We are excited to announce a new CNS mentorship program.
The purpose: For junior researchers, this program offers an opportunity to expand your mentoring network beyond a single advisor and seek guidance on various topics. For faculty and senior researchers, this is a chance to support the next generation of cognitive neuroscientists, contribute to a more inclusive and supportive CNS community, and engage in mentoring that is structured, time-limited, and flexible.
How the program works:
- Participation is open to all career stages
- You may sign up as a mentor, mentee, or both
- Mentoring will take place in 6-month “seasons”
- Participants will meet as often as they choose
- At the end of each season, you may opt to continue, change matches, or step away
CNS will facilitate mentor-mentee matching based on your selected interests and topics. The first mentoring season will launch in April 2026, and participants will receive support guides and suggested conversation resources to help structure meetings.
Please complete a short interest form if you’re interested in being a mentor or a mentee no later than April 1, 2026
Whether you are seeking guidance, offering mentorship, or both, we encourage you to be part of this community-building effort. Thank you for helping strengthen mentoring within CNS!
Facts Only
The Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) is launching a new mentorship program.
The program is open to all career stages.
Participants can sign up as mentors, mentees, or both.
Mentoring will occur in six-month "seasons."
Participants determine the frequency of their meetings.
The first season begins in April 2026.
CNS will match mentors and mentees based on selected interests and topics.
Support guides and conversation resources will be provided to participants.
The deadline to complete the interest form is April 1, 2026.
Participants can opt to continue, change matches, or step away at the end of each season.
The program aims to expand mentoring networks for junior researchers.
The program also aims to support faculty and senior researchers in mentoring the next generation.
Executive Summary
Full Take
This mentorship program reflects a growing recognition of the need for structured yet flexible support systems in academic and professional development. The emphasis on inclusivity and adaptability suggests an effort to address common pain points in traditional mentorship models, such as over-reliance on a single advisor or rigid time commitments. The six-month "seasons" and the ability to reassess participation align with modern expectations of flexibility, particularly in fields where career trajectories can be nonlinear.
The program’s design also raises questions about scalability and long-term impact. While the structured matching process and provided resources are strengths, the success of such initiatives often hinges on sustained engagement and institutional buy-in. The open call for participants at all career stages is commendable, but it remains to be seen how effectively the program can balance the needs of junior researchers with the availability of senior mentors.
From a broader perspective, this initiative echoes trends in professional development that prioritize community-building and peer support over hierarchical models. The explicit focus on inclusivity and support for the next generation of cognitive neuroscientists suggests a paradigm shift toward more collaborative and equitable knowledge-sharing. However, the long-term effectiveness of such programs depends on whether they can avoid becoming performative or overly bureaucratic.
**Bridge Questions:**
How might this program address potential power imbalances between mentors and mentees?
What metrics could be used to measure the program’s success beyond participant satisfaction?
How might the program evolve to accommodate interdisciplinary or cross-institutional collaborations?
**Counterstrike Scan:** A coordinated influence campaign might frame this program as a superficial attempt to address systemic issues in academia, using it to undermine trust in institutional efforts. However, the actual content aligns with genuine community-building goals and does not exhibit manipulative patterns. The transparency of the structure and the voluntary nature of participation further reduce concerns about hidden agendas.
**Patterns detected:** None.