CheMento – Information for Mentees

• Individual advice from an experienced chemist (mentor)
• Guidance at the end of your studies, during your doctorate and when starting your career
• Practical preparation for the demands of working life
• Further development of your own skills and soft skills
• Establishing professional contacts in academia and industry

Please note the following: A mentor is not a career coach whose role is to find their mentee a job. Rather, they should support them in choosing the right career path and provide suggestions and food for thought.

In the interview with former mentee Etilia Dolja, you can read how CheMento supported her and what added value she gained from it. here.

Students pursuing a Master's degree, doctoral candidates or postdocs from all areas of chemistry may apply as mentees.

Before applying, please note the following:

1. Cooperation with your mentor requires time. Applicants should therefore be prepared to schedule regular meetings with their mentor, even during sometimes hectic phases of their doctoral studies. A longer stay abroad already scheduled during the mentoring year is also not suitable for successful cooperation with your mentor. In this case, we ask you not to apply.

2. GDCh cannot cover travel costs for meetings with your mentor or for events in the accompanying programme.

3. We ask doctoral candidates in the final phase of their doctoral studies to consider whether the goals and expectations for the mentoring year, and the associated time commitment, can be reconciled with completing their doctoral thesis. The cooperation should be able to continue throughout the entire year, apart from occasional quieter periods.

The application period for the 7th CheMento round (starting in 2026) has already ended.

The application period for the 8th CheMento round (starting in 2028) runs from 1 September to 15 October 2025.

There is no legal entitlement to participate in the mentoring programme.