Mentoring

Mentoring is an effective tool for promoting early-career researchers. It supports them in strategically planning and developing their academic careers. In addition to informal forms of mentoring—such as through colleagues or graduate schools—faculty mentoring programs offer structured support and targeted inspiration.

Usually, mentoring is a medium- to long-term, trusting relationship in which an experienced person (mentor) accompanies a less experienced person (mentee) on their professional and personal development path. The focus is on individual support, sharing successes and failures in a safe space, and passing on experiential knowledge.

The University of Bern offers the following faculty mentoring programs. Most programs are open to all junior academics; the mentoring program of the Faculty of Medicine is specifically aimed at female researchers.