METEOR and JYU.Well explore mentoring for researcher wellbeing
On 11 June 2026, JYU.Well and the JYU METEOR team held a joint breakfast event bringing together mentors and mentees from both initiatives to exchange experiences and discuss how mentoring activities at the University of Jyväskylä can be further strengthened.
The morning began with an informal breakfast and networking session at Ravintola Piato, creating space for participants from different disciplines to connect across the JYU community.
Mapping future mentoring needs
After the networking session, participants worked in smaller discussion groups to map ideas for future mentoring initiatives that can support the wellbeing and career development of doctoral candidates and early-career researchers.
The discussions pointed to a clear demand for more career-oriented mentoring, including support for career pathways both within JYU and beyond academia. Participants also emphasised the need to tailor mentoring activities to researchers at different career stages and to researchers from international backgrounds.
From exchange to stronger mentoring structures
Participants valued the face-to-face format, the interdisciplinary nature of the groups and the opportunity to speak openly about the multifaceted realities of researcher life. Suggestions also included one-to-one mentoring, funding support and academic travel grants as potential areas for future development.
Following the morning session, JYU.Well and the METEOR JYU team introduced JYU’s mentoring programme to international colleagues from JYU partner universities during JYU International Staff Week. Mentors and mentees from both initiatives shared experiences, while international guests exchanged perspectives from their own institutional contexts.
The event generated valuable firsthand insights for future mentoring frameworks at JYU and further strengthened METEOR’s focus on researcher wellbeing, transversal skills and career readiness through collaborative and participatory approaches.
Mentoring is not only a support structure. In METEOR, it is also a practical setting where researchers develop communication, reflection, collaboration and career-planning skills.
The article can be linked to the original JYU item and the METEOR project website to guide readers towards further information and related training resources.
Author: METEOR Project Team
Links
https://www.jyu.fi/en/projects/methodologies-for-teamworking-in-eco-outwards-research-meteor
Keywords
METEOR, JYU.Well, mentoring, researcher wellbeing, doctoral education, early-career researchers, career development, transversal skills, University of Jyväskylä
