Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Women in Science Mentoring Program



Timeline Eligibility Requirements Grants and Training Terms FAQs







Women earn 41 percent of PhDs in STEM fields, but make up just 28 percent of tenure-track faculty. A persistent problem in academia is the disproportionate fraction of qualified women who leave science as they move up the educational and higher education career ladder. The worldwide loss of women in STEM, specifically from the transition from postdoctoral and junior faculty to senior faculty stages of their careers, has been explained by various reasons including: work-life balance conflicts, hostile environment from co-workers, gender discrimination, few professional development opportunities, and a lack of role models and mentors.



Without mentors or role models, women receive limited advice about career and personal development. Mentoring can help address the feelings of isolation and marginalization that women in academic settings often report. A mentor guides and becomes a colleague that a mentee can depend on and trust. In a 2017 study, women in engineering, who had been assigned a female mentor, experienced more belonging, motivation and confidence, better retention in science, and greater career aspirations than women assigned either a male mentor, or no mentor at all. When more junior level professionals are motivated and confident and have positive mentors and role models, they are also more likely to successfully win awards for research funding, aiding their movement up the professional career ladder.



In the last seven years, the PEER program has received over 3,200 applications for funding. However, fewer than 30% of those have been from women as lead PIs. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics found that less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, June 2018). The regional averages for the share of female researchers (based on the available data for 2016) range from around 48% for Central Asia and 45% for Latin America and the Caribbean to 18.5% for South and West Asia.



While there are likely various interacting factors that prevent postdocs and junior women faculty from advancing their careers in science and applying for international research awards, the PEER Women in Science Mentoring Program was developed in 2018 to help retain women in science, build self-confidence, and teach early career scientists to write successful international research awards.



Approach



The PEER Women in Science Mentoring Program invites cohorts of female scientists, consisting of one senior faculty member as the mentor, and 2-4 junior faculty with complementary research focus from the same university, to apply for this mentorship program. Selected cohorts will attend a three-day training that can include topics such as mentoring for career success, networking, negotiation, communication skills, publishing research, and applying for research awards. The training concludes with each cohort creating a 12-month, mentee led plan for cohorts to meet monthly to focus on personal and professional development skills to increase career success such as work-life balance, lab management, and proposal writing .



The combination of the skills acquired from the training and the insights provided through the year-long mentorship experience will result in female scientist cohorts who are better equipped to not only remain, but excel in their STEM careers. The Women in Science Mentoring Program also includes a seed funding opportunity open only to mentees in the program. Upon successful completion of the program, mentees have the opportunity to compete for seed grants of $10,000 each. These awardees are required to mentor more junior colleagues as part of the seed funding, leading to a sustainable, pay-it-forward model.



A full list of selected participants from the first cycle of the program is available here.



2019 Focus Area - Tuberculosis related research in Asia



The 2019 PEER Women in Science Mentoring Program has chosen tuberculosis (TB) as its area of focus and will support networks of female scientists conducting research on the development and uptake of effective tools and approaches for preventing, detecting, and treating TB. We encourage applicants from diverse academic backgrounds including, but not limited to, the behavioral and social sciences, public health and medical sciences, life and earth sciences, and computer, engineering or physical sciences.



TB is preventable and curable, and yet millions of people around the world continue to fall sick with TB each year. Approximately 10 million people developed the disease in 2017, with eight countries accounting for two thirds of the new TB cases: India (27%), China (9%), Indonesia (8%), the Philippines (6%), Pakistan (5%), Nigeria (4%) and South Africa (3%). Worldwide, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, above HIV/AIDS. TB occurs in every part of the world and about 1.7 billion people, 23% of the world’s population, have latent TB infection, and hence are at risk of developing active TB disease during their lifetime. The growing rise in drug-resistant TB is a major obstacle to successfully treating the illness (World Health Organization Global Tuberculosis Report 2018).



USAID is committed to supporting sustainable national efforts to curb the TB epidemic in several priority countries. USAID partners with governments and affected communities to understand each country’s TB epidemic and to tailor activities accordingly. USAID supports country-led efforts to develop, finance, implement, and monitor national and sub-national TB strategies and programs. USAID's efforts also focus on supporting countries to identify and address barriers that individuals with active TB, those at risk of developing TB from infection, or those at risk of TB infection face in accessing TB diagnosis, treatment, and care services.



