GIANT: YAG Academic Mentor Program

GIANT - Groningen Inspiring And Nurturing Talents

The GIANT program is a mentor program designed to support early career researchers (ECRs) in navigating the challenges of academia. At its core, the program pairs ECRs (such as postdocs and assistant professors) with more advanced faculty members (associate and full professors) who provide valuable guidance on various aspects of academic life, including career development, leadership, networking, and balancing academic responsibilities.

Standing on the shoulders of giants - Isaac Newton

Why does the GIANT Program exist?

Early career researchers face numerous challenges as they navigate the academic landscape, from managing the demands of research and teaching to building professional networks and carving out a sustainable career path. While many institutions provide support for PhD candidates, there has often been a gap for postdoctoral researchers and assistant professors—particularly those new to the University of Groningen (RUG). This is where GIANT comes in, filling that gap with a flexible and tailored mentoring scheme that helps ECRs thrive.

What does the GIANT Program do?

Through the GIANT program, early career researchers are paired with mentors who provide personalized support. Mentoring sessions can cover a wide range of topics, such as strategies for career progression, networking, leadership development, and managing work-life balance. This mentorship relationship not only benefits mentees, but also empowers mentors to enhance their own leadership and mentoring skills while contributing to the academic community.

Our approach is designed to be sustainable. As mentees progress in their careers, they can step into mentoring roles, ensuring that future generations of academics continue to benefit from a robust support system. The program is supported by Young Academy Groningen (YAG), which offers training, resources, and coordination to ensure the success of these mentoring relationships.

Become a mentor

Are you passionate about supporting early-career researchers? Do you enjoy sharing your experiences and offering guidance to colleagues who are just starting their academic journey? If you are interested in connecting with and mentoring postdocs or early-career assistant professors, we invite you to become a mentor in the GIANT progam.

Who can be a mentor?
We are looking for experienced assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors who:

Have followed a mentoring training or workshop
Ideally have experience working at the University of Groningen
Are open to listening, reflecting, and sharing insights based on their academic journey
Are willing to guide early-career researchers through the challenges and choices of academic life

What do we expect from mentors?

Participation in the matching event on Thursday 22 May (15:30–16.45) – this is required for matching
Availability for at least five meetings with your mentee between June 2025 and May 2026, depending on your mentee’s needs

Please note: If there are more mentors than mentees or if no suitable match can be made, it is possible you may not be paired with a mentee after the matching event.

What do we offer?

A mentor workshop that prepares you for your role, offering practical tools, communication strategies, and guidance on boundaries and expectations (this was scheduled on 31 March, 1 April and 3 April)
The chance to connect with enthusiastic researchers during the matching event
The opportunity to make a real impact by supporting a mentee’s development goal through meaningful conversations and shared reflection
A peer consultancy session (intervision) to exchange ideas and experiences with fellow mentors
A midterm and end event to share experience and celebrate our journey together

Please find more information about the timeline of the program below.

Want to become a mentor?
Make sure to sign up before 15 May 2025 and attend the matching event on 22 May 2025.

Become a mentee

Are you a postdoc or early-career assistant professor looking for guidance, inspiration, or simply a sounding board? Would you like to connect with a more experienced colleague to talk about career development, navigating academia, or balancing work and life? We invite you to become a mentee!

Who is it for?
Postdocs and early-career assistant professors who are looking for mentoring by experienced academic staff (assistant, associate, and full professors).

What can you expect as a mentee?
As a mentee, you will be matched with a more experienced colleague who is committed to supporting your development. You will have regular conversations tailored to your own goals, questions, and needs. These could include:

Navigating your career in academia
Making strategic choices about research, teaching, or admin
Managing stress
Balancing work and life
Leadership skills
And much more!

Your mentor is there to listen, reflect with you, and share their experiences and insights.

What do we expect from you?

