Mentor Panel Directory

REFERENCE	Job title	Department/School/Institute/Unit	Discipline/Research focus (if applicable)	SKILLS & EXPERIENCE	AREAS OF STRENGTH	ANY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE(S)?
A1	Professor	BIS/CUBS/COBL	Business Information Systems/Digital Health/Health Technology	10 years’ experience as both mentor & mentee, working with individuals in & outside UCC. Experience of mentoring academics & professional colleagues. Completed Aurora & Current Leaders level 2, & use the practical skills, reflective practices & fantastic network I developed through these opportunities.	1. Mentoring is integral part of my role, strongly believe should be an explicit aspect of every role. 2.Am advocate for mentoring at every career/role level. 3. Have worked in UCC for over 20 years navigating the academic promotion system from CL B/B to Professor Scale 2. 4. Have experience working with a senior industry mentor. Has positively shaped my mentoring style, skills & tools, and expectations of my myself as a mentor and my expectations of my mentors.	1. 1st woman PhD in my discipline in UCC / 1st women professor (at any level) appointed in this area in UCC, few counterparts across Irish sector currently. Bring a unique (and hopefully positive) perspective shaped by my experiences over last 20 years. 2. Love working in HE however appreciate challenges & hurdles (have experienced some of these) that exist for women in HE. 3. Am optimistic, open, solution-oriented style
A2	Senior Lecturer	Department of Physiology, School of Medicine	Gastrointestinal Physiology, Neurophysiology	Am scientist & academic & have worked in APC & Dept. of Physiology since 2007. Previously, trained in Scotland, England & US. Have had three periods of maternity leave during my time in UCC.	Feel very strongly about gender equality in HE, and have participated in the Institutional and School of Medicine Atherna Swan applications.	Have previously undertaken training in mentee and mentoring and have experience as a mentor for students, researchers and new academics.
A3	Lecturer in the Study of Religions	Study of Religions Department/School of Society, Politics and Ethics	Social Sciences	Worked in UCC for over 22 years. Depth of institutional knowledge - may benefit someone new or early career scholar.Very interested in, engaged in & active with academic affairs internally & externally. Knowledge & experience of equality, diversity and inclusion issues, gained in my work with UCC’s Disability Support Service through variety of roles and particularly in my research work on marginalized religious communities. Epecially interested in issues around neurodiversity.	My interpersonal skills, my empathy and understanding of academic life and unique challenges, and my enthusiasm and passion for research and university life.	Have a unique perspective as come from working-class background, being a first-generation college-goer. Served on 1st Academic Council Panel of under-represented academic staff & nominated for 2nd term. Can relate to people of different backgrounds. Was precariously employed for 17 years & have good understanding of barriers some face in our academic community.
A4	Senior Lecturer	School of Public Health	Health services research	Am an SL & recipient of HRB Research Leader Award (2020-2026). Established the Health Implementation Research Hub at School of Public Health. Lead team of post-doctoral researchers, research assistants & PhD students. Have experience establishing & leading a research group, securing research funding, recruiting & managing staff & managing research projects. Teach both online & in-person modules at UCC. Supervise students at masters & PhD level.	1) Have track record of securing research grants & publishing while balancing teaching & citizenship in UCC. 2) Have mentorship experience. Am mentor for early career researchers. Currently mentor a number of post-docs & lecturers. 3)Have completed leadership training with IMI & professional coaching. Have come to appreciate & value different leadership styles including my own.	Have progressed from post-doc. to SL in the same institution. Familiar with the culture, challenges and opportunities. Understand the challenge to see yourself and be seen as a leader. Finally, I have benefited hugely from the mentorship provided through the Aurora programme. I continue to meet my mentor twice a year and really value the time and space. Because I have experienced the benefits, I am passionate about contributing to that experience for someone else.
A5	Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy	Speech and Hearing Sciences/ School of Clinical Therapies	Children	As member of UCC for 20 years, have gained lot of experience leading committees, mentoring junior staff & developing & monitoring programmes. Led our School's first Athena Swan bronze award in '22.	My knowledge & experience of University structures & systems for those seeking promotion, my commitment to supporting colleagues to progress and my skills at addressing gender inequalities in the University. Recently successfully navigated the promotion schemes in UCC.
