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Achieve your potential

The Women in HPC (WHPC) Mentoring Programme is a robust mentoring programme connecting women from around the world with mentorship and support that will help them to achieve their full potential as HPC professionals. This will primarily be a professionals network as there are many schemes providing mentoring programmes for students in universities and at major conferences such as the annual Supercomputing conference series. However, where appropriate the mentoring programme will be open to students as well (for example when the host organization does not provide an appropriate scheme or HPC related mentor).

Applications open Now! The next WHPC Mentoring Programme cohort will launch 23 January 2026.

How it Works
Participate
FAQs

How the WHPC Mentoring Programme Works

 

After participating in the WHPC mentoring programme, attendees will…

Develop a network of awesome WHPC members that can share their knowledge and expertise, and have the opportunity to continue being a mentor or receiving mentoring even beyond the end of their formal engagement with the WHPC mentoring programme. Mentoring, either as a mentor or as a mentee, is all about ideas: learning about new ways of approaching problems and being open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

Program Duration

The WHPC mentoring programme will be start 2-3 times a year and will last for 4 months. During the prescribed mentoring programme, both mentors and mentees will receive training on how to make the most of mentoring, as well as the opportunity to participate in webinars on key skills. Mentoring will be provided one-to-one with mentors and mentees from different organizations and career-levels. Each formal mentor-mentee engagement session lasts for 4 months. We accept mentor/mentee applications year long and we will pool you into the next cohort. Sign up to be a mentor/mentee below.

If you aren’t sure if you are qualified to be a mentor, don’t worry! The very fact that you are asking that question means that you are! And remember, all mentors and mentees will receive training before you meet your mentoring group for the very first time. If you need support as a mentor, we are all here to support you via both email and Slack.

Participate

Benefits of being a Mentor

  • Develop professional relationships
  • Enhance peer recognition
  • Use your experience in HPC, making it available to new HPC professionals
  • Broaden your understanding of HPC by listening to what others are working on
  • Enable you to practice and grow your interpersonal skills
  • Provide personal satisfaction through supporting others and helping them to achieve their full potential as HPC professionals

Benefits of being a Mentee

  • A mentor will be an independent voice, outside your direct sphere of activity. You can bounce ideas off them without fear of comeback
  • Receive impartial professional development advice and encouragement
  • A mentor can provide guidance on areas you are unfamiliar with

Potential Webinar Topics

WHPC’s mentoring programme will offer webinars as desired by the participants. In addition to the kickoff for both mentors and mentees, additional possible topics for webinars include the following:

  • Resume writing and self-promotion
  • Book club – reading selected useful material
  • Networking
  • Discuss workplace issues/biases/navigating through confrontation
  • Continuous learning opportunities
  • Participate in WHPC webinars and discuss in breakout sessions
  • Workshops to identify mentees’ individual signature strengths

participate

The Google Form will collect the basic information for us to make a match. If you have questions, please contact Jay Lofstead (gflofst@sandia.gov).

FAQs

The answers provided to these FAQs are general guidelines, but we understand that there might be exceptional cases. For any further questions/concerns, please reach out to Jay Lofstead (gflofst@sandia.gov).

What are the important dates?

  • Applications for next Cohort: Open Now!
  • Mentoring matching: 21-23 Januray 2026
  • Mentor and Mentee Welcome Session: 1 hr session 9 AM 23 January 2026 MDT USA
  • Webinar Series: As Requested

I have filled out mentor/mentee pre-application form, what next?

We will be in contact when the next cohort is launched.

Please contact lofsteadjaywork@gmail.com and he can help with any questions.

What is the mentor/mentee survey?

Mentor/mentee survey forms help us match you with mentors/mentees as best as possible. We will try and match as many people as possible during this round, but please be aware that there is a possibility that we may not be able to match everyone. Anyone that we are unable to match in this round will be given the highest priority in the next round.

I have filled out mentor/mentee pre-application form, do I still need to fill out mentor/mentee form?

Yes you do! Mentor/mentee survey forms help us match you with mentors/mentees as best as possible. We will try and match as many people as possible during this round, but please be aware that there is a possibility that we may not be able to match everyone. Anyone that we are unable to match in this round will be given the highest priority in the next round.

Please contact lofsteadjaywork@gmail.com and he can help with any questions.

If I have to skip one/two bi-weekly(once every two weeks) meetings during the course of the programme, am I still eligible to apply for the program?

If your schedule does not permit one/two meetings with your mentor/mentee and/or if you have to reschedule, it is still okay to apply for the program. Please be sure to communicate your prior commitments with your mentor/mentee and find a work-around. However, if you think you are likely to miss more than 2 meetings , then we highly encourage you to wait to apply for the next cohort or when you are more likely to make this commitment.

I have filled out mentor/mentee survey form, what next?

We will be in touch when the next cohort launches. If you wish a status update, please contact lofsteadjaywork@gmail.com and he can help with any questions.