L-INSIGHT’s Professor Emeritus/Emerita Mentor System aims to help fellows assess themselves through discussions with someone in a neutral position outside their workplace and field of study. One example is advice about their research activities and prospects as a researcher.

Mentors were matched with L-INSIGHT’s first cohort of fellows based on information primarily acquired from the latter, such as the individuals they hoped could mentor them. The program manager explained to candidate professor emeriti about this system and requested their assistance. In mid-October, a professor emeritus/emerita mentor was selected for each fellow. (Details)  

Fellows began meeting their mentors in January 2021 and are engaging in ongoing dialogues regarding a wide range of topics. For example, they share their research activities, including issues therein and outlooks, and find out about those of their mentors. While making appropriate use of the internet to prevent new coronavirus infections, sixty to ninety-minute meetings are held once every two to three months. These multigenerational discussions have vast potential and are likely to be an opportunity for fellows to consider their careers and other topics from a long-term perspective. L-INSIGHT will work to improve this system so that it is appropriately tailored to each fellow’s activities and enables them to acquire essential perspectives to be active as next-generation researchers.