That you are motivated to reflect on your own development and make the most of this opportunity
That you attend the matching event on Thursday 22 May 2025, 15:30–16:45, followed by informal drinks. Please note: You can only be matched if you attend the matching event.
That you take the lead in setting up meetings with your mentor (we recommend at least five meetings between June 2025 and May 2026)
That you commit to open and honest conversations, and respect each other's time and boundaries
Optional, but recommended: the Mentee workshop*
A midterm and end event to share experience and celebrate our journey together

*To help you get started, you will receive an invitation to the Mentee workshop. In this session, we’ll talk about what mentoring is (and isn’t), what you can expect from your mentor, and how you can make the most of your mentoring experience. It’s a great way to begin your journey feeling confident and informed. Date and location: to be announced.

Please find more information about the timeline of the program below.

Want to become a mentee?
Make sure to sign up before 15 May 2025 and attend the matching event on 22 May 2025.

Timeline Mentoring Program

1. Mentor workshop (mandatory)	We only allow mentors who have followed a previous mentoring training or workshop. To facilitate such training, we have organized a workshop an 31 March and 1 and 3 April. During this training, the mentors have learned: ✔ What mentoring is (and what it is not) ✔ Essential mentoring mindsets and skills ✔ How to set clear expectations and agreements ✔ How to balance sharing experiences vs. guiding mentees *We also allow mentors who have followed a similar training.
2. Sign up	If you want to be a mentor or a mentee in the GIANT program, make sure to sign up before 15 May.
3. Mentee workshop (optional)	Everyone who register as a mentee for the matching event will receive an invitation for the mentee workshop. During this workshop, we will share all necessary information about mentoring. This way, you know what you can expect from your mentor, but also what your mentor expects from you. This will help you make the most of this program! More information about these workshops will be published soon!
4. Matching event (mandatory)	Based on your registration form, we will pre-match each mentor with about three potential mentees, and each mentee will be pre-matched with about three potential mentors. You will meet each other during our matching event on Thursday 22 May, 15.30-16.45, followed by drinks until 17.30/18.00h. To find the perfect match for you, we will arrange three speeddate sessions of about 10 minutes. At the end of the event you will provide us with your top 3 potential mentors/mentees. We will inform you about your perfect match the week after. If you wish to become a mentor or mentee, you have to be available for the speeddate event: When? 22 May 2025, 15.30-16.45 (followed by drinks) Where? Location TBA Please note: While we do our best to create suitable matches, we cannot guarantee that every mentor will be paired with a mentee nor that every mentee will be paired with a mentor.
5. Matching	After the matching event, both mentors and mentees will submit their top three preferences. We will then do our best to create matches based on mutual selections, ideally pairing first choices with each other whenever possible. We will inform you about your perfect match the week after the matching event.
6. First mentor-mentee meeting	After the most successful match is made, the mentee and the mentor will schedule the first meeting. To kick things off, we will provide a mentoring agreement and talking points for the first meeting, designed to help both mentor and mentee align on what they hope to get out of the experience.
7. Your own trajectory	You will have to make appointments to meet each other yourselves. We advice to meet at least 5 times between June 2025 and May 2026 (depending on your needs) Where? An office, a cafe, the park, it’s up to you and your mentor or mentee!
8. Mid-term event (optional)	We will check in during the program with a midterm event for both mentors and mentees, where you have the possibity to share your experience so far. The event will be followed by informal drinks. For interested mentors, we will also organize an intervision group: a peer session to share ideas, challenges, and advice. When? December 2025 or January 2026 Where? TBA
9. Your own trajectory	You will have to make appointments to meet each other yourselves. We advice to meet at least 5 times between June 2025 and May 2026 (depending on your needs) Where? An office, a cafe, the park, it’s up to you and your mentor or mentee!
10. End event (optional)	At the end of the mentoring year, we will celebrate your contributions with a closing event for mentoring pairs. To support a thoughtful wrap-up of your mentoring relationship, we will provide a handout with guidance on how to conclude the mentoring journey and suggestions on how to move forward — whether that means staying in touch or closing the loop. When? May 2026 Where? TBA

Questions about the GIANT project? Contact Michelle Bruijn at l.m.bruijn@rug.nl

The GIANT mentoring program is initiated by:
Antonija Grubisic-Cabo
Frank Harbers
Maeve McKeown
Manoela Carpenedo
Michelle Bruijn

Last modified:

15 April 2025 5.14 p.m.