Position Description: IASR, Member-at-Large (Mentorship)
Role Type: Elected governance position
Term Length: 2 years with the potential of one renewal]
Reports To: Board of Directors
Time Commitment: Approximately, 2-3 hours per month that includes a 1-hour Board meeting the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 8:00-9:00AM ET (New York Time) and an additional 1-2 hours planning and implementing mentorship activities.
Purpose of the Role:
The Member-at-Large (MAL) Mentorship leads and advances the Academy’s commitment to mentorship as a core strategy for strengthening, diversifying, and sustaining the research workforce, with a particular emphasis on early-career members (e.g., trainees, fellows, early-stage investigators, and junior professionals).
This role ensures that mentorship efforts are intentional, evidence-informed, and aligned with the Academy’s mission to grow and support its early career membership on a global scale. The academy believes that it is important that its early career members are meaningfully supported, connected, and positioned for long-term success.
A. Core Responsibilities and Duties
The MAL Mentorship position’s core responsibilities include:
1. Mentorship Strategy and Program Development
• Provide leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of research training and mentorship
opportunities that support early-career members in terms of professional development.
• Help define mentorship goals, models, and expectations, including one-to-one, peer, near-peer, group, and
network-based mentorship approaches.
• Ensure mentorship activities align with the Academy’s strategic plan and research priorities.
2. Early-Career Member Engagement and Support
• Serve as an advocate and representative for early-career members within Board deliberations and
organizational decision-making.
• Work with early career members to identify common barriers they face (e.g., access to mentorship, funding,
protected time, networking, representation) to inform responsive strategies.
• Promote inclusive engagement of early-career members in committees, working groups, research
collaborations, and leadership opportunities.
3. Strengthen Early Career Membership Sense of Belonging to the Academy through Mentorship
• Champion equitable mentorship practices with attention to potential structural barriers and power
dynamics.
• Support initiatives that intentionally mentor individuals from globally diverse backgrounds.
• Encourage mentor training and resources that promote inclusivity and ethical research mentorship.
4. Mentor Recruitment, Recognition and Capacity Building
• Assist in identifying, recruiting, and supporting senior and mid-career members to serve as mentors.
• Contribute to the development of mentor guidance, training materials, and expectations.
• Promote recognition of mentorship contributions through awards, acknowledgments, where appropriate.
5. Evaluation, Metrics and Continuous Improvement
• Help define and monitor metrics to assess mentorship effectiveness, such as participation, satisfaction,
retention, career advancement, scholarly productivity, and leadership progression.
• Use member feedback and data to inform continuous improvement of mentorship initiatives.
• Support dissemination of lessons learned and best practices within the Academy.
6. Governance and Board Responsibilities
• Participate fully in Board meetings and relevant committees or task forces.
• Provide input on the Academy’s policies and strategic initiatives related to mentorship.
• Uphold ethical and confidential responsibilities consistent with board service.
7. Communication and Advocacy
• Serve as a visible champion for mentorship within the Academy and externally, as appropriate.
• Assist in communicating mentorship opportunities, successes, and resources to members.
• Represent the Academy’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers at meetings,
conferences, and partner events.
B. Desired Qualifications and Attributes
• Active member in good standing with the Academy.
• Demonstrated commitment to mentorship, training, and early-career development within a research or
academic context.
• Experience mentoring students, trainees, fellows, or early-career professionals (formal or informal).
• Strong understanding of challenges facing early-career researchers across globally diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work collaboratively across career stages, disciplines, and lived experiences.
• Ability to commit to time needed to carry out the duties of the Board position.