About Science Alumni UZH Mentoring

Science Alumnae/i (Alumni of the Faculty of Science) support Bachelor's, Master's and PhD students for one year with their knowledge and experience to address and discuss personal issues and goals.

Mentoring is an effective instrument of targeted support. The focus of mentoring is the development process of the mentees. Through an informal exchange of experience and knowledge between mentor and mentee, the personal and professional development of mentees is promoted. Mentors provide mentees with insights into their own lives, career paths and professional worlds, facilitate access to networks and advise mentees on their individual development with constructive feedback.

Mentoring is also a reciprocal process. Through mutual give and take, mentors also benefit from mentoring and can further develop themselves and their skills.

On the one hand, mentoring means support, advice, coaching, encouragement, feedback, networking, and knowledge transfer by mentors, while mentees on the other hand seek and accept this support on their own initiative. To this end, mentees proactively cultivate relationships with mentors, are open to feedback and tips, and are curious to learn about and engage with new things.

Transparent Matching between Mentors and Mentees

Mentees and mentors participate in the decision of who will become a mentoring pair. Mentees can thus bring their personal expectations of a mentor into the decision, and mentors can optimally pass on their talents and experience. In mentoring as a relationship of trust between mentor and mentee, the interpersonal relationship should be right. Mentoring characterized by mutual appreciation and shared learning should become an unforgettable, life-shaping time for all participants.

The Schedule

Mentoring takes place in addition to daily business. Therefore, it is recommended to plan enough time for exchange between mentors and mentees and to set fixed dates.

The Role of Science Alumni UZH as Coordinator

Science Alumni UZH as the program management can be contacted at any time by all those involved in mentoring: sciencealumni@mnf.uzh.ch

The Mentoring Evaluation

To provide the most effective mentoring possible, evaluations take place. For this purpose, a feedback session is held in which all those involved in mentoring exchange ideas with the coordinator and draw a conclusion. The experiences of mentees and mentors with mentoring are extremely valuable for the further development of mentoring and its effectiveness.

At the end of the mentoring year, mentees receive a certificate of participation.

The Development of the Science Alumni UZH Expert Network

The exchange with the mentees and mentors involved opens up the possibility of building a mentor network for the benefit of all MNF UZH members. Thanks to a mentor pool, mutual support and cooperation can be ensured as well as far-reaching MNF UZH community networking.

The Science Alumni UZH Network

Networking between mentors and mentees has a positive impact on MNF UZH Alumnae/i. Former mentees can become mentor for subsequent MNF UZH members, thus forming a beneficial mentoring cycle. Mutual appreciation and shared learning as defining basic elements of mentoring contribute to the constructive, participatory, and motivating MNF UZH community culture.

Becoming a Mentor
Registration as Mentor | Science Alumni UZH | UZH

Becoming a Mentee
Sign up Mentoring for MNF Members | Science Alumni UZH | UZH