AESA PROGRAMMES

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The AAS Mentorship Scheme

Transformed lives through science

Through the AAS mentorship scheme, mentees are prepared to become courageous, collaborative, open-minded, and resilient leaders in their pursuit of exceptional science career paths.

The AAS Mentorship Scheme is designed to enable African early career researchers to learn how to articulate their career and life goals, pursue them, and reflect upon their growth and impact. It enables mentors to remain motivated by their contribution to the development of a new generation of science leaders in Africa.  

Our Mentors are experienced professionals from industry, academia, think-tanks, innovators, policy makers etc. with the ability and commitment to guide another person’s career growth.

A CALL FOR MENTORS

We are seeking mentors who: -

  1. Have a passion for empowering rising research leaders in Africa
  2. Value mutual learning environments
  3. Are willing to share key skills and competencies that can enable another professional transition to higher positions in their career
  4. Are committed to listening to another professional and guiding them to address critical gaps in their career growth
  5. Are available and flexible to communicate with another professional via online channels

Prospectives mentors can register on AAS Online Mentoring Platform Mentornet   and Complete their profiles. They can refer to Mentornet user guide for ease of registration. 

Our Mentees are early to mid-career scientists who have completed their PhDs and are working in Africa-based higher education or research institutions. They seek support and guidance of a mentor in a range of career and personal development needs including scientific expertise; career pathways advice; policy engagement; leadership development; interdisciplinary collaboration; communication; entrepreneurship & innovation; publishing; fundraising & grant management; networking; well-being at the workplace; visibility; research management; science outreach; student supervision; and managing administrative duties.

The 2020 cohort of Mentees will be drawn from H3A, FLAIR and AAS Affiliates Schemes. Early-career researchers not part of these schemes may email mentoring@aasciences.africa.

Role of mentorship in science: Watch Video

Mentors don’t always have to be at the top of their career ladder, but they should have at least several years’ work experience on which to draw their advice. They are prepared and willing to invest time and effort into developing another scientist, share their own experiences and challenge the person in a constructive manner. AAS Fellows, grantees, and Affiliates with significant professional experience are eligible to become mentors. Other eligible mentors will be senior scientists or professionals with the ability to guide the mentee’s career growth. The mentors should be committed to dedicate at least one hour per month for online mentoring sessions and able to attend an annual face-to-face meeting of mentors and mentees

Mentees are early to mid-career scientists who have completed their PhDs and are working in an Africa-based higher education or research institution at the time of application. They are supported to address a range of career development needs including scientific expertise; career pathways advice; policy engagement; leadership development; interdisciplinary collaboration; communication; entrepreneurship & innovation; publishing; fundraising & grant management; networking; well-being at the workplace; visibility; research management; science outreach; student supervision; and managing administrative duties. The scheme will initially enrol mentees from the AAS postdoctoral programme and thereafter from her partner institutions. Interested mentees can email mentoring@aasciences.ac.ke.

A distance mentoring approach is adopted to ensure a wider pool of mentoring opportunities are provided, mentors and mentees are drawn from all over the world and can participate in a manner flexible and suitable to their working environments.

Enrollment to the scheme is through AAS Online Mentoring Platform Mentornet (https://aasciences.sfgmentornet.com/). Those with accounts may log in with their username and Password. 

Matching of mentees with mentors will account for the synergy between mentor’s areas of strength and mentee’s mentoring needs; any shared interests; alignment to one’s purpose; the willingness to develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship; and the availability of the mentors.

Meet the Team

Team Member
  • An expanded network of peers and role models in African science and development
  • Gaining new skills and competences e.g. on leadership, active listening, role modelling etc.
  • Learning first-hand of the challenges encountered by early- and mid-career researchers in Africa
  • Re-energizing the mentors’ career and gives one a personal satisfaction of contributing to scientific citizenship
  • Recognition and respect amongst peers
  • Widening one’s perspectives on career development pathways
  • Strengthening one’s interpersonal and communication skills
  • Boosting one’s confidence to explore the diversity in science careers
  1. Identify your mentoring strengths/needs
  2. Enrol as mentor/mentee
  3. Read/watch required training resources
  4. Await matching with mentee/mentor
  5. Attend your first mentor-mentee meeting
  6. Discuss mentoring goals & sign Mentoring Agreement
  7. Engage & nurture the mentoring relationship
  8. Review and provide feedback on the relationship
  9. Attend annual mentorship retreat
  10. Transition to mentor other scientists
  • Nominate mentors from your pool of experienced scientists/professionals
  • Co-host mentorship activities in an African institution/country
  • Support face-to-face meetings of mentors and mentees
  • Collaborate in tracking impact of career mentorship schemes in Africa

Mentors and mentees can download here resources to prepare for the mentorship scheme. These resources include enrolment guidelines, a Mentors Guide, a Mentee's Guide, frequently asked questions, and tips on how to maintain effective distance mentoring relationships.

For further information contact the AAS Mentoring Coordinators: mentoring@aasciences.ac.ke

 

Click to log in to the AAS Mentoring Scheme Portal