Deutsch Intern
Professional Development at JMU

Mentoring

LEAP Tandem Mentoring

Mentoring for Early Academic Leadership

With LEAP Tandem Mentoring, we offer junior professors and junior research group leaders long-term support in developing their academic leadership role.

Over a period of 18 months, you work in a confidential mentoring partnership with an experienced academic. The focus is on your individual questions and development goals in leadership, supervision, strategic career development and academic positioning.

The individual exchange within the mentoring partnership is complemented by regular peer exchange in small groups.

 

What does LEAP Tandem Mentoring offer you?

The mentoring programme provides space to reflect on your experiences in your academic leadership role, consider different perspectives and develop your own approaches and courses of action.

Topics may include for example:

  • Leadership and team development: You reflect on your role as a leader and on specific challenges in working with your team.
  • Supervision and support: You explore your role in supervising and supporting doctoral researchers and postdocs.
  • Strategic career development: You reflect on upcoming decisions and develop perspectives for your future academic career.
  • Academic positioning: You consider how to further develop your research profile and position yourself and collaborate within the academic system.

What can you expect?

LEAP Tandem Mentoring runs for 18 months. The programme is framed by a kick-off, a midpoint review and a joint closing session.

At the heart of the programme are regular meetings within your mentoring partnership. The programme consists of three components.

Tandem Mentoring

Individual support

At the heart of LEAP is your personal mentoring partnership. You reflect on individual development and decision-making questions and gain orientation for your academic leadership role.

Around five to six confidential meetings are planned over the course of the programme. You select your mentor yourself, with support from the Professional Development team in identifying and approaching a suitable person.

 

Leadership Reality Check

Reflecting together

In small, confidential peer groups, you reflect on specific challenges from your day-to-day leadership and supervision practice. You share experiences, consider different perspectives and jointly develop practical courses of action.

Around four to six Leadership Reality Checks take place over the course of the programme. The exact frequency is agreed within the peer group.

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Additional Training

Developing specific skills

In addition, you can take part in training opportunities on leadership and supervision. The topics address typical challenges in early academic leadership roles as well as your individual development needs.

Topics may include leadership and team development, supervision of doctoral researchers, conflict resolution or collaboration in international teams. The training opportunities complement the mentoring programme. Participation is optional.

Who is LEAP Tandem Mentoring for?

Target group

LEAP Tandem Mentoring is aimed at JMU junior professors with and without tenure track as well as junior research group leaders who have already taken on leadership and supervisory responsibilities or are about to do so.

Participants are expected to take an active and independent role in shaping their mentoring partnership and to participate in the joint programme activities.

Application

Would you like to participate in LEAP Tandem Mentoring? To apply, please submit:

  • a letter of motivation of no more than 300 words, describing your motivation and your career goals for the duration of the mentoring programme,
  • a current short CV of no more than two pages.

Between 6 and 10 places are available per programme cycle.

Please email your application documents by 11 December 2026 to:

personalentwicklung@uni-wuerzburg.de

Would you like to find out more about LEAP Tandem Mentoring?

Are you interested in LEAP Tandem Mentoring and would like to learn more about the programme before applying?

In two Info Calls via Zoom, we will introduce LEAP Tandem Mentoring and its key components. In around 45 minutes, you will gain an overview of how the programme works and have the opportunity to ask your questions:

You will receive the Zoom access details after registering.