Postdoc Mentoring Scheme and Individual Career Development
Each postdoctoral researcher in QURS is supported by a mentoring team to ensure a high quality of further scientific development as well as the best possible counseling and support in their career planning and development. The mentoring team consists of the postdoc’s supervisor (Dienstvorgesetzte*r) and at least one independent senior scientist, who is in general from another scientific area.
The mentor is chosen by the postdoctoral researcher. An overview of potential mentors may be found on the QU Wiki. Please contact the QURS coordinators via qurs.champp"AT"uni-hamburg.de if you don't have access yet. Once a mentor has been identified a mentoring agreement (PDF) needs to be filled and returned to the QURS coordinators. By this step postdoctoral researchers formally become members of QURS. The postdoctoral researcher may request to change the mentor during the postdoctoral research stay.
At the core of the mentoring scheme are regular meetings of the postdoctoral researcher and their mentoring team – at least once per year. QURS offers an individual development plan (PDF) in the form of a questionnaire that is meant to support postdoctoral researchers and their mentoring team discussing career planning and development as well as scientific projects in a structured way. It is recommended to use this document as a guidance for the meetings with the mentoring team, though it is optional.
The following topics are covered in the individual development plan (IDP) to prepare the mentoring meetings:
- Current situation
- Scientific career and mentoring
- Grant proposals
- Networking and international visibility
- Teaching
- Outreach and Diversity
- Soft skills
- Career options outside academia
You can focus on the topics most relevant for you and also include further topics in your mentoring meetings.
In case the postdoctoral researcher needs a separate meeting with the mentor the postdoc is invited to arrange with the mentor on an individual basis.
The postdoc mentoring scheme is currently in a pilot phase. We would also be very grateful to receive your feedback on the scheme in general or amendments of the IDP template in particular.
You may give us direct feedback via qurs.champp"AT"uni-hamburg.de or get in touch with your CHAMPP postdoc council (qu-postdoccouncil"AT"desy.de).