mentoring circles is decided by the group in the initial meeting.  We ask that discussions remain confidential to allow individuals to feel comfortable contributing and sharing.

The group composition will include 3 or 4 mentees, who will typically be postdocs, and 1 lead mentor, usually a more senior academic.  To get the most out of these Mentoring Circles we strongly encourage mentees to attend all sessions. We suggest the mentoring circles should meet over a 6-month period from 3^rd February – 31^st July 2025 and we encourage everyone in the group to get the meeting dates in the diary at the first meeting, to ensure everyone can attend.  The meetings’ frequency and duration will be decided by the group, but we suggest meeting 4-6 times, for 1-1.5hr each time. 

How does the matching work?

Mentees will be matched with colleagues who are at a relatively similar stage, have common interests, objectives and goals for taking part. The mix of disciplines will of course depend on who registers. Mentors will be considered for their area of research and linked to the expectations of mentees. 

What if the mentoring circle is not right for me after all?

Once matched, if any mentee decides not to continue and / or feels that the group mentoring isn’t working for them, this is completely fine.  There is no obligation to continue in a mentoring circle if it’s not supporting your interests, career goals and development.  We do ask that you let the group mentor and IAD know, so we can update our details accordingly.

Role of the mentor in the mentoring circles

Mentors will be able to share their professional experiences, knowledge, and skills with a wider pool of researchers.  Being a mentor can help you to develop your communication and interpersonal skills and allow you the opportunity to reflect on your own practice. 

The Mentoring Circles should be an informal space where everyone feels encouraged and comfortable to speak but mentors should still be focused on running the session based on the group aims and objectives and we encourage them to adopt their own method of facilitation for the session.  

How can I get involved?

If you are interested in taking part in Mentoring Circles during Academic Year 2024/25, please see the key dates below:

Applications to participate in the programme, as a mentor or postdoc mentee will open on 1^st November.  The application form consists of a short MS Form, gathering only the relevant information around your role, experience and what are you looking to get out of the mentoring. The number of participants accepted will depend on the number of mentors available.

Matching will be carried out by the IAD's Researcher Development Team early December, and an email will be sent to both mentor and mentee applicants to inform them of the outcome of their application mid-December.

The IAD will be running a launch event (in person, 1.5 hrs) on 29^th January 2025 , where mentors and mentees will meet, to provide more information on how to make the best of this mentoring opportunity.  All mentees and mentors are required to attend.

Mentoring resources

For further information on mentoring, please have a look at the IAD Mentoring Resources page.