Finding a mentor
Finding mentors and collaborators
It is advisable that a suitable mentor and collaborators are identified during the pre-proposal stage as you will need to include them during the Full-proposal and secure a support letter from the mentor and in-country collaborator.
Finding your mentor
Your mentor will be your strongest support component; he or she will provide you with advice and guidance throughout the fellowship tenure. Finding and securing a mentor is a requirement during the proposal, therefore, it is important that you seek an experienced individual that has affinity to their research interests and project goals.
The Program will foster strong and lasting mentor-mentee relationships through an annual training retreat that will include peer-to-peer learning, targeted training and networking opportunities with the rest of the cohort of fellows and mentors of the Program.
Mentors
The mentor is an experienced individual that is willing to share his or her knowledge, guide and advise a fellow throughout the fellowship tenure and the project implementation. The ideal mentor, however, will go beyond just supervising and will have a closer relation with the mentee, guiding him/her towards a successful professional development.
The mentoring style will vary from person to person. A mentoring agreement will be developed during the first annual retreat were fellows and mentors will design their mentoring style. Strong long-lastingg mentor/mentee relationships will be encouraged through an annual 2-3 days training retreat.
Mentor must be based in the same institution as the fellow or collaborators.
A leader in her field of study and knowledgeable on the fellow’s project topic
Be willing to provide strong mentoring advice (2 years)
Be able to meet the fellow periodically
Be willing to participate in an annual training retreat (2-3 days) with the fellow and the rest of the cohort and mentors
Financial support (up to 5k USD per year)
All expenses covered for annual training retreat
Networking opportunities with other fellows and mentors working on coastal solutions
Finding your in-country collaborator
Collaborators are an essential component to build a network of cross-sector and cross-hemisphere projects and partnerships. When preparing your project proposal you will be required to secure an in-country collaborator by providing a simple support letter from them. Note that your collaborator should be based in the same country as you are and belong to a different sector than yours; for example, if you are applying for a Science fellowship, you will have to find an in-country collaborator from the Planning/AEC sector. Contrasting, if you are applying for a Planning/AEC fellowship you will have to partner with a coastal scientist.