Welcome the ASC Mentorship Program!
Applications for our 2025 – 2026 professional mentorship cohort are now open until July 31. The program will run from September 2025 – March 2026.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please apply here
If you are interested in becoming a mentee, please apply here
Program Goals and Overview:
While more and more people are interested in exploring science communication careers, it can be difficult to find guidance – especially for folks who are not currently enrolled in a formal degree program. Whether you are a student looking for opportunities after graduation, or an experienced professional looking to make a career shift, our mentorship program is here to support you and connect you with helpful, knowledgeable people.
Our mentors provide career guidance, feedback, and access to professional resources and networking opportunities. In turn, serving as a mentor gives veteran science communicators the opportunity to reflect on their career paths and to discuss the latest developments of our ever-evolving field.
Program Logistics:
This six-month program matches mentor/mentee pairs based on their professional interests and experience (for example, a podcaster matched with a mentee interested in podcasting).
Mentor/mentee pairs will meet for at least one hour per month (via phone or video chat) with additional communication as agreed upon by each pair. The overall time commitment should be approximately 2 – 4 hours per month.
Mentorship conversations may include discussing goals, reviewing resumes, websites, LinkedIn profiles, or portfolio pieces. Mentors may offer feedback on a story pitch or general career advice – but these relationships are often symbiotic. In our previous cohort, we heard that many mentors learned a great deal from their mentees.
We will host a virtual kick-off for the cohort in late September. Over the course of the program, the ASC Mentorship Directors will host additional events (via Zoom) that include guest speakers and timely topics for the cohort. These online events will provide opportunities for small-group discussion and networking.
All participants will have the opportunity to write about their experiences in the program and have that writing published as a blog feature on the ASC website. We will also feature various mentorship pairings in our newsletter.
The program will conclude at Science Talk ’26 in Portland, Oregon (insert link) in March 2026. Mentorship pairs will have the opportunity to present posters about their experiences and all cohort participants will be invited to attend a networking lunch in person and/or participate in a panel discussion online.
If you have questions about ASC Mentorship, please contact one of the program directors:
Justice Morath morath@sciencecomm.org
Marley Parker mlparkermedia@gmail.com
Thank you for helping us build an empowering and supportive community!
