The Industrial Mentorship Program connects undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to a PhD level mentor in industry. This program is designed to (i) expose participants to fundamental research as it relates to societal and economic development; (ii) enable them to broaden their networks; and (iii) facilitate a successful transition into the workforce. The Industrial Mentor program entered its sixth program cycle during 2023-2024 and since it’s inception, 147 students have participated as mentees in the program, with 30 of those from the CIMA PREM at Texas State University.
Outcomes from this program are measured each year through an external evaluator. A strong majority, 95% of 147 mentees, report they either agreed, or strongly agreed, that they have a better understanding of career opportunities in their field, are more knowledgeable about industry trends, feel more confident to take the next steps in their career, improved their interpersonal skills and/or their professional communication skills, and grew their professional network and built relationships through their mentor.
Mentees also report the program provides both direct (job offers) and in-direct (internship offers, job networking) assistance in securing a job. Since it’s inception, 7 students have secured positions at their mentor’s companies, 8 have secured internships, and more than 35 reported the program in-directly assisted them in finding a position post-graduation.
UT Austin MRSEC
DMR-1720595
