Social ontology as a field is still somewhat under-represented within the broader philosophical community, and it can be difficult for early career social ontologists to get published and to secure academic positions. The purpose of the ISOS Mentorship Scheme is to help our early career members successfully navigate academic publishing and the academic job market, while also fostering connections throughout our community.

Who can participate? 

For mentees, the scheme is open to PhD students, postdocs, and non-permanent faculty members who are working in social ontology (broadly construed) and intend to pursue a career in academic philosophy or a related field. Mentees must be members of ISOS. *You can join ISOS for free for one year by joining on the ISOS website, clicking the button that generates an invoice, not paying the invoice, and then emailing membership@isosonline.org to request a waiver of the invoice.*

For mentors, the scheme is open to anyone working in social ontology (broadly construed) who holds a permanent or tenure-stream faculty position. Mentors need not be members of ISOS.

What are the expectations? 

Once mentors are paired with mentees, the default duration of the mentorship scheme is one calendar year. The expectation is that mentors will meet with their mentees approximately 3 to 4 times during this one year period. The exact timing and duration of the meetings is up to mentors and mentees. The meetings may take place either in person or remotely. (If the meetings take place in person, then the mentee is expected to do the traveling.) Mentees are also expected to take the initiative in setting the agenda for the meetings, based on their specific needs.

If mentors and mentees both prefer to conduct the mentorship over email, then this is also possible. In that case, the expectation is that they will have approximately 3 to 4 substantive email correspondences during the one year period of the mentorship.

How can I join?

To join the mentorship scheme, you just need to fill out a short online form.

• To apply as a mentee, click here.
• To volunteer as a mentor, click here.

There is no deadline for joining the scheme, but we expect that the next round of pairing up mentees with mentors will occur in January 2025.

We hope that many of you will consider joining the scheme!