Women in Ecology Mentoring Scheme

Our mentoring scheme for Women in Ecology has been running in some capacity since 2009, with over 150 members participating in this valuable programme. With our guidance, mentors have provided professional support to mentees in areas including career changes, work-life balance and career development opportunities.

A previous mentor-mentee pair: Manuela Gonzalez-Suarez and Isabella Mandl

Women in Ecology Mentoring scheme

The BES have run mentoring for women in some capacity since 2009. Our highly successful Women in Ecology mentoring scheme paired women from the UK and internationally to provide support in areas such as work-life balance and career support. In early 2021 we will be reviewing mentoring at the BES and looking into how we can expand our provisions and support more members. We will be looking to increase the resources and impact we can have, whilst considering how we can provide more training to our women members. We are therefore not currently taking applications for the Women in Ecology Mentoring Scheme. More details will be provided on the shape of the adapted scheme early in 2021.

How can you help?

If feel you are able to provide ideas or guidance on the review of mentoring at the BES please do get in touch with Amy Padfeld. We are interested in hearing from you on how we can best support you and welcome your suggestions.

Need a mentor?

We do not wish to discontinue our support at a time when it is highly needed and therefore we are welcoming requests for adhoc mentoring partnerships. If you are interested in this as an option and feel that you would highly benefit from having a mentor then please get in touch with Amy Padfield to discuss this further.

Testimonials from a mentor and mentee

“I wasn’t really sure if I would be a suitable mentor; as I approached the end of my PhD and was assessing my next move, however, I thought about how mentoring someone else could also benefit me. Working in both industry and academia has allowed me to develop a wide range of skills and I wanted to pass on information to others about how to gain these skills. The scheme has benefited me by providing me with the opportunity to think about my own career path and where I want to go next; I’d also like to be more involved with teaching and mentoring in the future.” Mentor, 2018/19 scheme.

“As an early PhD student, the scheme has provided me with valuable external support and encouragement. The scheme is flexible for both mentor and mentee but with clear guidelines and exercises. I do highly recommend this scheme to anyone that wants to reinforce their self-confidence and increase their scientific networking.” Mentee, 2018/19 scheme.