Second Mentors

We encourage you to also find a “second mentor” to fulfill all your mentoring needs. A second mentor can be a faculty member, senior postdoc, or even an alumnus who provides scientific and career advice from a distinct perspective, and you can (and should) have more than one. Many graduate students also volunteer their time as peer mentors, offering advice and support from a different perspective. Mentors can be found informally, or within groups intended to help form connections. Some examples are listed below.

• Solidarity, Leadership, Inclusion, Diversity Mentorship Program (SoLID)
  SoLID connects students with faculty who can guide and support students on issues such as diversity and inclusion, mental health and wellness, social justice work, microaggressions, impostor syndrome, and other topics.
• Stanford Biosciences Student Association (SBSA) First Year Mentorship
  First-year Biosciences students are mentored by returning students. Information on signing up as a mentor or mentee is sent out each year through the SBSA listserv.
• Biosciences Peer Mentors (BioPeers)
  The BioPeers provide peer-to-peer support to fellow Biosciences graduate students about navigating the challenges of graduate school.
• Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Groups
  Female graduate students and postdocs share support and advice in small discussion groups.
• Stanford Alumni Mentoring (SAM)
  SAM provides a platform to build a professional network, develop professional and communication skills, explore areas of interest, gain exposure to career options, and connect academics and career.
• Palo Alto Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Mentoring Program
  This mentor/protégée matching program pairs you with a more senior scientist to meet the mentoring needs you describe. This is a great networking circle—many former Biosciences students have found job leads through AWIS.
• Biosciences Faculty Database
  Search the Biosciences Faculty Database to identify secondary mentors by department or research interest.