careerMe - Mentoring Programme

Postdoctoral researchers and tenure track professors are to be strengthened in their respective career phases and specifically supported in the realization of their individual career goals in order to increase the chances of a long-term career in science. In addition, the programme can prepare them for taking on leadership roles, support them in building up a professional network, and promote exchange among like-minded people. Mentors can act as role models and provide insights into the unwritten rules of the scientific system.
It is therefore not about professional support.

Mentors also benefit from participating in the programme. Among other things, interdisciplinary networks can be expanded through exchange with other mentors and new impulses for their own work can be gained.

The focus of one-to-one mentoring is on personal exchange between mentor and mentee. Thus, regular meetings of the tandems are to take place, in person or online. The mentee takes the active role.
The basis for the mentoring relationship is a mentoring agreement, which is concluded at the kick-off event. Depending on the number of applicants and the capacities of the mentors, group mentoring (one mentor, several mentees) may also be offered in individual cases.

The programme runs for one year. The next round will start in October/November 2024.
The framework programme will be in German.

The programme includes at least one kick-off event and one closing event. Specific dates and further requirements, e.g. on workshop topics, are queried after the matching process. In addition, mentees are free to take advantage of individual career coaching.
A preparatory workshop is offered for mentees before the kick-off event. Mentors are also given the opportunity to prepare for their respective roles.
Participation in the framework programme is obligatory for mentees.

Framework programme:
Programme 2024/25 (in German)

Postdoctoral resaerchers who have submitted their dissertation, who are affiliated with the University of Erfurt during the programme period (October 2024 to October 2025) and can participate in the events (presence) can be considered as mentees. In addition, tenure track professors can participate as mentees.
English speakers can also register, although the framework programme will be held in German.
The prerequisite in all cases is the completion of the online application form (see under Application). However, this does not automatically lead to participation in the programme. On the one hand, sufficient mentors must have declared their willingness to participate in the programme, and on the other hand, the thematic and content-related ideas must match. Therefore, after receipt of all applications and all profile sheets of the mentors, a detailed matching process takes place, in which the topic wishes of the potential mentees and the topics in which the mentors can support are compared.

Mentors can be experienced professors who have held a professorship for at least three years and who are interested in supporting postdocs or career track professors in their careers. Prior to the start of the programme, a profile sheet must be submitted to enable the matching process (see under Application).

Be sure to read the data privacy statement on the mentoring programme before submitting your application or sending the profile form.

Please read the guidelines before applying as a mentee.
An application as a mentee is possible until 31. August 2024.
 

Application as a mentee (online form)

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please submit the profile form to the programme coordinator.

The careerMe mentoring for postdoctoral researchers and career track professors is offered for the first time in 2022.
In this first round, seven mentors and eight mentees participate.

First, the mentors had the opportunity to participate in a workshop to prepare them for their role as mentors.
On June 1, 2022, the programme was officially launched with the kick-off event.
At the beginning, Prof. Dr. Benedikt Kranemann, Vice President for Research and Graduate Services, welcomed all participants. He thanked the mentors in particular for their commitment and pointed out the importance of such programmes for young researchers.
Dr. Katharina Held, Head of the President's Office and Staff Unit University Development, also welcomed the participants.
The programme coordinator, Franziska Frank, then led the participants through the evening. First, the participants of the kick-off event got to know each other in a pleasant and lively atmosphere. Afterwards, the tandem partners came together to fill out the mentoring agreement, in which goals, contents and expectations within the mentoring relationship were recorded. "It was a very successful kick-off. We are looking forward to the rest of the programme and are optimistic that the tandems will be a good fit for each other and work together successfully," said Franziska Frank, summarizing the start of the programme.

On 28.10.2022, a half-day workshop on the topic of "Appointment Procedures" was held for the mentees under the direction of Mirjam Müller. In addition to explanations of the appointment procedure, tips on the written application were given. Furthermore, compact knowledge was imparted on how to appear before the appointment committee. Overall, the participants were very satisfied with the workshop.

Insights into their personal experiences from the first round are also provided by Prof. Dr Sandra Neumann, who participated as a mentor, and Dr Marlen Bunzel, who participated as a mentee. Read our interviews here.

Interview Prof. Dr. Sandra Neumann (mentor)

Interview Dr. Marlen Bunzel (mentee)

On 02 May 2023, the successful conclusion of the first round of the programme was celebrated. The Vice President for Research and Graduate Services, Prof. Dr. Benedikt Kranemann, once again thanked all participants, especially the committed mentors.
The mentees also thanked their mentors through a presentation. After the handover of the certificates of participation, the evening ended with nice conversations.
Overall, the event was a successful conclusion to the first mentoring round!

Starting with the mentoring round 2023/24, there is offered a programme line for doctoral students in addition to the programme line for postdoctoral researchers and Career Track professors.

The new mentoring round started at the end of May 2023 with a preparatory workshop for mentors and mentees for both programme lines.
In these workshops, the mentors and mentees were prepared for their respective roles and participation in the programme.

The joint kick-off event took place on 06.06.2023. After a welcome by Prof. Dr. Benedikt Kranemann, Vice President for Research and Graduate Services, and Dr. Katharina Held, Head of the President's Office and Staff Unit University Development, the programme participants got to know each other better. Afterwards, the tandems filled out a mentoring agreement to record organisational and content-related aspects of the future mentoring relationship.

At the end of June, postdoctoral researchers had the opportunity to take part in a two-day training course on appointment procedures, which was rated very positively by the participants.

In July, a network meeting was held at which mentors and mentees had the opportunity to exchange ideas with each other.

In October, the mentors were given the opportunity to reflect on their previous mentoring activities and exchange ideas in an externally moderated workshop.

Another network meeting was held in November, at which the programme coordinator was given feedback on the progress to date.

At the closing event on 23 April 2024, the participants were presented with a certificate of participation in the programme by the Vice President for Research and Academic Careers, Prof. Dr André Brodocz. The mentors also received a small thank-you gift.
The 2023/24 mentoring round is now over. We are already looking forward to the next round!