🚀 WIMIR Mentoring Program 2026: Connect, Share & Grow 🌟
Amy Hung
Dear friends,
We’re excited to announce the 11th round of the WIMIR Mentoring Program organized by the Widening Inclusion in Music Information Retrieval (WIMIR) group—formerly known as Women in MIR. Whether you’re seeking guidance as a mentee or looking to give back as a mentor, we’d love for you to join us!
🔗 Sign up to be a MENTEE: https://forms.gle/ShvYwhTPqTvfoKUD9
🔗 Sign up to be a MENTOR: https://forms.gle/2nvW1adaYxUbVmsz5
ℹ️ About the Program:
The WIMIR Mentoring Program connects students and early-stage researchers from underrepresented communities—including women, trans and non-binary individuals, and people from the Global South—with senior researchers and professionals committed to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Music Information Retrieval (MIR) and related fields.
Mentees are paired with mentors who can advise on career paths, assist with projects or papers, and help navigate personal and systemic challenges. Each pair is free to define their own agenda—we only recommend maintaining regular contact and aiming for at least four remote meetings between January and August 2026.
Note that we will begin pairing mentees and mentors by the end of October 2025 and aim to send out pairing emails by mid-November 2025. Sign-up forms will remain open through Summer 2026, so people can still join partway through—just keep in mind that many mentors may already be matched by then.
Please note that this program is run entirely by volunteers. By signing up, you are joining a vibrant community where members actively support one another. We therefore kindly ask you to be considerate of each other's time and efforts. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at wimir-m...@ismir.net.
💬 Testimonials from Mentees and Mentors:
Still wondering why you should sign up? See what last year’s participants had to say:
My experience as a mentor was extremely positive. The primary reason is my mentee's engagement. She asked thoughtful questions that provoked interesting conversations. I attempted, as much as possible, to coach rather than advise. In between every session, my mentee acted on the coaching and came back with new insights that led to more interesting conversations.
This mentorship program has been incredibly valuable for me as an entrance to the MIR community, and has exposed me to several opportunities I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Everyone I've met has been welcoming and clearly passionate about their work, which makes me all the more excited to do research in this field.
To me, it is really a "help corner", a place where people are willing to give love and care to each other. It creates not only the "mentoring" relationship, but also brings up emotional connections and helps to build the community as a whole.
After deciding to make a career pivot into MIR, I was nervous that I would have to re-build a professional network from scratch, but this program has jumpstarted my career by pairing me with an insightful mentor who gave me great advice and is forever a friendly face in the community.
This is more than just a mentorship, my mentor and I connected on a personal level and will hope to stay in touch as things in our lives evolve. Throughout the months, many things in our lives have changed and grown, and having my mentor to guide me through with their wisdom and experience has been invaluable. I would definitely recommend WIMIR to anyone who has questions and looks to grow!
Thank you for your continued support—we look forward to welcoming you to the program!
Warm regards,
The WIMIR Mentoring Program organizers
Lele Liu, Yun-Ning (Amy) Hung, and Zafar Rafii