Connect with driven students online. Guide their research projects. Help them showcase their work and passion through publications, conference presentations or creative pieces.
Mentor high-caliber students (aged 12-17) working on unique projects
Share your expertise and enthusiasm for a subject with the next generation
Get a student started on the path to a future career or lifelong passion
You decide which students your work with, and when your sessions take place
Most Mentors devote no more than 1-2 hours/week to their students
Sessions take place online & at your convenience (eg. evenings / weekends)
Polygence students come from all over the world, and all walks of life
Our Financial Aid program offers full & partial scholarships on a means-tested basis
Mentors can also volunteer for our Pro Bono Program
15 minute call with one of our team members to learn more about mentoring with Polygence
If you’re a good fit for the program, we will invite you to create a mentor profile.
I have had an excellent experience as a Polygence mentor. Polygence does an excellent job pairing talented and driven students with mentors, and inspiring the next generation of scholars through project-centric learning. Guiding a mentee through the process of learning and applying new skills has been an invaluable opportunity.
PhD Candidate in Biomolecular Engineering: Bioinformatics at UC Santa Cruz
I was amazed by the pertinence of the Polygence concept and its structure. Freedom is fundamental to the program, which makes it different from academic programs that have a rigid curriculum. This way of teaching gives me a lot of pleasure as I believe teaching is a form of inspiration. It’s about showing young people how to learn what they want to study so I can support the student's career and calling.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology at Stanford University
Serving as a mentor for Polygence has been a uniquely fulfilling and thought-provoking experience. Although I knew that I enjoyed teaching before becoming a mentor, I had not had the opportunity to engage with students on subjects so directly linked to my graduate studies. I am consistently amazed by the intellectual rigor and maturity of my students, and come away from our sessions with renewed appreciation for academic discourse and rigorous debate. I also appreciate the position’s flexibility
JD from Yale University
I’ve been really lucky to have had a variety of teaching and educational experiences. From teaching high school math to teaching at Stanford in a variety of areas to thinking through what education looks like at scale at Khan Academy. What makes Polygence unique is the one to one interaction.
PhD Candidate in Education and Data Science at Stanford University
I have been really satisfied with the organization from Polygence leadership. I've enjoyed speaking with Staci regularly, and appreciate how prompt and receptive she is to my questions and concerns. Payments have been a breeze. And I can't say enough good things about the website and messaging platform.
MD Resident at Yale New Haven Hospital
It's been such fun working with the smart, thoughtful, expansive and creative students that are attached to the Polygence process. I am so impressed with my student's wide interests, and dedication to learning and general growth. It's been a real light in my teaching life!
Postdoctoral Fellow in Literature at Stanford University
I was very impressed with the diligent work and genuine interest of my student, even with very complex medical concepts. I enjoyed the project because often in medicine we have to learn tons of concepts quickly and don't get much time to appreciate them and their details. Helping students with projects such as this allows me that chance to revel in the amazing, elegant mechanisms of the body and to share the wonder of how cool medicine and our bodies are with equally interested students.
MD-PhD at Princeton and Rutgers
Polygence is an online research academy dedicated to democratizing access to research opportunities for high school students. Whether you are interested in quantitative biology, fashion history, or privacy law, Polygence mentors will help you explore your area of interest.
Thousands of students have completed life-changing projects with Polygence.
Don’t just take our word for it!
My mentor was very flexible throughout the project, giving me the freedom to find an interesting project to research and model. He provided the support to allow me to complete a successful project. His balance of flexibility with structure allowed me to become experienced modelling a random walk pattern, learning to write by telling a story, and analyzing data.
My mentor expertly mixed in-depth topic knowledge with friendliness and openness to make the Polygence experience simultaneously exciting and manageable.
My mentor was not just an incredible scientist but also an incredible person! I was coming off of a canceled hospital internship due to COVID-19, but research led me to Polygence. My mentor insisted on making sure that my project was something I would be proud of. I could rely on her for more than just project advice. Her guidance was amazing, I would not trade it for anything.
Not only did my mentor encourage me to read challenging research papers and reflect on them, but helped me to understand information that I found confusing by talking through it with me during sessions. I would like to thank her for guiding me through writing my first formal review paper on machine learning in cancer treatment, she has been a great mentor!
My mentor was very flexible throughout the project, giving me the freedom to find an interesting project to research and model. He provided the support to allow me to complete a successful project. His balance of flexibility with structure allowed me to become experienced modelling a random walk pattern, learning to write by telling a story, and analyzing data.
My mentor expertly mixed in-depth topic knowledge with friendliness and openness to make the Polygence experience simultaneously exciting and manageable.
