Our mentorship programme is designed to provide external input on career and scientific challenges to early-career researchers in the field of HRI. It is intended for UK applicants only. Mentorships are typically conducted online, and we do not offer any financial compensation or travel support. Mentors are generally expected to be from a different institution than their mentees.
Interested researchers should fill out a form to request mentorship or short-term advice. The form will ask for your name, affiliation, position, and research interests. You will also be asked to provide a problem statement or question and the anticipated duration of the advisory period, indicating whether you need help with a short-term problem or are interested in longer-term mentorship.
You can indicate a preference for an advisor or mentor from the list of advisors on our homepage, but we will ultimately arrange the mentorship depending on availability and other factors.
The application will also ask if your problem or question can be listed anonymously on our website, along with a best-practice answer we provide.
Once a mentor is arranged, you and your mentor should agree on the mentorship process at the beginning of your relationship. This includes discussing potential conflicts of interest, such as grant applications. You should also clarify how any IP is going to be handled before starting advisory activities. Other topics to agree on include the duration and frequency of activities, the medium (online or in-person), and the degree of confidentiality.
Once both parties reach a consensus, you are expected to commit to the relationship under the agreed terms.
As a Mentee, you are expected to:
Communicate your circumstances clearly and honestly.
Ask questions when you don't fully understand.
Provide your mentor with information about your organization, occupation, and career to help them provide advice.
Act on career development advice and accept differing perspectives.
Own the relationship, making decisions and guiding the mentor on the direction you wish to take.
Seek and act on feedback from your mentor as you develop the conversation.
As a Mentor, you are expected to:
Provide insight into your work and career.
Offer practical tips for a job search strategy and give advice on career thinking.
Help the mentee with problem-solving and developing their skills.
Encourage reflection and celebrate effective practices.
Identify areas for development and help improve the mentee's self-confidence.
Further recommended guidelines for a successful mentorship can be found here:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/sites/human_resources/files/ucl_mentoring_handbook_website.pdf