PhD Supervisor Mentoring Scheme
What is it?
- a chance for early-career PhD supervisors to obtain advice from a more experienced supervisor
- a chance for experienced researchers to share their wisdom
- a chance for networking between SICSA institutions
Rationale
As part of the SICSA Graduate Academy’s aim to enhance research training and opportunities across Scottish HEIs, we want to encourage interaction between PhD supervisors across the various SICSA institutions. The SGA mentoring scheme provides supervisors with additional mentoring and advice beyond their own institution. It also harks back to one of the features of the original SICSA, where SICSA-funded PhD students were assigned a SICSA supervisor from a different SICSA institution.
The scheme is open to all academic staff at SICSA institutions. Supervisors are assigned a mentor from a different institution and you are encouraged to arrange regular meetings. SICSA supports this by matching colleagues and funding travel for in-person mentoring meetings.
The SICSA mentor is not a supervisor. They can offer guidance, support and encouragement based on their experience and expertise. It can be as formal or informal as you like. Mentees may wish to have their students (supervisees) join mentoring meetings, but this can be decided between mentee and mentor.
What’s in it for mentees?
- opportunity to meet more academics
- advice from an external point of view
- funding for in-person meetings
What’s in it for mentors?
- opportunity to meet new researchers
- advice from an external point of view
Eligibility & Conditions
Any academic at a SICSA institution is eligible to apply. We particularly encourage mentee applications from early-career researchers and postdocs.
SICSA will fund two in-person mentoring meetings per year. Mentors and mentees will also be invited to the annual SICSA PhD conference for a mentor networking session. Mentees will be asked to submit a short annual report.
The process
Prospective mentors and mentees should fill out the application form. Applications will be reviewed by the SICSA Graduate Academy Director and Deputy Director who will match-make mentors and mentees.