Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee

Our Mission Statement:

The Early Career Researcher (ECR) Committee was established in 2022 to support and advocate for our ICRS members that are navigating the highly transitional, and often challenging, early career phase. Our goal is to establish a platform for ECRs within the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS). We aim to promote the work of recent graduates and to provide the ECR community with unique opportunities for enhancing their collaborative and support networks whilst developing the skills necessary for a successful career.

Philosophy

Our purpose, as defined in our mission statement, is to support ECRs during a challenging, yet formative, phase of their careers. As such, our first priority was to review the concerns that were identified in the 2021 ICRS-SECC workshop survey, especially those relevant to early career members. We have used this important feedback to define a set of goals aimed at addressing the concerns of our ECR community. These goals are prioritized by importance and include strategies that we will use to achieve them. As a committee, we are aware of the implicit and explicit biases faced by many of our marginalized-identity ECR peers, and we have thoughtfully considered this during the development and refinement of our mission and goals. However, we are eager to listen and learn from our diverse members, and to advocate for greater equality and inclusion in both ICRS and ICRS-SECC. We respectfully solicit continual feedback from our entire ECR community, but especially our diverse and marginalized members, on ways we can better support and address your needs, both within ICRS and our greater community.

Who do we consider an Early Career Researcher (ECR)? 

There are many possible delimitations for ‘early career,’ but as a committee our goal is to offer support to any members beginning a post-graduation career and self-identifying as an ECR. ECRs are often in temporary positions, but we are also inclusive of our peers facing the unique challenges of transitioning into permanent careers. Note that while our committee definition for ECR is broad and we aim to support as many members as possible, financial opportunities offered to ECRs via ICRS or ICRS-SECC may be limited to more traditional definitions of ECRs.