CIMAS Mentoring Program

The CIMAS Mentoring Program is intended to foster professional growth and career development for mentees and mentors. Mentees can gain professional knowledge, skills, and insights through discussion with their mentors, as well as assistance with specific career-related topics such as proposal writing or work/life balance. Benefits for mentors include experience with mentoring and expanding their own networks. Interaction will be driven internally by the mentor and mentee, with collaboratively established goals and direction. This program provides a framework for CIMAS employees to find mentors within CIMAS and NOAA. Additionally, Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) employees are eligible to participate as mentors and/or mentees.

To participate as a mentee in this program, you must be a current employee at CIMAS or NGI. Mentees can range in career stage from early career to senior scientists. The most important requirement is that a mentee be interested in learning from the experience of their mentor.

Eligible mentors are current employees at CIMAS, NGI, or NOAA federal scientists at AOML or SEFSC. Mentors can range in career stage and will be paired appropriately based on the mentee's career stage. The most important requirement is that a mentor be dedicated to providing guidance and willing to share knowledge and experience that will be useful to the mentee. 

You may express interest in participating in this program as a mentor, mentee, or both (please note that NOAA federal scientists may only participate as mentors). Additionally, you may express interest in a peer mentoring relationship, where you are paired with another employee at a similar career stage. If interested in participating, please fill out the CIMAS Mentoring Program Interest Survey (linked below). Please note you are not required to be local to the Miami area to participate in the program, as meetings can take place virtually. Local mentor/mentee pairings are welcome to meet in-person if they wish.

Mentors will be paired with mentees based on responses from the interest survey (i.e., shared research interests, knowledge topics, goals, etc). Applications are received on a rolling basis, and pairings will be made as soon as possible (please note that depending on the demand for the program, you may not get paired right away). We ask for a minimum three month commitment, with option to extend if both parties wish. The pair should hold regular meetings, scheduled in advance. The pair will establish their own goals for the interaction. Guidance and suggestions for discussion topics will be available on request. If either individual do not feel the relationship is working, please contact CIMAS (either Katie Eaton or Emily Becker) and an appropriate solution will be found. More detailed guidelines for prospective mentors and mentees are linked below.