We are very appreciative of our postdoc mentors who make the program a beneficial experience for both the first-year mentees and the peer mentors!

Postdoc mentors offer valuable guidance to peer mentors concerning their mentorship of first-year mentees. They also act as an additional point of professional contact for the first-year mentees. Rather than supplementing the Graduate Advisor’s role, the GSMP postdoc mentor provides advice about how to engage in the professional environment of the academy. Postdoc mentors may discuss topics such as:

• How to find postdoc positions
• Workload expectations
• Logistics (moving, connecting to a new institution, etc)
• Maintaining relationships
• Pursuing a tenure-track academic position as a postdoc

We realize that postdoc scholars are busy, so we try to keep their obligations to the program minimal. We ask that they:

• Meet with peer mentors and first-year mentees (as a group or individually) at least once per quarter and fill out the peer mentor reporting form on the GSMP website
• Attend the GSMP meetings once per quarter
• Contact the program Coordinator or the Director of GradSuccess if a mentee is showing signs of not adjusting to graduate school well or if peer mentor seems to be having trouble interacting with his/her mentees