Postgraduate Research Mentoring

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTORING PROGRAMME WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/24

The Postgraduate Research (PGR) Mentoring programme supports new entrant PGR students as they settle into their first year of research through peer mentoring. It enables participating students to commence and complete their programme while making their broader university experience exciting, fulfilling and successful.

The programme was developed to address issues that can affect PGR students such as loneliness, anxiety, difficulty making friends, trouble getting started or finding information and integrating within the university and wider community. Through this programme, students are better supported to adjust to their new academic and social environment so that they can complete their research on time, maximise their postgraduate experience, while also expanding their network of researchers beyond their immediate chosen subject area to support them during and beyond their research degree.

The programme matches later stage students (Mentors) with incoming students (Mentees) based on college affiliation, background, experience and/or chosen subject area where possible. When you complete your student registration, you will be eligible to apply for a mentor. Mentee onboarding typically happens in early September and again in January. If you start later than these months, or decide you want mentoring at a later stage, you just need to email the programme coordinator at pgrmentoring@universityofgalway.ie, to be added to a group.

Please find further information in relation to Mentees, Mentors and Co-Ordinator below.

The Mentees

The mentee is any new entrant research student to the University of Galway. Signing up to become a mentee gives you access to a wide and supportive network of peer researchers, already embedded within their subject area, school, college, the University of Galway and the region.

Contact pgrmentoring@universityofgalway.ie to sign up!

The Mentors

A mentor, in this programme is a research student who has completed at least one year of their research. A programme guidebook and leadership training is offered to each mentor. All volunteers will receive an ALIVE certificate at the end of the mentoring programme.

The mentor's role is to:

Assist the new student mentee settle in to PGR lifestyle
Be available to answer any mentee questions
Send electronic updates and news periodically
Meet periodically with mentee groups, their mentor leader and the coordinator
Encourage mentees to get involved with activities within the University of Galway
Act as a ‘sign post’ service, indicating where the mentee can find information

Each mentor should be prepared to commit 1 hr per week over a 5 month period, for scheduled meetings and ad-hoc communication with mentee groups, mentor groups and co-ordinator.

Becoming a mentor will

develop your leadership skills
improve your communication and interpersonal skills
enhance your organisational and management skills
broaden your network
improve the student experience for new entrant PGR students

Contact pgrmentoring@universityofgalway.ie to sign up as a mentor!

Mentor Groups

Mentor groups are typically made up of one mentor, and 5 to 10 other mentees. Mentors are not always assigned mentees in similar research areas as this programme aims to avoid providing academic support in place of the student’s supervisor(s). However all mentors are supported through their own mentor leader as well as through the knowledge network.

Knowledge Network

The knowledge network is the repository of mentor and mentor leader experience and knowledge. This network facilitates matching of mentees with a mentor from any subject area/discipline/school while also providing a resource to find information relevant to them. This resource discovery operates through electronic communication channels.

An example of the use of the knowledge network would be:

A new entrant PhD student in the discipline of English asks a question about contacting someone in their relevant school office (School of English & Creative Arts, in this case). Their mentor is a student in the discipline of Geography and does not know the answer. The mentor communicates with the knowledge network, containing all the volunteers on the PGR mentoring programme. Another mentor or mentor leader in that group, a student in the School of English & Creative Arts, can answer the question.

The Mentor Leader

A mentor leader acts as a mentor to the mentors in this programme. Typically a mentor leader will be in a later stage of their research degree programme with prior mentoring experience. A programme guidebook and leadership training is offered to each mentor leader. All volunteers will receive an ALIVE certificate at the end of the mentoring programme.

The mentor leader role is to:

Assist the coordinator in managing the programme
Monitor mentor groups
Ensure mentor-mentee meetings are happening
Report any issues that may arise
Facilitate the knowledge network through group discussions

Each mentor leader should be prepared to commit one hour every alternate week over a 5 month period, for scheduled meetings and ad-hoc communication with mentor groups and co-ordinator.

Becoming a mentor leader will