When someone believes in you
How the ARTEMIS mentoring programme connects African students and doctoral researchers with scientists of the Max Planck Society — and why mentoring means more than just offering professional advice
Text: Petra Maaß
On this Thursday at the end of October 2025, there is a concentrated silence in the House of Astronomy. Nearly 30 young African researchers listen attentively to Klaus Blaum as he talks about his own time as a mentee. “I called my wife first, and then him,” recalls the Director of the MPI for Nuclear Physics, thinking back to a key moment in his career. He had often asked his mentor Heinz-Jürgen Kluge for advice – including in 2020, when Blaum was to be appointed Max Planck Vice President. The two nuclear physicists shared a long-standing relationship built on trust. Kluge had already supported Blaum as a postdoc by recommending him for conferences and research groups. When Blaum was to be appointed Max Planck Director at the age of 34, Kluge practised the interview with him in advance. “He gave me his time and believed in me. And so I began to believe in myself – and that science was the right path for me.”
Talking openly about career paths, expectations, and obstacles – and having someone by your side – is a new experience for many of the African students and doctoral candidates listening. They are among the 35 mentees who participated in the ARTEMIS programme in 2025. Over many months, they arranged regular video calls with their mentors, honed scientific questions, and discussed their next career steps. “The key factor in putting the pairs together was that the mentor and mentee were a good scientific match,” says Michaela Hergersberg, who initiated the programme. “Only once both had agreed, did they form a tandem. Some pairs also applied together.”
The strength of these relationships became apparent during the face-to-face exchanges: as part of a one-month research stay at one of the participating Max Planck Institutes, each pair worked on their own project. At the end of October 2025, the mentor-mentee pairs presented their results in short science slams at the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg. After his presentation, Klaus Blaum stands in the foyer, surrounded by mentees who use every minute to ask questions. To this day, he remains close to his own mentor. “We still meet regularly to play cards,” he says. “He's over 80 – and still very interested in what we're researching.”
Developing a project roadmap together
Mentee: Saurelle Kenfack Tiofack
Doctoral researcher University of Dschang (Cameroon)
“ARTEMIS helped me sharpen my scientific questions and develop a clear roadmap for my project. Particularly valuable was gaining access to new methods and tools that I can now apply in my own research. At the same time, I learned how to structure my ideas within an international context and gained confidence in my own scientific decisions. Coming to Germany in winter was a real challenge, but I was welcomed into a warm and stimulating environment.
Mentor: Alexander A. Auer, Research Group Leader
“The new topic that my mentee introduced me to is fascinating and I learned a lot on the scientific side, for example how to apply my methods to systems I have not worked on before. Personally, I almost felt ashamed when I found out how little I actually know about the African continent and I am very happy to have the opportunity to fill this gap in the future. ARTEMIS was a great starting point for that.”
Knowing what comes next
Mentee: Immaculate Muthoni Mungai
Doctoral researcher University of Nairobi (Kenya)
“ARTEMIS came at exactly the right time for me. The mentoring helped me clarify my next career steps – from grant applications to building international networks. Especially important was the exchange with a mentor who understands both global scientific standards and African research contexts.”
Mentor: Carlotta Galán Plana
Doctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
“I wanted my first mentoring experience to be part of a programme that emphasizes cultural exchange and equal opportunities. Working with Imma was enriching both professionally and personally – not least because we also met in Kenya where I conducted my fieldwork related to my own PhD. ARTEMIS shows how much can emerge when research, mentoring, and cultural exchange come together.”
Gaining a perspective from the outside
Mentee: Victória da Graça Gilberto Samboco
Doctoral researcher (Rhodes University South Africa)
“I deliberately looked for a mentor outside my immediate academic environment – someone who could offer a different perspective. ARTEMIS made exactly that possible. Beyond academic support, it was especially important for me to talk about career paths, personal questions, and experiences as a woman in science. This mutual trust shaped the mentoring relationship.”
Mentor: Kerry Patterson
Postdoctoral researcher Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg
“From my own experience as a PhD student, I know how valuable a mentor outside one’s direct supervision can be. With ARTEMIS, I wanted to give something back – particularly in support of early-career researchers from Africa. Being from South Africa myself, I know how hard it can be to establish interactions with overseas and other institutions.”
Note: The Gasz Family Foundation – a fiduciary foundation under the umbrella of the Max Planck Foundation – has kindly covered the visa and health insurance costs for the mentees, which are not eligible for public funding under German grant regulations.
