The LMU Mentoring Program serves to compensate for the structural disadvantage faced by women in studies, research and academia. Supporting women who are aiming for an academic career is at the heart of the program.
The aim of the program is to promote the academic careers of women by individually compensating for structural disadvantages. The program is intended for female students, doctoral fellows, postdocs, and habilitating researchers of Faculty 10.
The need is obvious: female students are qualified, committed, motivated and innovative. Nevertheless, women in leadership positions and professorships are unfortunately still the exception. A differentiated analysis by salary grade shows that the higher the grade, the lower the proportion of women. The differences are also serious in the field of philosophy.
The causes often include a lack of networks for young female academics, the lack of targeted support in career planning or a lack of assistance in balancing family and career.
With its mentoring programs, LMU Munich seeks to contribute to counteracting this loss of scientific potential. The previous LMUexcellent Mentoring Program for the promotion of young women was transferred into the current LMU Mentoring Program of Faculty 10 as of 1 October 2017.
The mentoring relationship is a tandem arrangement between an experienced academic (mentor) and a young female academic or student (mentee). For mentees in the post-doctoral or habilitation phase, the professors and private lecturers at Faculty 10 are available as mentors; for mentees in the study or doctoral phase, the post-doctoral researchers (Postdoktorandinnen, Habilitandinnen and Akademische Rätinnen) at Faculty 10 are available as mentors. Mentees are asked to approach the respective mentors they would like to have for their mentoring.
In confidential one-on-one meetings, the mentees can discuss individual topics with their mentors and benefit from their wealth of experience and networks. They receive individual support in strategic career planning in the academic field. Prospective female academics can sharpen their leadership and scientific profile and develop their career-relevant skills.
In addition to this personal exchange, the mentees are encouraged to promote inter-faculty networking by organizing regular meetings during or at the beginning of the semester. There they can exchange their experiences, support each other and form peer groups. At the same time, the mentees are encouraged to use these meetings to formulate their requests and needs for individual support measures to compensate for structural disadvantages they are experiencing. In addition, there is the possibility to propose and invite professional coaches for lectures or workshops.
Application for new admission to the mentoring program is possible at any time. Detailed information on the required documents and the application process are available in the next tab.
Program opportunities
The program runs for one year at a time. During the funding period, mentees can borrow one of a limited number of laptops for personal use. In addition, mentees are eligible to participate in the following events:
Funding opportunities
Depending on personal circumstances and funding guidelines, mentees in the doctoral, post-doctoral or habilitation phase can apply for financial resources to compensate for individual structural disadvantages. The Faculty promotes a culture of diversity and equal opportunities among its members and therefore strongly encourages participation in the regular application rounds.
Application for admission to the LMU Mentoring Program of Faculty 10
Application for admission to the mentoring programme is possible at any time. Please submit the following application documents via our application portal:
Please note that mentees are asked to approach the respective mentors they would like to have for their mentoring on their own before applying. For mentees in the post-doctoral or habilitation phase, the professors and private lecturers at Faculty 10 are available as mentors; for mentees in the study or doctoral phase, the post-doctoral researchers (Postdoktorandinnen, Habilitandinnen and Akademische Rätinnen) at Faculty 10 are available as mentors.
Funding applications from the LMU Mentoring Program of Faculty 10
The call for funding applications is aimed exclusively at female researchers in their doctoral, postdoctoral or habilitation phase who are members of the LMU Mentoring Program of Faculty 10 (mentees).
The Faculty promotes a culture of diversity and equal opportunity among its members and therefore strongly encourages participation in the application rounds. The deadlines in each calendar year are:
This does not include applications for student assistant contracts. These are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Application guideline for download:
Application Guide (PDF, 340 KB)
Application form for download:
Each mentee is expected to complete one mandatory coaching session or seminar per year. Mentees can choose from a wide range of free coaching sessions/seminars offered by various departments at LMU:
If there is sufficient interest among mentees in coaching/workshops on a specific topic that is not covered by LMU offerings, these can be financed and/or organised by the mentoring program. Please feel free to let us know your desired topics.
At the end of a funding year, the mentee submits a report (approx. one page) on the funding received and the seminar/coaching completed.
IMPORTANT: The reporting period is 30 September 2025 to 1 October 2026. The next deadline is 1 December 2026. Please upload your report to the online application tool in good time.
The extension of mentee status and further eligibility for support are only possible if the report is submitted on time.
For all enquiries about the LMU Mentoring Program of Faculty 10, please contact the e-mail address Mentoring10@lrz.uni-muenchen.de.
Program Committee
Prof. Peter Adamson
Prof. Ophelia Deroy
Lorenz Trein
Prof. Laura Valentini
Program Administration
Ursula Danninger
Hannah Pillin