Postgraduate research mentoring

Starting a research degree is a journey that comes with a number of unique and varied challenges. To help new first-year PGR students to settle in and adjust in their first weeks at SOAS, the Access, Experience, and Success team are continuing their PGR Mentoring scheme for 2025/26.

Postgraduate Research Mentors are there to answer any questions that you may have in your first few weeks and to meet with you during term. Your PGR Mentor can reflect on their own experience of being at SOAS, sharing information and resources that have previously helped them in their research.

Most importantly, they can signpost you to other support services across SOAS, so that you can benefit from the right support whenever necessary.

You can now apply to receive a PGR Mentor for 2025/26.

If you are a current PGR student interested in helping out new students, email peermentoring@soas.ac.uk to register your interest.

There are many benefits to having a PGR Mentor. 

Your mentor can signpost you to a wide variety of support at SOAS, including Student Advice and Wellbeing and other teams that can answer your specific queries. They can also talk about their own experience of first year, offering advice on what techniques worked well for them and how they solved problems that arose.

Attending meetings with your PGR Mentor offers you a great chance to meet other research students at SOAS and to hear more about their experiences and areas of interest. You're also given the chance to explain your own area of research, allowing you to further your understanding of your own work.