Notification of academic mentor
Students and mentors will be notified by email of the appointment shortly after the student arrives. The appointment will also be logged in CamSIS as ‘adviser’ (see Note 1 above), which is visible to students in the online self-service. Mentors can also check their lists of students in CamSIS.
Role of your academic mentor
University policy states that all postgraduate students will have an academic mentor. In our department, it has been agreed that, for every student, the Academic Mentor (Note 1) will be appointed by Department Postgraduate Office, shortly after your studies commence, and will usually be chosen from the Supervisor’s primary RIG members. Below defines the role of the academic mentor:
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act as a supportive second point of contact for academic advice for the student, after the supervisor. The role is to guide, encourage and offer constructive feedback.
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normally take on the position of being one of the student’s first year report Assessors (Note 2).
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be available to read your work and to discuss academic progress on a termly basis in informal meetings organised by the student from second year onwards.
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be available to provide feedback on a mandatory 20-minute presentation given by student at the end of their second year, organised by the student.
The Academic Mentor is not normally expected to:
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provide regular, formal supervision.
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write supervision reports in PFRS.
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be appointed the internal Examiner for the student’s PhD thesis.
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provide pastoral support for the student or Supervisor, or mediate the relationship between them, although he or she may offer advice to either party if asked and is willing to do so.
Note 1: The University term this role the 'Adviser' but our Department has agreed that this could then be confused with 'Supervisor' and has therefore retained the title of 'Academic Mentor'.
Note 2: In the case where the Academic Mentor has had to take an active role in supervising their Mentee (for example, if the Supervisor has had to be absent for an extended period) or where a potential personal or professional conflict of interest is identified, a substitute first year Assessor must be appointed in place of the Academic Mentor. This will be done by the Postgraduate Student Co-ordinator, in consultation with the Supervisor. The second Assessor will be recommended by the Supervisor in the usual way.
Meeting your academic mentor
All students have the opportunity to arrange a meeting with their academic mentor during any point of their MPhil or first year of their PhD according to the guidelines highlighted above, An oral presentation and feedback from the Academic mentor at the end of second year will be a compulsory element of all PhD students and all students will be required to submit their form to Postgraduate Office.
Year 1
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Students Focus should be:
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Literature Review and technical training
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Beginning lab work and starting to generate results
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Defining research questions based on preliminary work
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Writing First-Year Report and passing viva
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Exploring researcher development opportunities
Year 2 and Beyond
Students Focus should be:
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Arrange informal termly check in to discuss: What’s working well? Any technical issues? How are experiments aligning with broader research area goals? Identify potential gaps for exploration and getting secondary perspectives on early research directions
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Experimentation, data collection, methodology refinement
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Looking for potential collaborations
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Possibly beginning to publish
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Explore careers options and begin to seek advice on fellowships etc.
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Prepare and give an oral presentation to their academic mentor and receive formal feedback which should be submitted to the Postgraduate Office.
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Prepare for poster presentation at RIG Showcase Day at the end of second year
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Data Analysis and finishing of experiments to bridge any gaps
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Thesis planning and writing
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Presenting at conferences
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Planning post-PhD career
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Prepare for oral presentation at RIG Showcase Day at the end of third year
