Dr Nicola Smith is a post-doctoral fellow in biomedical research working at the University of Glasgow. Originally from Australia, Nicola moved to Glasgow after completing her PhD to join one of the most esteemed laboratories in the world for her area of research; a team with exceptionally high expectations and standards.
Nicola already knew the power of mentoring; she had had a number of informal mentors while in Australia and found them invaluable with both career and personal development. After moving to the UK, she felt she needed a mentor who could support her in her new demanding position and who understood the scientific system in the UK. She looked into a few mentoring options and thought about directly contacting someone in her field that she respected. Then Nicola heard about MentorSET when she attended an information session at 'Life Sciences 2007' on 'Women in Science'. "The fact that MentorSET clearly put a great deal of effort into identifying suitable mentors and also defining appropriate expectations of a mentor/mentee relationship made them an obvious choice. I also knew of a few people who were part of the program and had very positive feedback from them," says Nicola.
She attended MentorSET's introductory workshop and believes it was essential, a really good basis for launching the mentoring relationship and defining expectations.
Nicola's mentor is a senior lecturer working in biomedical research, living in Scotland. "MentorSET matched me really well with my mentor and I couldn't be happier", says Nicola. " My first meeting with my mentor changed my entire post-doctoral experience. I was able to see the positives and negatives of my professional situation. I really felt like I was floundering before that meeting and went away with a new perspective and set of goals. Where once I was ready to quit and head back to Australia, I now can't imagine being anywhere else. I owe a lot of that change to my mentor."
Nicola had been working seven days a week. Her mentor identified that Nicola was exhausted and not very productive. Her mentor sensibly suggested she cut back on the hours worked at the weekend so that she would be more refreshed during the week. "I don't think she anticipated how seriously I would embrace that idea!" says Nicola. "This year I have been fairly strict with my working life. I work as long as I need to during the week and then restrict myself to working from home at weekends. I am now doing more experiments in five days than I was in seven because I am leaving myself more time to plan and also relax. Her advice was not revolutionary, but often we don't recognise that the solution is the obvious one."
The partnership has gone from strength to strength. Nicola and her mentor usually make contact every three months giving Nicola a chance to reflect on progress and identify any areas of concern or uncertainty. MentorSET has also remained in contact to ensure that the mentoring relationship is going well and Nicola feels that MentorSET is there for her and her mentor if needed. "Probably the saddest moment for me will be when I take the next step in my career and our mentoring relationship comes to a natural end, such is the respect and appreciation I have for my mentor and how she has helped me," says Nicola.
Having benefitted so greatly from mentoring and the advice of those who she has followed, she feels that she has an obligation to carry that forward and support younger scientists. She is registered as a MentorSET mentor, awaiting a suitable mentee.
Nicola would definitely recommend MentorSET to other women in science, engineering and technology. "I now feel like I have someone I can confide in where it would be unprofessional or uncomfortable to talk about my experiences to anyone else. I also feel a level of security in a pretty cut-throat industry knowing that there are others out there who understand what I am going through and what challenges lay ahead. Finally, I find my mentor herself to be inspiring by the fact that she is a successful female scientist."