The US Government is committed to accelerating research and innovation for the development and uptake of new, more effective tools and approaches for preventing, detecting, and treating TB. In addition, USAID is committed to each partner-country’s journey to self-reliance by supporting the number of female scientists capable of addressing local-challenges; lowering barriers to women becoming leaders in their research communities; and fostering the skills they need to be mentors and entrepreneurs. Through direct interventions such as mentorship training, network building, and research implementation support, USAID can help ensure these women not only remain but excel in their field.



Mentors and mentees eligible for the 2019 PEER Women in Science Mentorship Program must be from the following TB high burden countries in Asia: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Eligible applicants are female TB researchers from various academic disciplines and research institutions using a variety of different approaches including, but not limited to:



● Social, Economic, and Behavioral Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and other related fields

● Public Health: Biostatistics, Health Education, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and other related fields

● Molecular biology

● Statistics

● Economics

● Computer Science

● Gender Studies

● Implementation research

● Operational research







Timeline: Application Process



October 21, 2019 Applications Open January 10, 2020 Mentor-mentee cohort applications due March 2020 Cohorts selected and notified of their award June 15-18, 2020 Coach career development training August 1, 2020 One year mentor-mentee program begins April 2021 Research grant funding for mentees - applications open May 2021 Research grant funding for mentees - applications due Early Fall 2021 Research grant funding for mentees - awardees announced



Eligibility: Mentor-Mentee Cohort Application Submission Instructions



Eligible Countries

Mentors and mentees must be permanent residents or citizens, residing in their home country, from any of the following countries to be eligible:



Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.



Cohort Structure

Cohorts should be made up of one woman senior faculty mentor and 2-4 women mentees (postdocs and/or junior faculty). Junior faculty would be defined as assistant professors and/or non-tenured faculty members. Mentors must hold PhDs in a STEM field. MDs with a focus on research are qualified to apply. Junior faculty/postdocs and senior faculty cohorts do not have to be from the same scientific field, but cohorts with similar research interests are encouraged. Cohorts must be located at the same or nearby universities in their countries of citizenship/permanent residency, and be able to meet regularly in person. There will not be any travel funds provided to support cohort meetups, and videoconferencing is not encouraged.



Mentor and mentee cohorts should gather their application materials together and the mentor should submit one application on behalf of the cohort into PEER's online application system.







Application Packet Requirements



Mentor

Each mentor should include the following items in the application packet:

CV/Resume Please make sure to also include information on international collaboration and success with international research awards. Note where research projects/publications have been led by, or included, junior faculty, postdocs, graduate students or undergraduates. Include relevant training in mentoring, leadership, career and professional development, etc, if any.

Statement of interest that includes the following points. Statements should no more than 3,500 characters in length (approximately 500 words, or one page, single spaced). The role of mentors in your career development. Why you would like to be a mentor in this program. How you plan to help grow the careers and networks of your mentees.

Mentees

Each mentee should send the following items to the mentor to include in the application packet: CV/Resume

Statement of interest that includes the following points. Statements should no more than 3,500 characters in length (approximately 500 words, or one page, single spaced). Why mentoring is important to you. Why you would like to be a part of this program. How you see this program contributing to your growth as a scientist and future mentor. What skills would you like do develop that will allow you to be a mentor in the future?



Mentorship Training and Seed Grants



For All Selected Cohorts



COACh Training Mentors and mentees must attend a three-day training program (likely in Thailand) run by COACh Global, at which all cohorts will convene following notification of their selection in the program. All travel to the training, lodging, meals, and training will be fully funded for the selected cohorts.

At the end of the three-day training, mentors will have a mentorship plan for the year and mentees will have a research plan. COACh Training Schedule Day 1: Mentoring Workshop for mentors and mentees. Topics covered will include: definition of mentoring and being a mentee, expectations for mentees and mentors, techniques for mentors and mentees including active listening and giving feedback. Day one will conclude with a practice mentoring session.

Day 2: Publishing and grant writing. Senior faculty mentors will have the opportunity to share their experiences and expertise with successes in this professional arena. Day two will conclude with a talk and activity about negotiation and other professional development topics useful for both junior faculty mentees and senior faculty mentors..

Day 3: Groups will design the mentor and mentee plans. Plans will include meetings and activities to cover throughout the year, including timelines for research plans

Terms of Award



Mentors

Receive a $2,000 USD honorarium (paid to the individual) for creating and following the mentor plan for mentees as created during their mentor training. Mentors will receive $1,000 after the mentoring plan is submitted following the COACh workshop. Mentors will receive final $1,000 after the final report is submitted at the conclusion of the year-long program.

