At Elemental, we know that great research and innovation don’t happen in isolation-they thrive when people support and learn from each other. That’s why we’ve created our Mentoring Programme: to connect Early Career Researchers with experienced academics and industry professionals, helping you grow, learn, and collaborate.
Why Join a Mentor Programme?
Starting out in research or moving into your next career step can be tricky. Our mentoring scheme gives you the chance to:
- Get guidance from people who’ve been there-whether in academia, industry, or research leadership.
- Explore your ideas or your career options with a mentor, who can act as a sounding board.
- Learn and share knowledge-mentoring is a two-way street, and your fresh perspective can help your mentor too.
The goal is simple: support your growth, while building connections that make the research community stronger for everyone.
What the Programme Offers
- Practical guidance & advice-from career planning to research challenges.
- Insight into different sectors-understand how academia and industry work.
- Community building-meet people who share your interests and might become future collaborators.
Think of it as an informal, flexible way to learn from someone with experience, complementing other support you may already have at your university or workplace.
Who Can Join
The programme is open to all Elemental-partner ECRs:
- PhD students
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Other early-career staff
Mentors take on one mentee at a time so you get focused guidance.
How It Works
- Sign up– Fill out a short online form with your goals, interests, and the mentor (or type of mentor) you’d like.
- Connect with your mentor-Reach out to one of mentors, or, if you prefer, our team will carefully pair mentees with mentors to make sure it’s a good fit.
- Meet your mentor-We’ll help to introduce the new relationship, providing a handy guide to help you get started.
- Connect your way-Meetings can be virtual or in-person. You and your mentor decide the schedule and format that works best.
Join the programme
- ECRs (mentees): Register your interest via the mentee form https://forms.office.com/e/v86fSqFnAN
- Researchers & industry professionals (mentors): Join the mentor pool via the mentor form https://forms.office.com/e/ZZS6RZN3BN
Questions? Contact the Elemental admin team at elementalmetalhub@kent.ac.uk
