Background
Mentoring can be beneficial in skill development, career and goal planning, developing successful networks, confidence building, developing managerial/leadership capabilities, and understanding organisational structures.
Mentoring relationships support the professional and personal growth of mentees through the development of new skills, finding new approaches to old problems, identifying areas for professional growth and accessing a wider professional network. These strategies are provided through the guidance or sponsorship offered by a mentor.
Mentors are chosen and matched with mentees based on their relevant skills, knowledge, experience, or influence. Through the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentor may assist the mentees in developing future career goals and defining a framework to assist the mentee in reaching those goals.
Participation
The CBNS-led mentoring program is a formal mentoring arrangement. It is expected that the mentor-mentee relationship may last through the progression of the mentees current postdoctoral research project. Through the development and progression of the mentorship, the interaction may be focused on a particular challenge or concern, or on broad career questions. The agenda is led by the mentee – the mentor is there to facilitate, not influence decisions.
Applications are welcomed from Early Career Researchers (ECR) and Mid Career Researchers. The CBNS Mentoring Team will match applicants with a mentor – who may be within or external to the Centre. While CBNS postgraduate students may not formally participate in the mentoring program, support for students will continue to be provided by resources available at each node/institution. We encourage students to interact with senior research leaders and ECRs at their local node and more broadly with CBNS members through regular research and training opportunities.
The application timeframe will be announced shortly
Mentoring team
The CBNS Mentoring Team is supported by CBNS CIs Professor Maria Kavallaris AM (UNSW), Professor Stephen Kent (UoM), Dr Natalie Jones (Chief Operating Officer) and Mrs Cassie Statkevitch (Senior Centre Administrative Officer).
Guidelines and documents
The Mentoring Program offers specialised guidance in CBNS disciplines and areas of research. The following documents provide details on how to participate in the program, along with general information about mentoring, including:
- the benefits of a mentoring relationship
- how to make the mentor-mentee relationship work
- the role of a mentor
- how to find a mentor
- the responsibilities of a mentee
Documents for Mentors
CBNS Mentor Program Matching Form for Mentors
Documents for Mentees
CBNS Mentor Request Form for Mentees
Useful information
An effective matching method for a scientific mentoring program
NB: The CBNS acknowledges the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia, from which much of our program was developed.
