Creating a Culture of Success Through Holistic Mentoring

To have a successful career it is important that leadership skills and resilience are developed as part of the academic journey of a student. This is facilitated and supported by the faculty who supervise research students. Successful careers must be framed in a changing environment where a graduate has choices and teasing out these by exposing the student to many environments is promoted.<br/>As a research supervisor, an important part of the role is the development of successful confident researchers who can be the leaders of tomorrow in either academia or industry. These skills require development through various pathways. In addition to the role as a research leader developing timelines with project and publication milestones, the supervisory role has the capability of being a mentor who supports a holistic approach to leadership development.<br/>Being a mentor provides a platform for informal support which guides the student through various stages of their research by supporting and developing other skills. In this area it is important that there is a structure in place which can be replicated for all research students to enable them to reach their full potential.<br/>This talk will focus on some strategies to support research students develop holistic leadership skills.<br/>The approach includes strategies on:<br/>Supporting minorities in materials engineering<br/>Engaging students in exchange programmes<br/>Developing leadership skills through outreach management<br/>Providing leadership opportunities in various areas.<br/>Supporting well being and resilience.