Blog • Posted on Feb 02, 2025
Why You Need A PhD Mentor (And How to Find One)
Introduction: Why Mentorship Matters in a PhD
If you’re a PhD student, you already know that the journey is long, unpredictable, and often isolating. Between navigating research setbacks, publishing expectations, and career uncertainty, it’s easy to feel lost.
This is where having a great PhD mentor can make all the difference.
A PhD mentor is not just someone who gives advice. They are a guide who helps you avoid common mistakes, manage your time efficiently, and build the skills you need to succeed - both during your doctorate and beyond.
In this article, we’ll explore why mentorship is crucial, the risks of going without it, and how to find the right mentor for your academic journey.
Let’s get into it!
Key Takeaways
- A great PhD mentor helps you avoid common mistakes, stay on track, and accelerate your progress, ultimately saving you time and stress.
- Without mentorship, PhD students often struggle with wasted time, burnout, poor networking, and delays in publishing and career growth.
- Mentors provide essential guidance on research, writing, career planning, and work-life balance—support that supervisors don’t always offer.
- Investing in mentorship can significantly improve your PhD experience by increasing productivity, reducing uncertainty, and opening doors to better career opportunities.
- If you’re feeling lost in your PhD journey, seeking a mentor now can help you navigate challenges more efficiently and set you up for long-term success.
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Why Mentorship Matters in a PhD
- Key Takeaways
- The Hidden Costs of Not Having a PhD Mentor
- What Does a Good Mentor Actually Do?
- Real Stories: How Mentorship Changed PhD Journeys
- The Difference Between a Supervisor and a Mentor
- Common Mistakes PhD Students Make Without a Mentor
- FAQs
- Conclusion
The Hidden Costs of Not Having a PhD Mentor
Many PhD students underestimate the impact of not having a dedicated mentor. Without proper guidance, you may encounter unnecessary roadblocks that can significantly slow down your progress.
1. Wasting Time on the Wrong Things
One of the biggest risks of not having a PhD mentor is focusing on tasks that don’t actually get you to your goals. For example:
- Spending months troubleshooting methods instead of seeking expert advice.
- Writing papers in a way that gets rejected instead of structuring them effectively from the start.
- Pursuing side projects that don’t align with your long-term goals.
Time is your most valuable resource. A mentor helps ensure you use it wisely.
Beyond just research tasks, mentors help prioritize career-building activities - from networking to professional development. Without a mentor, students often waste time figuring out which conferences to attend, which skills to develop, and how to market themselves effectively.
These distractions add up and can delay hand-in and limit your future career opportunities.
2. Increased Stress and Burnout
PhD students without mentors often experience higher stress levels due to uncertainty about their progress. Questions like Am I doing enough? and Is my research on the right track? can weigh heavily when there’s no experienced voice to reassure you.
Research has shown that mentorship correlates with improved mental well-being in academia. Mentors provide emotional support, share their own struggles, and remind you that setbacks are a natural part of research.
Without this guidance, you may suffer from imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and overwhelming anxiety, which can tank your productivity and overall well-being.
3. Poor Networking and Career Opportunities
Your mentor is often your first point of connection to a broader academic network. Without one, you may struggle to:
- Find collaborations and funding opportunities.
- Learn about unadvertised job openings.
- Get meaningful recommendation letters for postdocs or industry positions.
Your success isn’t just about your research. It’s also about who you know.
A mentor helps you build your professional reputation and make the right connections early.
Beyond networking, mentors also teach you how to navigate career transitions. Whether it’s applying for a faculty position, shifting to industry, or pursuing consulting work, having someone who has been through the process before can save you months of uncertainty and missteps.

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What Does a Good Mentor Actually Do?
A great mentor acts as a guide, coach, and advocate, helping you succeed in key areas of your PhD:
1. Helping You Write and Publish Faster
- Offering feedback on manuscript drafts.
- Helping you navigate peer review responses effectively.
- Teaching you how to format papers for acceptance rather than rejection.
Many early-career researchers struggle with knowing when a paper is ready for submission. A mentor can help refine arguments, clarify scientific contributions, and identify the best journals for submission, reducing unnecessary rejections.
2. Keeping You Accountable
- Setting realistic timelines for research goals.
- Providing motivation when imposter syndrome creeps in.
- Ensuring you’re not working in isolation but leveraging the right resources.
Accountability is one of the most underrated benefits of mentorship.
