As a PhD student or new postdoc, it may not be easy to get practical work experience throughout the studies. How is working life outside of academia? To better understand how it works in industry or non-academic organisations, PlantLink offers a practical mentorship program for PhD students and postdocs in plant and food science. It works the other way around too! The mentorship programme is an excellent chance for companies and organisations to gain more insights into PhD students and postdoc work/needs.
We aim to create a viable meeting platform between students, industry and (governmental/non-governmental) organisations.
How does it work?
PlantLink’s mentorship program aims at PhD students and postdocs interested in plant and food science or related research. The mentor is supposed to work in a company or institution outside Lund University and SLU and be active in the plant/food/agricultural sector.
The mentorship program is based on a personal relationship between the mentor and the mentee, creating a mutually beneficial relationship in which experience, skills and ideas are exchanged. To increase chances for a successful partnership, the mentor and mentee are matched based on common interests and research/work areas. Everything is built on a personal level and tailored to the expectations of the company/organisation and the applicant.
The program increases the opportunities for developing cooperation between universities and companies. The PhD students and postdocs create valuable contact for their future occupations and get to share experiences and knowledge with people of similar interests.
The mentor program extends roughly 7 months, starting with a joint informal meeting between mentors and mentees at the end of May.
Who is the mentor?
The mentor is a plant/food-based company or organisation in Skåne or Greater Copenhagen area. Mentors serve as a sounding board, giving inspiration and guidance to their mentees concerning research, work-life and career development.
Prerequisite:
- Doctoral students and postdocs must be ready to allocate the time and energy required to maintain contact and relationship with the mentor during the program. The whole idea behind mentoring depends on the participants’ motivation and persistence.
- Participation in the program must be confirmed by the mentee’s closest manager (supervisor).
- The mentor participates voluntarily without compensation.
Matching and first meeting:
For a mentor to think of:
How can you, as a mentor, contribute to the mentee’s development?
What work-related aspects would you like to explore with the help of a mentee?
What were your own experiences in the transition time between studying and working?
For PhD students/postdocs to think of:
What do you expect from the mentorship program and interactions with your mentor?
What aspects of working life outside academia are you interested in?
Important! If the chemistry between the mentee and the mentor does not work, they both can raise a stop sign. PlantLink will then facilitate a different match.
Policies:
- It is the PhD student’s/postdoc’s responsibility to initiate and book meetings with the mentor.
- About three recurring appointments/meetings are organised by PlantLink, including a kick-off and closure of the program.
- The PhD student/postdocs will have a chance to visit the mentor’s working place.
- Certificate of participation will be provided to all successful program attendees.
How to apply?
Please, send the applications to PlantLink’s coordinator Anna Maňourová (anna.manourova@slu.se).
In the email, provide your CV and a motivation letter stating your background, research interest and program expectations in a text not exceeding 2500 characters (with spaces).
Please, carefully check the text because it will be presented to the companies/organisations during the matching process!
Download the PDF information leaflet here.
THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION IS 1 MARCH 2023!
