Resources for Faculty

Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan Template

The Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan is a template containing suggested trainings available at TAMU that faculty may review and further customize for the mentoring plans of their postdocs.

A more general template developed by the Division of Research that includes both graduate students and postdocs is available on NSF Templates and Checklists.

The postdoctoral mentoring plan has been an NSF requirement since 2009, recognizing the important role that mentorship plays in the postdoctoral experience and their future career paths. At this link you will find a series of questions that will guide you to create a customized mentoring plan to build the foundation for a fruitful working relationship between you and your mentee.

Compact Between Postdoctoral Scholars and Their Mentor

The Compact Between Postdoctoral Scholars and Their Mentor represents a framework for aligning the postdoctoral mentor-mentee relationship. It can be used as:

  • a recruitment tool to demonstrate institutional programmatic commitment to postdoctoral scholars;
  • to initiate discussions about expectations between faculty and postdoctoral scholars;
  • part of the orientation for new postdoctoral scholars and new faculty;
  • a topic to be discussed in postdoctoral and faculty mentorship programs.

Postdoctoral Mentoring Academy (PMA)

The PMA curriculum utilizes resources from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Due to the dual mentee/mentor role of postdocs in a research setting, each case study has been specially tailored to explicitly include a postdoc scholar into a mentee or mentor position in the case description. Each competency workshop is facilitated by faculty who are trained CIMER facilitators. The current offering encompasses the following evidence-based mentorship competencies:

  • Session 1: Maintaining Effective Communication
  • Session 2: Aligning Expectations (mentor-mentee compact)
  • Session 3: Assessing Understanding
  • Session 4: Fostering Independence
  • Session 5: Promoting Professional Development (IDP)
  • Capstone Session: Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy and PlanAn IDP

This workshop series is offered every spring semester. The specific dates will be announced on the postdoctoral calendar and through the listserv. Please note that all five sessions and one capstone session should be attended to receive the CERTIFICATE.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

An IDP provides a planning process that ‘looks ahead’ to identify both professional development needs and career objectives. This workshop is offered every summer as a series of three sessions. The specific dates will be announced on the postdoctoral calendar and through the listserv.

Goals

  • Identify long-term career options and set goals
  • Identify the necessary tools to reach the career goals
  • Identify short-term needs for improving current performance to reach the career goals

Benefits for the postdoctoral scholar as a mentee

  • Assists in developing long-term goals
  • Defines expectations and sets milestones along the way to achieve specific goals
  • Provides a communication tool between the postdoc and research advisor

Benefits for the research advisor as a mentor

  • Focuses postdoc interests on personal development by enhancing individual professional growth and productivity in the lab through milestones setting.
  • Enlists an active IDP program for the postdocs in the annual grant report as applicable
  • Improves the overall professional growth at the department and college level.

Individual Development Plan

For the postdoctoral scholar

Additional Resources