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What is a peer mentoring program?

Peer mentoring is conducted in small groups during one academic year. Multidisciplinarity in mentoring groups strengthens interdisciplinary understanding and adds to researcher identity. The aim is to support young researchers in their academic careers, fostering wellbeing, interdisciplinary networks and a sense of community, so that their research identity and thinking can develop towards interdisciplinarity. Groups can use either Finnish or English in their meetings.

Mentoring is not supervision of reserach content, but about peer discussion in the context of a research career. Themes could include work-life balance, collaboration and networking, writing and publishing as processes, and internationalisation - groups decide on their own themes. The groups are confidential, mutual, dialogical and self-directed.

Mentors, experienced researchers and university teachers

Each small group is coordinated by two mentors, who are more experienced research and teaching staff. The mentors can not be supervisors, project leaders or line managers for any of the actors in the group. Participation in the mentoring program is voluntary and mentors will be supported by an orientation meeting (Monday 19 May from 14-16 or Monday 2 June from 14-16), by providing help at the start of the mentoring groups and by a joint mid-term meeting of mentors in January 2026. The aim is to recruit mentors from all the disciplines in JYU. If there is not enough space for all the post doctoral applicants, they will be selected in proportion to the number of mentors from each discipline. Mentors will be able to allocate around 20 hours/year to their workplans to this task.

Actors, post-doctoral researchers

Each small group will be composed of 5-7 peers or actors who are at the post doctoral stage, at the beginning of their research career. The small groups will be formed on the basis of both the desired themes and the principles of interdisciplinarity.

All post doctoral researchers at the Ģ��ֱ�� or other recent PhDs, including those working on a grant, are eligible to apply. Participants will be admitted on the basis of applications, subject to quotas between faculties. If a faculty's quota is not filled, it may be filled by applicants from other faculties. Participants are expected to commit to mentoring for the entire academic year.

Note: The application form for actors will open at the beginning of May

Guiding principles

The guiding principles for peer mentoring are: interdisciplinary, voluntary and self-directed orientation. Groups should be based on confidentiality, reciprocity and respectful dialogue. Groups decide on the topics to be discussed independently and by listening to the views of all the members of the group.

Timetable for peer mentoring program

• February-April: Recruitment of mentors
• Orientation for mentors, two alternative sessions with the same content
  • Mon 19.5. at 14-16
  • Mon 2.6. at 14-16
• May-August: actor recruitment
• Mentoring kick-off session Tue 2.9. from 8 to 10 a.m.
• September-December: group meetings 1. and 2. (exact times to be agreed between the group)
• Mentors' meeting (3h) week 3/2026
• February-March: group meeting 3.
• Joint meeting for all participants week 16/2026
• May-June: Group meeting 4.

Peer mentoring activities are coordinated by the JYU.Well community