Cancer Postgraduate Mentors
Are you a cancer-focused PhD student looking to mentor underrepresented postgraduate research students or a prior mentor wanting to train and manage others?
Thanks to funding from the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC), we’re looking to recruit up to four Cancer Postgraduate Mentors to mentor undergraduate students at The University of Manchester who are interested in applying for a cancer-focused PhD in the future.
We’re also recruiting up to two Senior Cancer Postgraduate Mentors who will provide mentorship and oversee a small group of Cancer Postgraduate Mentors to ensure they can do their job effectively.
Our mentorship scheme aims to make sure that more PhD researchers from underrepresented groups are attracted and recruited to cancer postgraduate research programmes. We particularly welcome applications from students from the following groups:
- Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds
- Have ever been in local authority care
- Have ever been in receipt of free school meals
- First in family to attend higher education
We will provide training before you start these roles and you’ll have regular contact with our Postgraduate Programme Manager.
These roles are flexible and hours will vary throughout the year but we expect a minimum contribution, as outlined in the role job descriptions.
Key Responsibilities and Opportunities available include:
- Identifying opportunities for your mentee to develop their academic CV, e.g. through signposting them to conferences or talks
- Being empathetic and willing to share your own journey
- Helping your mentee to set short and long-term career goals
- Providing guidance on cancer-specific PhD applications and interviews
- Contributing to the development of the mentorship scheme by suggesting new ideas for engagement
- Completing compulsory training as required
Additional Senior Cancer Postgraduate Mentor responsibilities:
- Providing training to Cancer Postgraduate Mentors, with the assistance of the MCRC Postgraduate Programme Manager
- Acting as a point of contact for a small number of Postgraduate Cancer Mentors to assist with any queries or issues they may have
Benefits of being a Cancer Postgraduate Mentor:
- Inspire the next generation of postgraduate researchers
- Gain skills in leadership, mentoring and communicating with other people
How to apply
Please complete our short application forms to apply for these roles:
The deadline to apply for this role is 12:00 (GMT) on Monday 4th March 2024.
If your application is successful, we’ll email you to invite you to the MCRC to have an informal chat and find out more about you and assess your suitability for the ambassador programme. This is also a chance for you to find out more about us, learn how the scheme works and ask us any questions you may have.
We aim to inform everyone of the outcome of their application a week after the deadline. Please note: if we receive a sufficient number of applications we may close the job advert earlier than advertised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to frequently asked questions about our Cancer Postgraduate Mentor roles.
You must be a current MB-PhD or Non-Clinical PhD student at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre or Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre to apply.
Postdocs and Clinical Research Training Fellowships can also apply but, since they are already full-time University of Manchester employees, they will be paid via vouchers equivalent to the mentoring role’s hourly rate.
For our Senior roles, you must have experience of previously working on this mentorship programme or have similar relevant managerial experience.
Yes, we welcome applications from all students. However, you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK and check any limitations on the number of hours you are allowed to work with your UK visa.
This role is flexible and hours will vary throughout the year but for Cancer Postgraduate Mentors we expect a contribution of up to two hours per month’s mentorship (in-person and/or virtually) and hosting your mentee on a paid hourly lab visit of up to two days during the summer vacation (date to be agreed by mentor-mentee).
For Senior Cancer Postgraduate Mentors, we expect a contribution of up to four hours per month’s mentorship (in-person and/or virtually) and hosting your mentee on a paid hourly lab visit of up to two days during the summer vacation (date to be agreed by mentor-mentee).
You will join The University of Manchester payroll as a casual employee and submit timesheets of the hours you work each month to get paid. You will accrue one hours’ annual leave for each 8.3 hours worked, which will be paid at the end of the job role. Hours are variable and meeting dates will be defined by the Postgraduate Programme Manager, yourself and your mentee.
The pay for Cancer Postgraduate Mentors is £11.68 per hour. The pay for Senior Postgraduate Mentors is £11.99 per hour. As detailed above, postdocs and Clinical Research Training Fellows will need to be paid via vouchers equivalent to the hourly rate.
Our Postgraduate Programme Manager in the MCRC Training Office will provide all relevant support and training before you start your role.
