Voices of Academia

21. Person-centred Mentoring | Dr. Kartik Aiyer

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CW: Academic bullying and abuse

Emily chats with Dr. Kartik Aiyer, who opens up about the benefits of a good academic mentor and support network on mental health and productivity.

Kartik opened up previously, in episode 20, about the impact a poor Faculty relationship had on his mental health during his PhD.

This episode covers:

  • Kartik’s music obsession and the positive relationship with his family
  • The benefits of supportive research group culture on mental health but also productivity
  • The need to train and empower junior researchers to value their own contributions whilst also learning from the research experience of others
  • That clear, respectful communication between mentors and mentees is key
  • What to look for in a mentor
  • Places to seek mentors
  • Shutting out negative thoughts and focussing on personal strengths
  • Suggested policy shifts to improve mentoring and training

    • If you find this episode valuable, and have some spare change, please consider supporting the podcast!

    Resources:

    • Kartik’s blog post on ‘Empowering early career researchers and improving culture in academia.’
    • Kartik’s science communication blog
    • Professor Jen Heemstra – as a role model tweeting to bring out the best in researchers

      • Full transcript of the podcast is available here, with many thanks to Dan Ranson. If you find these transcripts useful, please consider supporting accessibility! 

      Mental health support: please contact your GP or use the appropriate support for your country at https://checkpointorg.com/global/

      You can find out more about Voices of Academia & other personal stories at @academicvoices or our website.

      Interested in being interviewed? We’d love to hear from you. Please submit this brief form.

      Recorded: 04/10/2021.

      Sound: Mindset by Ketsa is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, available through Free Music Archive.

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      Voices of AcademiaBy Emily King
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