Assistant Professor mentors

As an assistant professor at IKM, you need to find two mentors

An assistant professorship is a career position aimed at leading to an associate professorship. As a future assistant professor, you therefore need to find two mentors who can help you achieve the necessary progression to be ready for associate professor assessment within the maximum four years available.

Starting from August 2024, you must find two IKM colleagues at least at the associate professor or clinical associate professor level who will take on the roles of:

• Research mentor
• Pedagogical-didactic mentor

Experience shows that in the role of assistant professor, it is crucial to have someone who takes care of you. This applies both to ensuring progress and addressing the challenges you inevitably encounter, such as applying for external funding or developing in your role as a group member and new teacher/mentor.

With two mentors, you are less vulnerable if one of your mentors’ changes jobs, goes on maternity leave, or for other reasons becomes partially or fully unavailable.

The hiring manager (MUS-leader) can take on one of the two mentor roles and, if you are hired through an open advertisement, must find your mentors. If you are an internal applicant or the position is earmarked, we expect you to contribute to finding the right ones.

The Task is Binding – Commitment Must Be in Writing

The two assistant professor mentors must give written commitment that they have understood and accepted the tasks as described below. The written commitment must be sent to the Deputy Head of Department for Education, who will approve the agreement in writing. Please note that the evaluation and hiring process can only begin once the written commitment has been submitted and the agreement approved.

Research Mentor's Responsibilities

The task of the research mentor is to provide support regarding research-related activities, such as:

• Ensuring that the assistant professor’s research projects are progressing (assistant professors must conduct independent research and not just contribute to others' research, according to the requirements for an assistant professorship at Health)
• Helping the assistant professor find and apply for the right external funding – possibly with assistance from the Research Support Unit, which also provides a range of self-help tools
• Helping the assistant professor integrate both professionally and personally into their research group
• Helping the assistant professor resolve any issues related to their research tasks
• Being available in case of conflicts or crisis situations

The scope and timing of support are to be agreed upon between the assistant professor and the research mentor at the start of the assistant professorship.

Establish a format and frequency that can be adapted to situations where support is particularly needed but also ensure that regular status meetings are scheduled. It is the assistant professor’s responsibility to arrange regular meetings and seek additional support as needed.

Refer to CED’s website Guide to Assistant Professor Mentoring.

Pedagogical-Didactic Mentor's Responsibilities

The task of the pedagogical-didactic mentor is to provide support regarding teaching and educational activities, such as:

• Ensuring that the assistant professor starts the university pedagogical program
• Providing feedback on specific teaching and educational tasks as agreed (this may include feedback on group teaching, lectures, mentoring, examinations, course development, and evaluation)
• Helping the assistant professor join the relevant collegial teaching community
• Preparing a written assessment of the assistant professor's teaching qualifications at least three months before the end of employment, according to the Employment Structure (§2.1 A). The assessment must be in English so that the assistant professor can use it in their future associate professor employment process. The assessment should only be given to the assistant professor.
• Being available in case of conflicts or crisis situations

The scope and timing of support are to be agreed upon between the assistant professor and the pedagogical-didactic mentor at the start of the assistant professorship.

Establish a format and frequency that can be adapted to situations where support is particularly needed, but also ensure that regular status meetings are scheduled. It is the assistant professor’s responsibility to arrange regular meetings and seek additional support as needed.

Refer to CED’s website Guide to Assistant Professor Mentoring.

If a Mentor Must Be Replaced

If a mentor is no longer available – resigns, retires, or cannot fulfill the role – a new mentor must be found unless there are good reasons against it. Any changes must be reported to the Deputy Head of Department for Education. The Deputy Head of Department can also be contacted if there are problems finding a suitable solution.