Programs & Resources

ICRAR/UWA runs a mentoring program, jointly coordinated by the Development, Equity and Inclusivity committee and PhD program coordinator. The purpose of this program is to provide extra support to students/staff outside of the supervisory team, and someone with whom they can discuss their study/career progression, work environment and potential work-related issues. As part of this program every PhD student should be assigned a mentor. Masters students and ECRs can also choose to ‘opt-in’ to this scheme and will be assigned a mentor in the same manner.

The guidelines are:

• Mentees are encouraged to meet with their mentors at least bi-annually, and mentors are responsible for initiating these contacts (after having been assigned a mentee by the DEI committee and the PhD program coordinator). However, mentees can request more meetings if needed, depending on their circumstances and the status of their degree program.
• Both mentees and mentors are responsible for informing the mentoring program coordinator of their meeting once a meeting has been held. This is important for the program coordinator to keep track of how the mentoring program is going.
• The points to discuss during each meeting are:
  Work: discuss general progress against your PhD plan and motivation level. Mentors are not expected to discuss scientific aspects of the student’s work in detail.
  Prospects: discuss long-term goals and potential career options (especially in the final year).
  Environment: discuss potential issues at the workplace, or circumstances that are affecting your work. This includes issues in the interaction between the mentee and their supervisor(s).
• If any issues, the mentors report back to a DEI member; or, in the case of minor points and if agreed with the student, talk directly to the supervisor.

Duties of the coordinator of the mentoring program:

• Pair each student with a staff mentor: Each student will be offered three potential mentors. Potential mentors will be post-docs or permanent staff members who have been working at the department for longer than a year. The preferred mentor is then approached by the coordinators. If the student would prefer someone other than suggested by the coordinators, this will be arranged if possible.
• Remind mentors and students to meet regularly: The coordinators send out regular email reminders and keep a checklist of meetings held.
• Report to the DEI chair: Keep the DEI chair informed about the progress of the program.

Note that, due to the process of assigning mentors and mentees, not all staff members will have a mentee, whilst some staff may receive more than one mentee request. It is the job of the coordinator to try to ensure a fair balance amongst staff members.

In October 2019, thanks to the generous support of the ICRAR/UWA executive, the DEI Committee has established the DEI Primary Carer Support Schemes.

These schemes have the goal to support ICRAR/UWA students and staff with primary carer responsibilities. Currently, two different funding schemes are being trialled:

Primary carer conference support scheme

ICRAR/UWA recognises that primary carer responsibilities can present a barrier to attending and presenting at academic conferences. This barrier can reduce networking opportunities and the visibility of staff’s work. The Primary Carer Support for Conference Attendance funding scheme is aimed at reducing this barrier by providing financial support for extraordinary caring arrangements for primary carers to facilitate conference participation.

Full description of this scheme (including eligibility) is available here.

Applications should be submitted using the form at this link.

Long leave support scheme

ICRAR/UWA recognises that students and staff may be required to take extended leave from their positions (e.g. long-term Parental Leave and Carers Leave), and that this can have an impact on their career progression beyond the time lost on leave. Research has shown that, for example, women who are expecting to take a significant length of maternity leave are less likely to be invited onto upcoming grant applications; will be excluded from important decision-making for projects in which they are involved while they are on leave; and after returning to work may need a period of time to re-establish their networks and optimal productivity. This scheme is set to provide financial support to help offset this loss in research productivity.

Full description of this scheme (including eligibility) is available here.

Applications should be submitted using the form at this link.

DEI is very pleased to announce the creation of a nursing room in the Ken and Julie Michael building for ICRAR staff and students to use!

The room is located behind the reception area in the ground floor of the building atrium, repurposed to be a private space for nursing mothers. The door to the room can be locked, and the windows have been frosted to ensure privacy. The room contains a nursing chair, an electrical cord, a side table, a microwave and also a small refrigerator.

The nursing room will remain locked at all times, and the key can be collected from Lisa when required. A booking system has been set up for this room (see instructions below), so just like other meeting rooms within the building, please contact Lisa or Tracey to book the nursing room for you.

For reference, please read the University Policy on Children on the University Campus, regarding the university policies for bringing children onto campus. I have also attached the new guidelines for booking the nursing room. These will be made available on the ICRAR intranet.

Room booking guidelines

Users of the ICRAR Nursing Room are requested to comply with the guidelines below:

•  Please collect the key for the ICRAR Nursing Room from ICRAR Reception on the 2^nd The door can be locked from the inside for privacy during use.
• The room is equipped with a nursing chair, electrical extension cord, side table, a microwave and a small refrigerator. Please provide your own equipment for nursing purposes.
• The room is free to all users.
• Please ensure that the ICRAR Nursing Room is left in a clean and tidy condition after use. If you notice an issue with the room, please report it to ICRAR Reception when returning the key or email lisa.randell@uwa.edu.au or call extension 1252.
• The ICRAR Nursing Room is used by many, so please make sure you keep to your timeline as others may be coming in directly after you.

Your help in maintaining the ICRAR Nursing room is greatly appreciated and we thank you for your cooperation.