Mentors enrich our community through the generous sharing of their expertise and insights.

Our mentors are accomplished experts in their respective fields, boasting extensive experience working with students, researchers, clients, executives, and entrepreneurs, and building successful relationships.

Within our nonprofit community, we leverage the expertise of seasoned research and teaching professionals, as well as experienced industry practitioners, to provide valuable mentoring. Through this initiative, individuals can receive support, establish and achieve realistic goals, expand their network, enhance well-being and resilience, and advance personally and professionally.

If you're considering starting your research journey, teaching, or a combination of both, or if you're already involved in research in any capacity, especially in the early stages, and you need support from someone with experience and knowledge in research, industry, or both, to listen to your perspectives, expose you to other viewpoints, and share their lived experiences of research or practice, you can benefit from a mentor.

As a mentee, you have the opportunity to receive support from mentors within your faculty, department, lab group, and organisation, or connect with mentors externally. Both options offer numerous benefits. Here in our community, we ensure that you don't feel isolated and aren't limited to internal support. You can receive guidance on research, industry trends, career opportunities, self-care and well-being strategies, networking, and gain fresh perspectives to broaden your horizons and develop new skills.

Our mentors and mentees are encouraged to uphold our ethical guidelines, ensuring a high level of integrity, respect, confidentiality, and transparency. While our mentors generously provide their expertise to give back to the community, many of them have multiple commitments outside this community, are engaged in various projects, and maintain an active LinkedIn page and/or an ORCID profile. We encourage both mentors and mentees to familiarise themselves with our mentorship code of conduct.

 

Complementary Mentoring as a reciprocal relationship to foster continuous growth & development

Our nonprofit research community offers three categories for support and empowerment in a vibrant ecosystem of knowledge sharing and professional development.
Our volunteer-led research community offers three categories for support and empowerment in a vibrant ecosystem of knowledge sharing and professional development. We are here to empower those who can do better with a little extra support.
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Future MPhil and Doctoral Candidate eMentoring

Mentors help mentees clarify their research topic, research goals, reflect on their motivation and future plans

  • Discuss your research interests and ideas
  • Reflect on your ideas and identified gaps
  • Introspect on your motivation and long-term goals
  • Develop a grounded understanding of the challenges and rewards of PhD studies
  • Gain insights into how to assess the academic culture of your future institution
  • Learn how to take on smaller research projects or training to gain experience and build confidence
  • Better understand your rights
Mentor Me
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Researcher Development eMentoring

For Current Research Students
Mentors listen actively, offer support, pass on their experience, and empower your research journey and personal wellbeing

  • Reflect on what has or hasn't worked, and indentify areas for growth
  • Gain a deeper understanding of academic culture and norms
  • Gain insights into priotising your wellbeing and mental health
  • Brainstorm practical applications of your research
  • Gain confidence to advocate for oneself and effectively deal with academic mistreatment
  • Connect and don't feel isolated
  • Better understand your rights
Mentor Me
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Industry-Academia Peer to Peer eMentoring & Networking

Peer-to-peer mentoring involves collaborative learning between peers with similar experience, offering mutual support for mutual growth

  • Connect and explore mutual interests
  • Learn from each other and share your unique perspectives
  • Explore co-authoring opportunities
  • Brainstorm industry insights dissemination strategies and outreach methods
  • Gain collaboration and funding insights
  • Reflect on societal impact of your initiatives
  • Exchange insights about workforce trends and opportunities
  • Develop cross-cultural insights
Mentor Me
Our valued volunteer mentors, dedicated professionals and experts with the highest ethical standards, value the personal nature of the mentor-mentee relationship. All shared insights will be treated with strict confidentiality.
Engage, Learn, Reflect, Network, Collaborate, and Uncover New Possibilities
Embrace the transformative power of connecting, sharing insights, and gaining fresh perspectives

How eMentoring works

eMentorship is a complementary offering from volunteer experts and thought leaders on our platform, subject to mentor availability.
1Formal versus informal mentoring
Informal mentoring is a relationship where two people provide each other with guidance, support, and knowledge outside of formal programs. eMentoring provided by our valued volunteer mentors is informal, non-contractual, and occurs online at a time that suits both the mentor and the mentee.
2How many eMentoring sessions are typically offered?
There is no set expectation of a certain number of sessions that our volunteer mentors provide. It is part of our mutual agreement to support the community by providing 2-4 online mentoring sessions in a calendar year. The engagement entirely depends on the workload, professional commitments, and availability outside professional work hours of your mentor to engage in anything beyond 2-4 sessions. As volunteer mentors provide support as an act of service, we don't, and would be grateful if you as a mentee also don't, put pressure on your mentor to provide further support should they express their lack of availability. As a nonprofit research-practice linkage ecosystem, we would like to know that any support from our volunteer experts and thought leaders is appreciated by mentees and no unreasonable expectations are anticipated.
3What is the typical duration of an eMentoring session?
Each online mentoring session typically lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. To coordinate schedules, you may exchange a few brief emails or LinkedIn messages with your potential mentor. Please keep email and message communications concise, clear, and respectful. Avoid putting undue pressure on your mentor.
4Is all information shared during eMentoring sessions confidential?
Our valued volunteer mentors, dedicated professionals and experts with the highest ethical standards, value the personal nature of the mentor-mentee relationship. All shared information and exchanged insights will be treated with strict confidentiality and professionalism.
5How can I contact a potential mentor/collaborator?
We have a dedicated page showcasing our esteemed volunteer mentors alongside other valuable community members. This includes research content contributors and thought leaders.

Connect directly through LinkedIn:
For transparency, each mentor's profile includes their LinkedIn link, highlighting their areas of expertise and education. This allows you to directly connect and initiate a conversation with potential mentors.

Please note:
Responses may depend on a mentor's availability or how often they check LinkedIn.

Some mentors juggle large projects and research supervision, limiting their free time for additional commitments. Didn't receive a response?

If you reach out to a mentor or potential collaborator (for peer-to-peer mentoring/networking) and haven't received a response, don't hesitate to contact our moderator, Dr. Ebrahimi, through his LinkedIn page or support@skillsacademia.org.

Thriving through Shared Insights