Between May of her second year and October of her third year, Alice, a Zoology student was mentored by a Career Development Fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

This mentor has completed a Biochemistry degree at Exeter and then pursued a PhD in Biological Sciences. Her main responsibilities include conducting seed biology research at Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, publishing work in scientific journals and training and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Alice shared the way in which the scheme was beneficial to her. She developed professional contacts and networking opportunities and gained an insight into further education and professional courses. Alice also developed an understanding of the route to a career in research and the difficulties that she can expect and gained academic support.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I gained a unique insight into my chosen profession, with both good and bad aspects of the job itself and the application process being discussed.

Her mentor said:

“It was nice to hear about my mentee’s career plans and to see how they crystallised during the scheme.”