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What We Do

AMP-UP Pair Mentorship Program Structure

AMP-UP is a mentorship program in which current and previous prize postdoctoral fellows provide professional and academic advice and support to PhD students performing astronomy-related research.

Student Application And Selection Process

We hope to accommodate as many students as possible. However, since the number of interested students may exceed the available mentorship capacity, we ask all interested students to fill out an application form. Our application for the 2026/2027 iteration of AMP-UP has closed. If you are unable to access Google Forms, please e-mail us at amp.up.contact@gmail.com.

We welcome applications from PhD students (including students from outside the U.S.) who are performing research relevant to astronomy and have completed any required coursework and preliminary/qualifying exams. Since most mentors will be located inside the U.S., students may need to be flexible in what time they are willing to meet in order to facilitate getting matched with a mentor.

We will match mentors and mentees based on their stated experiences, goals, and interests, as well as time-zone compatibility. We will separately contact mentors and mentees to confirm the matches.

Program Structure

  • The mentor/mentee commitment is expected to be roughly 12 months long, with possibility for extension upon mutual agreement. During this time, the mentor and mentee are expected to meet at least once a month for an hour (or shorter but more frequently). These meetings are intended to be virtual; however, if circumstances allow and both participants are amenable, the mentor and mentee can meet in person. We recommend setting up a regular meeting time to establish a routine. Mentors and mentees are mutually responsible for maintaining a regular meeting schedule. If one of you needs to reschedule, please give the other person as much advance notice as possible. Please contact one of the organizers or e-mail us at nhfp.equity@gmail.com and/or amp.up.contact@gmail.com if your mentor/mentee becomes unresponsive. Outside of the monthly meetings, we also encourage asynchronous communication between mentors and mentees through e-mail or another medium of their choice.
  • At the outset of the mentorship program, mentees will be asked to fill out a self-assessment describing their goals, the timeline, and how they plan to achieve them. The mentor and mentee should discuss this self-assessment at the first meeting and revisit it periodically throughout the year to track progress.
  • Helping students navigate the academic job market is a core goal of this program. Therefore, mentors should be prepared to do the following, if requested by the mentee:
    • Provide advice on reaching out to potential postdoctoral advisors, networking, putting together a professional website, CV, and job negotiations.
    • Give detailed feedback on a job talk and at least one set of job application materials. Mentees are responsible for providing these materials sufficiently in advance (at least 10 business days before the deadline, or fewer if the deadline is close).
    • Discuss other questions that may arise during the application process (e.g., how to decide between offers or how to evaluate the relative fit of an institution).
    • Prepare mentoring notes or provide general career advice, if necessary.
  • We strongly encourage mentors and mentees to develop a written plan together at the beginning of the relationship. This plan should reflect both the mentor's and the mentee's expectations and goals; it can be revisited and amended over time.
  • We understand that this is a volunteering effort. We ask all participants to approach the relationship with a mindset of mutual respect and regular communication. It is important to be honest and respectful with each other, even when there are differences in opinion. As with all mentoring relationships, students may talk about sensitive information with their mentors, and mentors should respect this privacy.
  • We ask that mentors and mentees keep notes and maintain records of their meetings in whatever form they find useful. However, we do not require a formal written report beyond any information that the mentor or mentee reasonably chooses to share. Following the conclusion of the mentorship program, mentors and mentees are welcome to provide summary feedback to the organizers.