A6	Lecturer	Dept. Pharmacology & Therapeutics , School of Medicine	Pharmacology	Involved in teaching, research & administration. My research encompasses both laboratory research & education research. Have also worked in professional services in UCC as projects officer.	1. Networking: Have many international collaborators 2. EDI: Passionate about EDI 3. Teaching & Learning: Was a Fellow on CIRTL PG Cert & Dip for approx 5 years & have published many teaching & learning publications	Before working at UCC, worked as lecturer (9 yrs) in South Africa, therefore experience transitioning from a different institution/country to UCC. Have two children & have experience juggling family & work commitments.
A7	Lecturer in Medical Education	Medical Education Unit	Health Professions Education / Teaching & Learning	15 years' experience as a UCC academic. Multiple Roles: i) Member of Academic Council (appointed May 2024) ii) Chairperson of School of Medicine Graduate Studies committee (2024). iii) Postgraduate Programme Co-Director (MCh Surgical Science) iv) Yr 2 Coordinator in Undergraduate Programme v) Medical Education Unit Lead for Interprofessional Learning vi) Previously Mercy University Hospital clinical site coordinator & GEM programme module coordinator	Active listener / Motivator / Strategic alignment enabler	Knowledge of HE organisational landscape & its strategic goals / Unique perspective based on a positive intelligence approach / Networking opportunities / Friendly, kind, compassionate and warm!
A8	Senior Lecturer in Education	School of Education	Humanities/Social Sciences	Am long-time member of staff at UCC (1997-present). Have experience of mentoring & encouraging student teachers to perform to best of their ability in variety of contexts. Areas of interest & research include: Music Education, Religious Education, Art History, Philosophy of Education, & Collaborative Learning.	Good listener; level-headed; practical; empathetic; motivater; visionary.	Pastoral Care; Positivity; Person-centred; Moral Leadership
A9	Senior Lecturer	Economics	CUBS	Am teaching for over 25 years & have qualifications in area of teaching and learning. Have strong research profile having secured publications in well recognised journals & track record with securing research funding. Have also been a member of different boards both internally and externally.	- Communication skills - Interpersonal skills - Teaching & Research skills	Am actively involved in my community - gives me opportunity to work & collaborate with many different individuals from various different backgrounds. Communication is key & to be able to adapt and listen is something I have learnt about over time along with- Do not be afraid of the silence.
R1	Senior Postdoctoral Researcher	School of Public Health	Public Mental Health	Skills & Experience: Part of the 22/23 Aurora cohort. International academic researcher in public mental health and suicide prevention. UCC staff since 2019, navigating different roles and positions in academic research. Have provided mentorship to 3 other women in public mental health and psychiatry with regards to how to progress their academic career. I have successfully obtained 2 fellowships (2 and 3 year respectively), fully funding my salary for 5 years. I would however still consider myself a early to mid career researcher.	Supporting other women in academia to pursue opportunities inside and outside academia to advance their career. I would be good in helping reflect and support what promotion opportunities there could be. International perspective as a academic health researcher who has been on 2 maternity leaves since 2021 and has sought opportunities to continue to progress in career trajectory.	Provide mentorship for international female staff members who may want the perspective of another international (non-Irish) staff member
R2	Digital Health Research Fellow	Embedded in CUH, hired through CRF-UCC, part of CoMH	Digital Health	Digital Health (multidisciplinary) researcher. Co-ordinate a European Working Group & have involvement in multiple national working groups/special interest groups. Have experience with the usual research attributes like lecturing, supervising, funding applications, publications, presentations, & research collaborations. Have experience with other research commitments, for example I project manage many research studies, & lead out on communications, data management, PPI, and ethics for our research group.	A) Have navigated the confusing world of a research only careers (no lecturing commitments) - has included Research Adjacent/Support roles e.g. Data Manager, Ethics Manager. B) Am a multidisciplinary researcher (computer science & medicine). Therefore have experience with trying to balance discipline cultures, & conventions. While also understanding the confusion & challenge of identity as a result of not being fully part of a specific department. C) Have a strength in multiple modes of communication and ability to tailor the communication to suit specific audiences and contexts.	Always see beneficial opportunities in exploring other complimentary research career avenues. Am someone who deals with imposter syndrome & anxiety & am learning how to manage these without impacting too negatively on my career or well-being.
R3	Research fellow	School of Public Health		Am leading a HRB project in public health. My background is in research and lecturing, in Ireland and Slovakia.	Hard working & have worked tenaciously & at all times creatively to get to where I am, juggling country moves, working in different working cultures & parenthood. Am enthusiastic about scholarship and academic life and love research. Really see the benefit of it but also the challenges too, particularly regarding precarity of employment.	As I led a research study on gender inequality in HE, have unique research background with lived experience of the challenges of academic life on different population groups, which could inform my mentoring.
