Mentors
Francesco Trupia, PhD (Nicolaus Copernicus University) - mentor (social & humanities)
“At this stage of my academic career, I found the mentoring program very helpful.
Although I am the mentor, I learnt a lot about new trends and research perspectives by talking to my mentee, Julia.
As a mentor, I can share my thoughts and pieces of advice with my mentee, and, at the same time, I can understand to what extent my advice is still relevant, and may fit the interests, expectations, and ideas of new generations of students and young professionals.
Polonium Mentoring has turned out to be a win-win process for me!”
Adrián Herrera, PhD (University of Cologne) - mentor (social & humanities)
"I really enjoy the experience of being a mentor for Polonium Foundation. I strongly believe in the importance of giving back to others what you once received.
I try to focus my mentoring thinking of what kind of advice I would had needed to hear when I was in an earlier stage of my career (for example, strategies to build up self-confidence and self care).
I think that anybody should engage in mentoring because it is one of the best ways to impulse the formation of scholars, whose positive contributions and role in our societies should never be underestimated.
I would even say that receving mentoring is almost as important as formal academic training."
Magdalena Mroczek, MD (University of Basel) - mentor/mentee (life sciences)
“I participated in Polonium Mentoring 2023/2024 both as a mentor and as a mentee.
My mentor was very supportive and gave me an insight of what can be expected as the next step of my scientific career.
As a mentor I guided my mentee, Adela, and shared my perspective on working abroad as a medical doctor. I got a lot of support during my own scientific career and I am happy to have a possibility to give it back.”
Mentees
Adela Sobolewska, mentee (life sciences)
“In the medical field it’s quite common to get lost in such a big variety of specialisations, clinical practices, laboratory work.
I am beyond grateful for having someone older and wiser, who also has the same career path and could help me choose what is best for me.
My mentor provided guidance, support, and encouragement to help me navigate the complexities of scientific research and my future medical career. I gained valuable skills to develop my research abilities.”
Other testimonials from ongoing, second iteration of the programme:
“I have an amazing mentor, Anne, who not only greatly supports me in my development but also brings immense value to my journey of personal and professional growth. Her wisdom, experience, and support are invaluable. I've had the pleasure of meeting a fantastic mentee who turned out to be a really cool person.” - Mentor/Mentee 2023/2024
“To me, Polonium Mentoring is amazing and it provides a lot of opportunities to advance one's career. Also, I find it as a great method to set or modify the direction one's taking during their scientific careeer. Meetings with my Mentor, Dr Timothy Douglas, benefited greatly my understanding of the research process, as well as cultural and educational aspects of it. During our discussions, I learnt about the differences between universities and industry, specific opportunities they create and how to engage with collaborators from each field. I am thankful for a possibility to talk with an experienced researcher, who is willing to share his knowledge and insights, that improves my perspective.” - Jędrzej Kubica, mentee 2023/202
“It's great to be able to help my mentee and gain mentoring experience. I really enjoyed the session we had that prepared us for the process.” - Mentor 2023/2024
“The networking opportunities are the highlight of the program from my perspective. My mentor connected me with people with valuable experiences.” - Mentee, 2023/2024