The SGSSS Mentoring Programme, in partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), launched on January 28th in Edinburgh. The programme connects PhD researchers to RSE Fellows or SGSSS PhD Alumni with a variety of professional experience in academia, the public, private, or non-profit sectors.

Open to all social science PhD students in Scotland in their third year or above (or part-time equivalent) the programme aims to support students with three broad aims:

1 Considering career options and “demystifying” career culture

2 Understanding how to network and building networking skills

3 Recognising and Translating Transferable Skills

This year the programme matched 33 mentor-mentee pairs and started with an in-person launch event at the RSE in Edinburgh. At the event, mentors and mentees heard from a panel of former mentors and mentees who reflected on their experiences in the programme. Attendees then worked in groups to define what mentoring means to them and shared their objectives for the programme. The event concluded with time for an informal mentor-mentee chat and refreshments.

Thank you to the RSE for their ongoing support with the programme, and to all the mentors and mentees signed up for this year’s programme. Wishing you all a productive partnership!