Choosing the right Mentor can be daunting - especially with access to the whole Academy fellowship. The obvious choice may be the person who is at the top of their career, doing the most innovative and prestigious work in your field. But that may or may not make them an effective mentor for you.

Studies of what makes mentoring relationships effective show that there needs to be sufficient common ground to create a climate for development, to establish rapport and to understand the context in which the mentee works. On the other hand, there needs to be sufficient difference to challenge the mentee and facilitate development.

Clinical Scientists often report that it is useful to have a mentor who is independent from their place of work and the Academy suggests that Mentors are chosen who work in the same or a related specialty, but from a different institution. 

Some Questions to Ask Yourself

Some clear thinking about the following issues can also help your choice: 

1. Your professional development and support needs
Ask yourself -

• What are my particular career issues and concerns at the moment?
• What are the key decisions about my career which I need to make next?
• What would I like to talk over with an experienced independent colleague?

2. The qualities, experience and availability of your potential mentor
Ask yourself  -

• What sort of person do I feel most comfortable talking with?
• What experiences do they need to have had to quickly understand my world?
• Do they actually have to be from my own speciality? This may or may not be crucial since the focus of mentoring is likely to be your broad career development and not the content of your research.
• Do they need to understand my personal circumstances - such as the process of juggling career and childcare?