Receive mentor/mentee training by COACh Global. COACh will also recognize and feature the mentors during the training in panels/conversations about successes in funding and publishing. Mentors will be recognized for their successful mentorship with a certificate and may be highlighted in blogs and other public facing media throughout the year. Mentees Receive mentee/mentor training by COACh Global.

Opportunity to compete for small seed grants ($10,000 USD) following their participation in the year-long mentoring program.

Terms of Seed Funding for Mentees: Mentees will be invited to submit a proposal for a hypothesis-driven, one-year long research project and a plan for mentoring two postdocs, graduate students, or undergraduate students with a maximum budget of $10,000 USD, to be paid to the higher education institution where the mentee is employed. Funds must be managed by the institution in accordance with standard regulations governing the use of USAID funds. The research project should be a pilot, using existing equipment at the university. The funding can be used for supplies and other small expenses but not large pieces of equipment. Mentees should draw heavily on their new, collaborative networks for a successful pilot project. Data collected during the pilot project should be used as leverage when applying for larger international and national grants and funding. Mentees are encouraged to think about how to best showcase their pilot research at an international research conference following completion of the award.



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)



What if I have a group of 5 or 6 women that I mentor?

Unfortunately we can’t have groups of larger than 4.



If one of the mentees is an undergraduate or grad student and the others are faculty and postdocs, can I still apply?

All mentees must be employed by their university as junior faculty to be eligible. Mentees must already have a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)



Why isn’t my country eligible? Can I still apply?

We were not able to include all countries and focused on priority countries for mentoring in higher education institutions with USAID. We are only accepting applications for citizens and permanent residents of the countries listed above. If you are not a citizen/permanent resident one of the countries, you are not eligible to apply.



Are researchers at non-academic research institutions eligible to apply?

Yes, mentors and mentees at research institutions are eligible for this mentorship program.



Is it possible to meet over Skype or another video teleconferencing software instead of in person?

Mentoring is much more effective if it is done in person. If you are planning on being out of town from your home institution regularly during the mentoring period, we suggest you do not apply.



Will you help me find a mentor or mentees?

We are not able to help you find mentors or mentees. For postdocs and junior faculty, we suggest you approach a senior faculty member and discuss mentorship with them. For mentors, approach junior faculty and postdocs in your university and discuss mentorship with them. Then you will see if there are mutual interests.



I am a citizen/resident of X country but my mentor/mentee is not. Can we still apply?

All members of the cohort (mentors and mentees) must be permanent residents or citizens of the country where the higher education institution is located.



I am a professor at the University but I only have a Masters degree. Am I qualified to be a mentee?

Mentors must have PhDs and be in a senior faculty role.



Can I do a clinical trial with my seed funding?

No you cannot do a clinical trial with the seed funding.



Can I do research involving human subjects with my seed funding?

No you cannot do research involving human subjects with the seed funding.



I am doing a postdoc in a country that is not my country of citizenship or permanent residency. Can I be a mentee?

You can be a mentee if you are finishing your postdoc and moving back to your country of citizenship or permanent residency and entering a faculty position. You must be in the country for the entire term of the cohort.



If I am a professor in the USA with citizenship from an eligible country and there are 2-4 other more junior professors in the USA, also citizens from the same eligible country, can we apply for the award?

All applicants must be in the country of their citizenship or permanent residency for the entirety of the mentoring period. Applicants must be professors in that country, not in the USA.



If I am a professor in the USA or another country but I can travel back and forth to my home country to mentor/mentee, am I eligible to apply?

All members of the cohort (mentor and mentees) must be employed by and reside in the country of their citizenship, one of the eligible countries on the list above.



I am a male professor who wants to mentor a group of junior women at my institution. Can I still apply?

This program is designed to support only women as both mentors and mentees, so you would not be eligible to apply.



There are four mentees in my cohort, do we need to submit four applications?

No, you submit one application for each cohort. There is space in the online system for two to four mentees to input their information.



Is English a requirement of this program?

The professional training and reporting will be in English, but the interaction between mentors and mentees does not need to be.



Is it possible to have a mentor in the US or another country while I am in an eligible country?

No, all mentors and mentees must be in the same country and preferably at the same institution.



Is there an age limit for a mentor or mentee?

No.



Are women researchers in the social sciences eligible to apply?

Yes, as long as they have PhDs



