The STARS mentoring scheme is designed to give final year undergraduates at Surrey access to the advice and experience of a doctoral researcher. As well as supporting them in the later stages of their degree, it is an opportunity for them to learn about postgraduate work, and see something of the mysterious world of professional research. For our mentors, it’s an opportunity to develop mentoring experience, pass on their knowledge, and contribute to the wider scholarly community. You also receive a digital badge to certify your mentoring contribution, as it is a recognised way to build leadership and coaching skills.

We are urgently looking to recruit a new cohort of mentors for this year. If you would like to be part of this programme – which includes free training in mentoring – we would love to hear from you. The scheme is open to all disciplines and researchers at any stage, though it’s ideal for first-year doctoral researchers.

Mentors and mentees are paired at the beginning of July, and have meetings (usually an hour a month) between September and May.

Details of what is involved in being a mentor ( you are not asked to edit their dissertation for them 🙂) can be found here: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/researcher-development-programme/mentoring/be-a-mentor

All you need to do is complete the mentor application form, making sure to tick the ‘STARS’ box in Q.11, and attend our virtual mentoring workshop. You can sign up to the session through Surrey Self Service; the next workshop is 1-3pm, Friday 19th June.

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The STARS scheme is part of the Doctoral College’s wider mentoring offering

• Transitions Mentoring: early-stage doctoral students supported by more experienced peers
• Early Career Researcher Mentoring: support from more experienced colleagues for researchers beginning their careers
• Employer Mentoring: find connections with someone in an industry or sector you are interested in, with support for career development and networking.
• Our Doctoral College careers team are experienced in coaching and mentoring. They can offer one-to-one appointments if you would like a career-coaching session, or to learn more about this approach.

We welcome applications to be a mentor or mentee on any of these schemes. Full details can be found here. Or for any queries, email RDP@surrey.ac.uk.