A mentor paves the way for their mentees to thrive both professionally and personally providing a supportive and nurturing environment so that mentees from all backgrounds are encouraged in developing their unique set of skills and interests.  

The Mentor Leadership program at the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (CSEP) will focus on how to develop the important understanding and skills required to be an effective and trusted mentor.  An annual fellowship in the amount of $5K ($4K stipend, $1K activities/supplies) will be awarded to one science, engineering or mathematics graduate student to serve as a CSEP Mentor Leadership Fellow. The selected fellow will be a lead mentor for graduate students and postdocs across a wide range of STEM disciplines, serving as a role model and guide for developing mentoring expertise. During their tenure as a Fellow they will develop and lead a suite of mentoring activities and resources. In addition to implementing well-established activities, the fellow will have the ability to create timely resources and activities that align with their interests. Fellows will join the CSEP mentor training team, working alongside and receiving support from CSEP staff and affiliated faculty. 

The CSEP Mentor Leadership Fellow will have much creative input in the tenure of their year-long fellowship. Expected time commitment is approximately 3-5hrs/week. Following is an outline of the key components of the fellowship:  

• Host a "Value of Mentorship" workshop to introduce benefits of mentoring and encourage participation in upcoming mentoring opportunities at UCSB -- Winter

• Develop a mentoring resource (aligned with fellow interests; examples include the mentor toolkit handbook (posted on website), interactive video/audio content, mentoring self-assessment packet, mentoring resources page, etc.) -- By end of fellowship  

• Coordinate annual summer mentor training series (3-part well-established guest speaker series) -- Spring/Summer

• Participate in bi-weekly planning meetings with CSEP program coordinators and undergrad research program SuperMentors -- Ongoing

• Participate in the selection of the 2026 Mentoring Fellow -- Fall

• Disseminate mentoring resources across the campus, UC-wide and/or nationally (opportunities depend on Fellow interests and availability)

Fellowship Dates: Jan 1 - December 31, 2025

Amount: $5,000 per year - $4K for fellow stipend, and $1K for activities/materials Jan 1 - December 31, 2024

Deadline to apply: November 6, 2024 at 11:59PM

Contact: csep-mentorship@ucsb.edu

• A graduate student in a science, engineering, or mathematics PhD program 

• Demonstrated leadership

• Undergraduate mentoring experience

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Understanding of how diversity, equity, and inclusion impacts student retention and success

• Completion of:

  • Application form (Google form)

  • Diversity & Mentoring Philosophy Statement  (2 pages or less) -- within the application, please tell us more about your mentoring experience and philosophy for mentoring young STEM students, as well as your interest and experience in supporting those from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Also, share your interest in being a CSEP Mentor Leadership Fellow, how it would benefit your future aspirations, and what ideas you have for creating new resources, innovations, or related support systems for other graduate students and postdoc mentors at UCSB

  • One letter of recommendation from your faculty advisor or someone directly familiar with your mentoring experience. Letter should be emailed to csep-mentorship@ucsb.edu by the application deadline of Nov. 6, 2024 at 11:59PM

APPLY HERE