IEWG Mentoring Program
IEWG Mentoring Program 2026/27
The Society for Conservation Biology’s Impact Evaluation Working Group (SCB-IEWG) organizes a six-month mentoring program for conservation practitioners seeking answers about the effects of their work and researchers beginning to use impact evaluation. The program connects participants with mentors for guidance on evaluating conservation interventions.
Applications close: Friday, October 9, 2026 · Program: November 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027
Apply by Friday, October 9.
Sign up by Friday, October 9.
Participants
Mentees
The program welcomes:
- Practitioners and project managers seeking evidence about the effects of conservation activities they work with.
- Researchers entering impact evaluation, including students, early-career researchers, and researchers bringing experience from other disciplines.
Bring a specific conservation activity to evaluate and a question about its effects. You can apply while planning an evaluation or when you already have data to analyze. No previous experience with impact evaluation is required, and you do not need to be an SCB member.
Mentors
If you have completed at least one impact evaluation of a conservation intervention, you can help someone take their next steps. You do not need to be a senior researcher or an expert in every method. We welcome mentors with different areas of experience, regional knowledge, and languages.
Mentors volunteer for about six meetings of roughly an hour, once a month. The program runs from November 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.
Illustration by Luky Triohandoko
How it works
- Tell us about your project. Apply by Friday, October 9. Describe the conservation activity, what you want to find out about its effects, and where a mentor could help.
- Talk with the coordinator if shortlisted. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a short online conversation in October about their project, goals, and availability.
- Find a suitable match. Mentors review shortlisted project profiles and indicate whom they could support. The coordinator uses their preferences, relevant experience, language, and time-zone overlap to arrange pairs. All applicants will hear the outcome by the end of October. Places depend on suitable mentors being available.
- Join the opening seminar. Matched mentees attend a 90-minute online session in early November, introducing impact evaluation and how to work with a mentor. People on the waitlist are also invited, and mentors are welcome. Joining details will be sent by the end of October.
- Meet about once a month. Mentees arrange the meetings and come with questions or material to discuss. Hold your first meeting by mid-November and agree on goals and a schedule with your mentor. Both participants complete a short survey at the end of the program.
For example, your meetings could cover the topics below. Agree on the topics and timing together to suit your project.
| Month | Potential Topic |
|---|---|
| November | Get to know each other, discuss the project, and agree on goals. |
| December | Identify the changes you expect the activity to bring about and why. |
| January | Consider what might happen without the activity and what comparisons could help you assess its effects. |
| February | Decide what to measure and review the data you have or could collect. |
| March | Discuss what analysis is feasible and how you could use the findings. |
| April | Review progress, agree on next steps, and identify ways to keep learning. |
What can a mentor help with?
A mentor can help you clarify what you want to learn, think through ways to assess your project’s effects, and judge what is feasible with the time and data available. They can give feedback on your ideas, suggest useful methods and reading, introduce relevant contacts, and discuss career questions.
Agree on a manageable set of goals at the start. Mentors offer guidance within their experience and availability. You remain responsible for carrying out your project. Mentoring does not replace project supervision, consultancy, or a training course, and participation does not commit either person to a joint project.
Contact
Elías Cisneros
IEWG Mentoring Program Coordinator
The University of Texas at Dallas
elias-cisneros.com
Past mentors and mentees
The 2026/27 program is our fifth edition. We thank the mentors and mentees who have contributed to previous editions of the program.
2025
Mentors
- Rodrigo Arriagada
- Iris Berger
- Elías Cisneros
- Paul Ferraro
- Renzo Giudice
- Youngho (Young) Kim
- Johan Oldekop
- Jakob Poffley
- Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez
Mentees
- Katia Carranza
- Deepa Chettri
- Aeshah El-Morsy
- Steph Hernandez
- Nupur Jain
- Peter Kipkorir
- Samuel McAuley
- Clara Morales Rozo
- Reuben O’Connell-Booth
- Derrick Omollo
- Sanaa Payge
- Lucy Perera-Romero
- Priyanjana Pramanik
- Maria Eugenia Romero
- Bibek Raj Shrestha
- Paul Thung
- Tarun Verma
- James Watuwa
- Wenxin Yang
2024
Mentors
- Elías Cisneros
- Bowy den Braber
- Paul Ferraro
- Renzo Giudice
- Youngho (Young) Kim
- Van Hai Nguyen
- Johan Oldekop
- Dario Schulz
- Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez
Mentees
- Xiaotong Cai
- Josphat Korir
- Guy Lomax
- Cristiar Samosir
- Paul Thung
- Freddie Ugo
- Esther Waruingi
- Carolin Wicke
- Dereje Amene Yimam
Frequently asked questions
What is impact evaluation?
Impact evaluation asks what difference an activity makes compared with what would have happened without it. For example, if forest loss falls after a conservation project starts, did the project help bring about that change, or would forest loss have fallen anyway? The program helps you think through how to answer this kind of question for your own work.
Do I need to be an SCB member?
No. You can apply without being a member of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Can I apply if I am new to impact evaluation?
Yes. You need a specific conservation activity you want to evaluate and time to work with a mentor. You do not need previous training in impact evaluation. We look at your project, what you want to learn about its effects, and whether the available mentoring could help.
How do time zones and languages affect matching?
We use your time zone, preferred language, and availability to look for a workable match. Tell us which languages you would be comfortable using in meetings. A match depends on a suitable mentor being available, and we cannot guarantee every language or time zone can be accommodated. Pairs agree on their meeting times directly.
What if I am placed on the waitlist?
You will be invited to the opening seminar in early November. If a suitable place becomes available, we may offer you a match through December 31, 2026. A place on the waitlist does not guarantee a mentor.
What if my mentor stops responding?
If you have contacted your mentor and have not heard back for two weeks, email the coordinator. We will help you reconnect or explore another match, where possible, through December 31, 2026.
Who arranges the meetings?
The mentee contacts the mentor, proposes times, and prepares questions or material for each meeting. Agree on your schedule together. If your availability changes, let your mentor and the coordinator know.