NOVA Mentoring

NOVA Mentoring: Network - Orientation - Visibility - Advancement

The NOVA Mentoring Program supports women and female-socialized researchers pursuing doctoral degrees in STEM fields at Leibniz University.

Mentoring programs foster the exchange of experiences, support personal and professional development, and help build strong professional networks. Women and researchers who have been socialized as women in STEM fields often face greater barriers to accessing informal networks and are less likely to receive targeted support from established colleagues. Mentoring programs provide a structured framework for building professional connections, developing key skills through workshops, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience with more senior researchers.

The program will be held in English.

The trainer is Dr. Phuong Glaser.

Kick off: Sept 24th, 2026!

Missed the deadline? Write me an email to stay informed for the next round!

Program description

The Nova Mentoring program runs for ten months with twelve participants. It is aimed at women and researchers who were socialized as women and who are currently pursuing their doctorates. Based on your application, we will find a mentor for you with whom you will meet regularly to discuss topics such as career planning, research, different work environments, balancing career and personal life, and networking. You and your mentor will decide together on the dates and whether to meet online or in person.

There are also regular meetings with the other participants. These include the regular roundtable and 3–4 sessions with your peer group: under the guidance of Dr. Glaser, you will learn the method of peer consultation and, in a safe environment, gain inspiration on topics that concern you in your day-to-day work.

A series of workshops forms the supporting program and facilitates skill development. You’ll find a tentative schedule in the next section. The supporting program includes a 1.5-day kick-off workshop, an interim meeting, and a closing event featuring a formal ceremony open to the university community.

The planned skills training sessions include a career planning workshop with Dr. Glaser, an informational session on the habilitation process, and a workshop on allyship and power-sharing.

You can continue the mentoring partnership on your own after the program ends, if both parties wish to do so. In addition, we will continue to invite you to alumnae and networking events.

Dates and Calendar

Date and Time	Event and Place	Format
until Aug 21st, 2026	Application period
August 12th and 17th 12.00-1.00 pm	Information talk on NOVA Mentoring enter info talk here	online
Sep 24th, 2026 1.00-5.00 pm Sep 25th, 2026 9.00 am - 5.00 pm	Kick Off Day 1: Meet your co-mentees Day 2: Kick off Workshop “Introduction Mentoring” (analysis of professional status quo, setting objectives for the mentoring program, preparing for the mentoring pairs, forming peer groups)	in person
Nov 27th, 2026 1.00-5.00 pm	Peer Coaching with Dr. Phuong Glaser Workshop on Facilitating Peer Counseling	online
Dec 3rd, 2026 1.00-4.00 pm	"Moving from Empathetic toward Compassionate Mentoring Skills" with Dr. Phuong Glaser Workshop for mentors	online
Dec 11th, 2026 9.00 am - 5.00 pm	Career Planning with Dr. Phuong Glaser Workshop on Potential Assessment and Career Planning. Different career paths within and outside academia and specifics of German Academia.	in person
Jan 28th, 2027 9.00 am - 3.00 pm	Mid-Term Exchange with Dr. Phuong Glaser A look back at the first half and a look ahead to the second half: What goals have I already achieved, and what's next?	in person
Feb 11th, 2027 10.30 am - 12.30 pm	“How to Become a Professor in Germany” with Franziska Jantzen Info talk with discussion	in person
Apr 23rd, 2027 9.00 am - 5.00 pm	"Postdoc Positions and Professorships in Germany: How to Succeed in a Job Interview" with Franziska Jantzen Workshop on Application processes after completing the PhD	in person
Jun 25th, 2027 1.00 - 5.00 pm	Closing Event with Dr. Phuong Glaser Part I: Review of the mentoring program with the mentees Part II: public closing ceremony including a talk and handing out of certificates to mentees and mentors	in person
Oct 27th, 2026 Jan 12th, 2026 Mar 2nd, 2027 May 25th, 2027	Roundtables with Jojo Prien-Kaplan informal meetings for the group	in person or online
3-4 times	Peer Counseling self-organized meetings with your peer group	in person

The Trainer

Dr Phuong Glaser

©Ellen Bornkessel

Dr. Phuong Glaser is an experienced coordinator and trainer of mentoring and career development programs. As a coach, she also provides one-on-one support to researchers on their academic paths.
With her knowledge of the academic system, university structures, and the unique challenges of pursuing an academic career in Germany, Dr. Glaser is an excellent advisor to both German and international researchers.

In the NOVA Mentoring program, Dr. Glaser serves as the trainer for the supporting program and the career development workshop. Following the workshop, mentees have the opportunity to discuss their own career paths with Dr. Glaser as their coach.

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