Our group mentoring program enables valuable exchange and networking with an experienced mentor on the one hand and with your own peers on the other.
In our group mentoring program, a small group of 6 to 8 mentees is formed on the basis of a chosen career path (academia, business or society) with a focus on specific topics (e.g. career strategies, leadership, reconciliation of family and career), and supervised by one mentor from this field. Mentees and mentor meet in regular, structured working meetings and exchange views on professional issues, career-related issues or everyday life. The mentoring takes place only within the group meetings. The duration of the program is 3 -6 months.
All doctoral researchers at the University of Stuttgart are invited to participate. In case of high demand, doctoral researchers in the second half of their doctorate will be given preference, as the number of participants is limited.
- Exchanging experiences with peers and a mentor from academia, business or society.
- Joint reflection, discussion, and mutual support regarding relevant professional, career, and everyday issues in a trusting, appreciative, and noncompetitive setting.
- Building and expanding your professional network.
Kick-off: During the initial kick-off meeting, which is organized and moderated by GRADUS, the mentor and the group get to know each other. The mentees' key topics, which they have communicated in advance, are prioritized together, and essential aspects are discussed to ensure that the mentoring becomes an inspiring and valuable experience for everyone.
Working meetings with the mentor: The following 3 to 6 working meetings with the mentor take place approximately once a month and are organized and moderated independently by the group. For each meeting, an organizer from the group is designated. It is recommended to send the topics for the upcoming meeting to the mentor in advance to allow for preparation.
Closing event: The group mentoring concludes with a closing event in which the results of the mentoring and the group's collaboration are reviewed. The closing event is moderated by GRADUS.
Step 1: At the beginning of each mentoring round, GRADUS selects dedicated mentors to encompass a broad spectrum of career paths – academia, industry, and society. The profiles of the mentors for each round are available on the GRADUS website when the call for applications is announced.
Step 2: During the registration process, mentees indicate their preferred mentor based on their intended career path and share the key topics they would like to be addressed during the mentoring.
Step 3: We strive to offer mentoring to all interested parties. However, if we receive more applications than there are spots available in the mentoring program, we reserve the right to make a selection. In this process, priority will be given to doctoral candidates in the later stages of their PhD.
Before the mentoring program starts, it is possible to participate in a decision-making workshop (in German) in order to gain clarity about one's own career path.
A general willingness to act as a mentor in the future is required.
To take part in the ExploreScience Peer-Mentoring Program, we ask the participants to pay a one-time participation fee of 20.00 Euros. This fee helps us finance the catering at our mentoring networking events.
Upcoming ExploreScience Group Mentoring Rounds
Ongoing ExploreScience Group Mentoring Rounds
Contact
Ekaterina Deckers
Coordinator Mentoring Programs
Nina Gillé
Assistant Mentoring Programs