We are currently seeking mentors to advise early-career RSEs and newcomers to the profession in the preparation of their talks, posters, workshops, hackathons, walkthroughs, panels, and BoFs for RSECon26.
The conference committee is keen to encourage contributions from a wide variety of experience levels, however, we recognise that many new RSEs may not yet have experience presenting at conferences, in particular research software engineering rather than discipline-specific events.
Following the success of our mentoring schemes in the last few years, we will again offer mentoring to contributors whose submissions have been accepted. As a mentor, you will be paired with a speaker and will provide guidance and support as they prepare their contribution. This is an opportunity to share your experience, help refine ideas, and build confidence within our community.
What Mentors Do
Mentoring will be tailored to the needs of the mentee, but may include:
- Providing feedback on draft materials
- Acting as a practice audience and offering constructive suggestions
- Answering questions and sharing relevant experience from similar events
Please note that mentors are not expected to assess or approve the content of the submission. All mentees’ submissions will have already been through the peer review process and have been accepted into the programme. The mentor’s role is to support, encourage, and help mentees feel confident and well prepared.
All mentor-mentee interactions are governed by the conference’s Code of Conduct, which we encourage mentors to review in advance.
Time Commitment
The exact time commitment will depend on the needs of the mentee. As a guide, mentors should expect to dedicate approximately:
- 30 minutes to review a draft of the materials
- 1 hour to exchange emails with suggestions, feedback, and answers to questions
- Up to 2 hours for video conference meeting(s) to discuss in more detail
Mentors should be available to provide the majority of this support between 12th of June and 26th of August.
We don’t expect mentors to offer last minute assistance, although you are welcome to do so if you wish. If you are attending the conference, you may also choose to meet your mentee in person, which can be especially helpful for those who would benefit from additional support close to their session.
How to Become a Mentor
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please sign up via the form below.
We will be in touch to pair you with a mentee!