Mentoring at the ARI: A unique collaborative culture
The AO Research Institute Davos (ARI) stands apart from traditional academic environments by cultivating an open culture across research groups where mentorship is embedded in the fabric of daily interactions. Rather than relying on a single supervisor, researchers are encouraged to seek advice and support from a diverse network of colleagues.
As Peter Schwarzenberg, Project Leader Biomechanics & Modeling, reflects, “Our fairly unique position between industry and academia means that there are a lot of experts from smaller fields, and you can get your advice from a variety of people instead of just one person.” This collaborative ethos accelerates problem-solving and personal development, ensuring that “people are happy to show you how things work” and “everyone is helping to push projects forward and to teach others and help them grow.
Maximilian Heumann, Junior Project Leader Technology Development, notes the freedom to seek guidance across the institute: “You can basically walk up to anyone and ask for advice, and you will get it. Everyone’s got their expertise here, and the only thing you need to figure out is who to ask.” He enjoys this non-hierarchic way of collaborating across teams and actively encourages new arrivals to “look left and right” from their reporting line when in need of advice.
Mentorship as a dynamic organism
Peter Varga, Program Leader Biomedical Development, highlights mentorship as a “dynamic organism that develops with the situation and with the people,” noting that “if you’re stuck in a situation, a mentor will help you gain a different perspective. Even if the mentor does not deliver a solution, this will trigger you to find the solution yourself.”
Varga’s experience underscores that mentorship evolves with career progression, shifting from technical guidance to support with broader professional challenges. “I have been in my current position for less than a year, with much more mentoring expected from me than ever before, and I’m still learning every day how to improve as a mentor. At the same time, I’m also a mentee who needs mentorship in new situations, and I do receive it from various people, which I am very grateful for.”
Fatemeh Safari, herself one of these junior researchers, confirms that the ARI provides a “fertile soil” for growth. “When I started here as a postdoc, I felt that I was in no position to apply for a grant. But my mentors encouraged me and supported me by showing me how to do it. And I did it, and I got it. And I very much appreciate how they helped me find the courage to apply for a grant, how they pushed me.”
Mutual trust and respect
Maja Schlittler, Post Doc Progenitor Cell Biology, describes a supportive environment built on mutual trust: “If my mentor sends me a signal that he trusts me, I want to offer the same. Here at the ARI, I don’t feel controlled or under constant surveillance.” She credits Martin Stoddart, who she works with directly, for creating an environment in which she can thrive: “Martin is a great mentor, and I am trying to follow his example of how he treats his team. He communicates very openly, he cares about how his staff feel, and he is very humble. He is still very much interested in the research itself, and he cares not about his career or his position, but about the work we do, and that is very noticeable.”
D’Este is particularly thankful to ARI Director Geoff Richards, who recently received the Klaas de Groot Award from the European Society of Biomaterials (ESB) for having helped him grow into his current role: “A couple of years ago, the ARI was hosting the annual ESB conference here in Davos. Geoff could have put himself forward as a conference chair and benefited from the visibility, and I would then have worked in the background. But he decided that I should be the conference chair and benefit from that visibility. I was also given the opportunity and responsibility to take very important decisions, which strained my capabilities at that time, but proved invaluable. I was allowed to make mistakes, too, and that’s part of it. I wouldn’t be the professional—or even the person—I am today, had I not been given that opportunity.”