Mentoring program
The field of quantum physics and quantum technology is still highly male dominated. For young women who want to make a career in this discipline, there are few role models. The goal of this program is to make connections between different generations of women active in quantum development, so they can inspire and learn from each other.
How are mentors and mentees matched?
We have primarily matched mentors and mentees based on the information provided in the registration form. Before matches were assigned, WIQD organized a kick-off meeting which took place on November 23.
Who can register?
You can be a mentee in every stage of your career, as long as you are interested in regular input and advice from a person who has more experience in the field of quantum computing than you, has been in your shoes and has a career that you aspire to.
Can men be mentees?
Finding mentors for men is not the goal of this program. We believe that women can benefit from having a mentor who can share some of their experiences being a woman in our male-dominated field, and that is what this program aims to tackle. We welcome applications from other minority gender identities who feel that they would benefit from having a female mentor.
As a mentee, it is important that you are willing to share your daily experiences (at work) and communicate openly about topics or situations you want feedback on. The next step is that you are open to the feedback the mentor has to offer you. You are willing to invest time and energy to meet on a regular basis with your mentor, and you are respectful of the time your mentor is investing, by not missing meetings or arriving late. How frequently these meetings take place can be decided together with your mentor.
You can be a mentor when you have (some) experience in the field of quantum computing. For example, a PhD candidate can be a mentor to a masters student, a postdoc can be a mentor to a PhD candidate, a PI or a professional working in industry can be a mentor to a postdoc or PhD candidate, or even a quantum science communicator can help mentees with outreach. The most important thing is that you want to share your experience, in order to inspire and encourage a woman in the field of quantum computing.
Can men be mentors?
In general, men can make great mentors, however, for this program, we will try to match our mentees with women mentors. We hope that our mentees have frequent chances to interact with potential male mentors in their everyday work lives, but we know that many of them don’t have many opportunities to find a female mentor, due to the gender discrepancy in our field. The goal of this program is to fill that gap.
You will commit to spending time and energy on a regular basis to help your mentee in personal growth, managing work situations, building a network and thinking about next career steps. Moreover, it is important that you are willing to be open about your experiences, so your mentee can learn from your example. How often you meet is up to you and your mentee, and you should come to an agreement about this in your first meeting.
Mentoring program kick-off event
Monday, November 23 from 2:30 to 4:30pm (free & online)
We have kicked off the mentoring program with a virtual event on Monday November 23 from 2:30 to 4:30pm. The event featured a brief introduction to the mentoring program, and speed networking sessions.
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