Many PhD students suffer from procrastination and perfectionism, delaying manuscript submission, data analysis, or even conference applications.
A mentor ensures that deadlines are met and that work progresses efficiently.
3. Career Guidance Beyond Academia
Not all PhDs stay in academia, and a mentor can help you explore alternative career paths in industry, consulting, science communication, and beyond.
A mentor can also offer insider insights into different job markets, salary expectations, and essential skills for non-academic roles (check out Dr. Stark's story below!).
For those staying in academia, they can help strategize for postdoc applications, tenure-track positions, and grant proposals.
Real Stories: How Mentorship Changed PhD Journeys
Mentorship isn’t just theoretical. It has real, measurable impacts on PhD students' success.
That's why I became a full-time mentor in 2023.
Still doubting the utility of a PhD mentor? Check out these success stories from researchers that work with me:
“Dr. Matt Biddick is an exceptionally patient mentor who skillfully guided me through my career path decisions. He established a strong relationship with me and significantly streamlined the process of crafting a compelling CV and cover letter by providing invaluable tips and advice that truly made a difference. I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone facing challenges in their academic careers, as well as those navigating other industries. His guidance has the potential to inspire you to discover your strengths and facilitate your progress toward achieving your personal and professional goals.” - Dr. Gavin Stark
“Yesterday I was thinking about what went well in the last year and the key point that occurred to me was that I tackled my PhD project and stuck with it. Thank you for your great support. Without your help I definitely wouldn't have gotten this far.” - Andrea W
"Being mentored by someone who has been a postdoc, understands writing and publishing, and has navigated many application processes made a significant difference compared to traditional supervision. Getting a dedicated mentor was extremely helpful and insightful." - Dr. Marie Suennemann
These real-life examples illustrate how having a mentor can accelerate research progress, boost confidence, and create life-changing career opportunities.
The Difference Between a Supervisor and a Mentor
Many PhD students assume that their supervisor is also their mentor, but these roles are quite different. While supervisors guide your research, they may not always provide the personalized career support and broader skill development that a mentor does.
Supervisors often focus on what benefits the lab, while a mentor prioritizes your individual success.
Common Mistakes PhD Students Make Without a Mentor
Without mentorship, students often fall into avoidable traps, such as:
- Publishing too late or submitting too early without proper feedback.
- Neglecting professional development, leaving them unprepared for post-PhD careers.
- Not networking effectively, missing out on valuable collaborations and job opportunities.
- Struggling with work-life balance, leading to burnout.
A mentor helps navigate these challenges, ensuring a smoother and more efficient PhD experience - and who wouldn't want that!
FAQs
What is the difference between a PhD supervisor and a mentor?
Many students assume their supervisor is also their mentor, but supervisors primarily focus on guiding research, while mentors provide broader career advice, skill development, and emotional support. A PhD mentor is also more focused on your individual development, while supervisors are often forced to focus on what's best for the lab group (and their research portfolio).
How can a PhD mentor help me publish my research faster?
A mentor can help refine manuscripts, choose journals, navigate peer review, and avoid common writing mistakes, reducing unnecessary revisions and increasing acceptance chances. Put simply, your publication pathway will look at lot straighter than it would be with just your supervisor's comments alone.
What should I look for in a good PhD mentor?
A great mentor should have experience in your field, be approachable and available, and provide guidance on research, career development, and professional growth. Most importantly, they should encourage you to ask questions frequently and ultimately aim for you to outgrow them.
Is PhD mentorship worth the investment?
100%! Mentorship saves time, reduces stress, and opens doors to better career opportunities, making it a priceless investment in your future. If you have the funds to support dedicated mentorship, you should absolutely do it.
I can honestly say that in my 13+ years in academia, landing a great mentor was the single most imporant event that supercharged my career and personal development.
How do I find a PhD mentor outside my university?
Look through academic networks, LinkedIn, and specialized services like RURU’s 1:1 mentoring program for personalized guidance.
Conclusion
The difference between a PhD student who struggles alone and one who thrives often comes down to mentorship. If you don’t have a mentor yet, start seeking one today - it’s one of the smartest moves you can make for your academic and professional future.
Want expert guidance to make your PhD journey smoother? Explore RURU’s personalized mentoring to get tailored support from experienced researchers.
Dr. Matt Biddick is a Senior Editor & Academic Mentor at RURU. Book a free 1:1 session with him here.