Faculty Research Mentor Program

The Faculty Research Mentor Program

Junior faculty members, or more senior faculty moving into new research areas, benefit from a mentor who has experience in their field of study. The mentor can provide advice on many factors that impact a research career, such as where to publish, when (and with whom) to collaborate, how to focus research efforts, and critical feedback on a specific grant proposal, among many others. To facilitate faculty research at UMassD, the Office of Research and Innovation has established a program to help faculty engage expert mentors. Mentors must be external to the university and not have a prior working relationship with the mentee, such as a doctoral or post-doctoral advisor. The program will assist in establishing a mentor relationship, stipends for mentors, and travel (as necessary) for the mentor to UMassD.

I. Eligibility

Tenure and tenure-track faculty are eligible. Faculty should be research-active and committed to seeking external funding. The following activities are examples:

• Had Internal seed funding
• Taking part (or already participated) in The Grants Intensive Fellowship
• Have submitted applications for external funding and are planning to resubmit

II. Application Procedure and Timeline

Applications consist of a 1-2 page description of your research plans. Outline the goals you have for working with a mentor (e.g., publication in a prestigious journal, a book contract, submit a proposal), keeping in mind that you will enter into a partnership agreement with the mentor and will submit a progress report at the end of the mentoring year that documents outcomes of the partnership. Include a list of up to three top experts in your field who are positioned to be good mentors. ORI will assist in contacting potential mentors and creating a partnership agreement.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, as funds are available. Click here to apply via Infoready.