Every Fellow at IASH is expected to have a mentor or collaborator from the University of Edinburgh. This is to ensure that research conducted at the Institute has synergy with College and university priorities and themes and, for early career scholars, that the University is fulfilling its responsibilities under the terms of the Researcher Development Concordat to which it is signatory. Staff willing to act as mentors are key to the Fellowship experience: they can introduce Fellows to networks, invite them to speak in seminar series and ensure they feel welcome at the University. However, IASH does not seek to add an additional burden to staff workloads, so we do not overly formalise the mentor/mentee relationship, nor require any specific level of support. We do not expect or ask mentors to offer assistance with visas, housing, induction, bursaries and finance, training courses, access to facilities or equipment, office space, event planning or administration, as these are all part of the IASH offer. The IASH Director also meets with Fellows regularly to discuss their research and career development, but advice from a mentor within the Fellow’s own discipline can be useful as an addition to this. Typically, mentors from the University of Edinburgh might choose to: Meet with Fellows during their first few weeks to discuss their project Introduce Fellows to key colleagues within their centre, department or school Invite Fellows to present their work as part of a departmental seminar series Early Career Fellows (such as Postdoctoral Fellows) can also benefit from more targeted advice – but only if staff here have capacity to offer it – such as: Assistance with accessing teaching opportunities during their visit Review of manuscript drafts or funding applications prior to submission General career advice, such as highlighting job opportunities offered within your networks Highlighting small grants that may be available within your school, such as for conference attendance More senior Fellows may wish to collaborate with staff on a more strategic or high-level basis, for example by: Co-authoring papers and publications Collaborating on joint grant applications Developing inter/national networks or programmes to connect the University of Edinburgh with other institutions Our programmes tend to be highly competitive, with a typical 8% success rate, so University of Edinburgh staff are very welcome to support more than one Fellowship application within each cycle. We do not require a formal nomination of applicants by mentors, but mentors may wish to submit a letter of recommendation as part of the application process – this can be very helpful to our selection panel as it provides evidence of contact with University of Edinburgh staff. We hope that mentoring an IASH Fellow is a mutually beneficial experience, allowing scholars outside Edinburgh to enjoy the best that the University and the city have to offer, and staff to connect with the most promising colleagues from around the world. Any questions? Please contact iash@ed.ac.uk This article was published on Wednesday 7 August 2024
