Co-mentor

[amethyst23]

I was advised that students whose PI is a junior faculty should find a co-mentor who has a more senior position for the students' grants to be competitive. Has anyone had to go through the process of finding a co-mentor and if so what did you look for in your co-mentor? (should it be someone whose work overlaps with yours? How often do you interact with them?

 

Edited May 31, 2016 by amethyst23

[aberrant]

Grants are typically not for students. Students typically apply fellowships.

For the fellowship that I got, it requires 3 letters of reference (who are not from your PI), a letter of sponsor (from your PI), a letter of consultant/consultation (from a scientist who provide specific technical support/comments on your proposed project), and, if necessary, letter of collaborating investigator (if you will have a collaborator / co-PI).

I don't think it is necessary to have co-mentor/co-PI specifically for this purpose. Money is always an issue, besides interpersonal relationship between your (junior) PI and your potential (senior) mentor. Your situation is more probably if the two PIs are currently collaborating.

[biotechie]

It is not absolutely essential to have a co-mentor that is not your PI if your PI is still junior faculty. However, working closely with someone well-known can be beneficial.

I will have a co-mentor for my fellowship proposal. The PI I chose is a well-known guy in the field, but I also directly collaborate with his lab and placed him on my thesis committee. He knows me, and my projects, really well. Our research is related, but independent from his, and his lab has skills and equipment that we use, and we have things that his lab uses. I'm probably over in their lab at least once a week. I think if you're going to find a co-mentor, this sort of situation is ideal.

What I would NOT do is pick someone that your lab doesn't work with or that your PI does not know well. If the labs are not already working together to some degree, this person is going to have a hard time writing a training plan for you, and your application will actually be considered much weaker for it.

[shadowclaw]

I believe what amethyst is referring to is a PI's ability to secure grant money which will be used for funding the PhD project (and perhaps even the student's stipend and tuition if it is a large grant). This is different from a fellowship which a student applies for and typically covers a stipend and tuition. 

I think there is wisdom in having a more experienced co-mentor to assist with grant writing as well as to provide credibility and experience through their lengthy CV. Someone who has a history of success with securing grants and lots of publications probably will have a higher chance of winning a grant than an inexperienced faculty member fresh out of a postdoc. That being said, there are plenty of young researchers who are superstars when it comes to getting grant money, as well as many grad students who do all of the grant writing and successfully compete for the grant, even though the PI's name goes on it. So a senior faculty member as a co-mentor might be a good plan, but you could just as well be fine without one.

However, if your program suggests it, then you probably should (however, if this just came from some random person unfamiliar with your PI or program, I wouldn't take it as seriously). Personally, I do not have a co-mentor, but one of the programs at my school requires them, so I do know some people who have gone through the process. Some pairings I have seen are two professors who do similar types of work (but with different research goals), or two professors with different expertise that are both relevant for the proposed project. In any case, both PIs should work in an area that is relevant to your research (otherwise, they may not be very useful mentors). As to finding one, I imagine it's quite similar to finding a PI or a committee member. Make an appointment to see them and discuss your research ideas.