R4	Post-Doc	Group Materials and Modelling for devices - Tyndall	Material science - Sustainable energy storage/materials for medical devices	Am a material science postdoctoral researcher (Tyndall since 2018), working on development of novel material for sustainable energy harvesting & storage (dye-sensitised solar cells, supercapacitors) but also on novel material for medical devices in collaboration with an industry partner. Am the recipient of a SFI RD&I fellowship in collaboration with Stryker, ending in November ’24, and of a SFI-IRC Pathway starting in December ’24.	Am living abroad ever since I graduated for my master, spending time in North America (PhD) & now Ireland (Post-doc.). Have experience on changing working environment and how to adapt to new ones. As a woman, unfortunately know how challenging can be sometimes to be a woman working in STEM & in academia. Have developed a set of skills to navigate those challenges. Last year, started a part-time placement in industry as part of an SFI-funded project. Through that, have acquired experience with working with industry - could be beneficial for early career researchers. Beside English, speak Italian as native speaker, and Irish Sign Language (ISL) (QQI Level 4 - pre-intermediate ISL), if anyone might feel more at ease interacting with a mentor in a language otherthan English	Was involved in mentorship programmes in Tyndall & UCC & experienced first-hand the benefits of having a mentor. Would like to use experience I've gained so far to help other women to grow and glow in their careers. Familiar with working in harsh environment were women are basically not seen by peers and often even by themselves. Can offer perspectives on how to empower themselves, how to find over time their own voice & how to make themselves seen. Can offer perspectives about resilience, about not giving up on your career dream and actively search for new ways to keep on pursuing it.
R5	CEO, National Suicide Research Foundation	School of Public Health / National Suicide Research Foundation	Public Health / Mental Health	Have worked as a researcher in psychology & public health since 2006. Over that time, have worked in both academic & research roles, within UCC & in charity sector, via National Suicide Research Foundation. Have significant experience in research, publishing, funding acquisition and working collaboratively with other researchers and collaborators, particularly those involved in service delivery. As CEO at the NSRF, oversee a team of nearly 40 research staff & have responsibility for day-to-day running of the organisation as well as co-ordinating our research projects.	Have developed my career through collaborative working, & trying to undertake research which will have impact on policy & practice. Could bring that experience to a mentee in terms of developing networks & managing complex projects with multiple partners. Have experience of mentoring students & staff, particularly women working in academia. Have struggled with having the confidence to put myself out there & know my value. Have learned a lot over time that might help someone similar situation. Have experience of undertaking high-quality research but also disseminating to more public audiences via public talks, social media and media interviews.	Haven't followed traditional academic pathway. Could probably offer a perspective on different career pathways beyond lecturing positions. Had experience of moving subject area after my PhD, and since have championed the importance of supportive work environments, collaborative research & team cohesion.
PS1	IT Project Management Office Officer	IT Services		Currently manage IT PMO office for UCC. Have 25 years of experience in project management in IT, Buildings and Facility management spaces. Have worked as a coach for large US coaching programme focused on helping people build healthy boundaries and relationships. Have experience in developing my career in a male-dominated space.	Have experience as a mentor, incl. being a mentor on Foróige programme with Access UCC Plus. Believe my professional acumen, leadership experience, coaching skills, and empathy would make me a good mentor.
PS2	Schools Outreach Co-ordinator	Access UCC PLUS Programme	n/a	Have worked in UCC over 30 years in variety of administrative positions. My skillset includes excellent communication, interpersonal, active listening skills while am creative in problem solving. Am relatively new to management but have learned from my experiences to date.	My active listening experience - have Masters in Coaching in Personal & Management Coaching. Am a creative thinker when it comes to problem solving (a mentee may find helpful). More importantly, my lived experience, having worked in so many areas & having been a mentee myself, believe my power of positivity will encourage a mentee to believe in themselves & their own ability.	Am particularly proud of my interpersonal skills -believe would lend themselves to being a good Mentor candidate.
PS3	Head of Marketing and Editor in Chief	Office of Marketing and Brand Impact		Have long & successful career in UCC in the areas of publishing, editorship, social media, marketing (traditional and digital), writing and creative services. Also have skills in design thinking, psychotherapy, executive coaching and currently doing Masters in Applied Psychology (Coaching and Positive Psychology).	Have acted as a UCC mentor in a formal and informal capacity many times over the past 10 years.

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