This year, there’s a great line-up of early career scientist (ECS) sessions at the General Assembly. Not only that, but there are opportunities to meet those that represent you in the Union, get to know other ECS in your field, and make the most of both the scientific and social sides of the conference…
Networking
First up for ECS is the icebreaker event during the opening reception on the Sunday before the meeting, while this is open to everyone attending the Assembly, there’ll be a spot especially for early career scientists – the “ECS Meeting Corner” (Foyer E). So, if you’re coming alone, or if it’s your first time, you’re sure to find a few like-minded fellows!
This year also be sure to take advantage of the Networking & Early Career Scientists’ Zone (formerly called the Early Career Scientists Lounge), located on the Red Level of the conference centre. The zone is the perfect place to grab a coffee, catch up with your peers and make new connections in a more relaxed setting.
This year there will be a series of pop-up style events held at the zone too. You can check out the notice boards to find out all the details; the image below also shows a few of the sessions already planned for this year. There will also the opportunity to provide feedback via suggestion boards.
The Early Career Scientists Networking and Careers Reception, with drinks and light snacks, aims to bring together early career scientists, award-winning researchers, members of EGU’s Council, and selected industry partners exhibiting at the General Assembly. The reception offers an opportunity for ECS to ask career-related questions and for established scientists, in and out of academia, to share their experience with young researchers in the early stages of their career. Places at the reception are limited, however, please stay tuned to the EGU’s social media channels, particularly Twitter, during the General Assembly, as we’ll be advertising any extra spaces that become available.
Job Centre
The Job Centre at the General Assembly offers the opportunity to connect employers/recruiters and highly-qualified candidates in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. The centre is located on the basement level of the conference venue.
The General Assembly offers several opportunities to advance your career in the geosciences, both in and outside of academia. (Photo credit: EGU/Kai Boggild)
If you are looking for a new position, the Job Centre offers many opportunities for scientists to get career advice, meet recruiters, and seek out jobs:
- Ivo’s clinic: Ivo Grigorov, research coordinator at the National Institute of Aquatic Resources at the Technical University of Denmark, offers daily clinics for scientists seeking advice and training for job applications.
- Post your CV & find job listings: at the entrance of the Job Centre, close to room -2.32, there is a job-posting pillar offering space to put up your CV and browse job adverts from recruiters.
- Present yourself: Take the chance to advertise your skills to potential employers with the Meet the talents session (JC1), scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, 18:00–19:00, on the gallery on the Green Level 1 (first floor).
- Visit the job presentations in room -2.34: check the meeting programme to find days and times that employers of interest are presenting.
- Use EGU’s online job platform: search for vacancies at: https://www.egu.eu/jobs/
You can find more information about the Job Centre and other opportunities for advancing your career at the General Assembly through this blog post.
Building a great CV
It’s not all about the social stuff though, there’s a veritable feast of courses where you can fine-tune your skills and grab those all-important nuggets of information to help you forge a career in academia. From Union-wide sessions to workshops and short courses, there’s a lot to choose from, including division-specific sessions like How to write (and publish) a scientific paper in Hydrology, Meet the Experts: Geomorphology, the Polar Science Career Panel, and Seismology 101. You can get advice on how to peer-review, gather tips on how to find funding and write a research grant, and learn how to get involved in the policy process – but this is just a snapshot! Take a look at our shortlist or the extended list of sessions of ECS interest to see what is on offer this year.
Also be sure to stop by the Early Career Scientists’ Great Debate, a session that aims to give a more prominent voice to ECS members on important research-related issues. This year’s debate will discuss how ECS can prioritise their mental wellbeing in the current research environment and what support would ECS like to see from organisations like EGU or their employers. At the session, participants will be invited to join a round-table discussion where everyone will be given the opportunity to discuss the chosen topic with other conference attendees.
Have a say in how the EGU runs
Like last year, we’ll be hosting a lunchtime session, the ECS Forum, to let early career researchers know how they can get involved in the Union and gather feedback to make what we’re doing even better. ECS representation in the Union is growing leaps and bounds, with most divisions appointing ECS officers whose role is to feedback from the ECS community and make sure we do our best to act on your suggestions. What better way to tell us what you want than over a lovely lunch where you can meet your representatives?
Take the chance to meet the EGU early career scientist representatives at the Wednesday ECS Forum. Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara
The representatives will be making themselves available throughout the conference for informal chats at the EGU Booth. Take a look at the programme to find out when you can catch up with your division representative. Olivia Trani, the EGU’s Communication Officer and point of contact for the ECS members at the EGU Offices, can also be found in the zone during most coffee breaks. Feel free to approach her if you have any questions or suggestions about ECS related activities!
The Union Level Representatives (Stephanie Zihms and Raffaele Albano) and the Executive Office ECS Contact, Olivia Trani (EGU Communications Officer), will also be available from 10:45–11:30, on Tuesday the 9th, at the EGU Booth, to answer all your ECS related questions and to discuss any ideas you might like to bring forward.
You can also let us know what you think via the ECS survey which will become available during the General Assembly. You’ll find it included within the EGU 2019 feedback survey.
ECS recognition at EGU 2019
Keep your eyes peeled for posters that are part of the Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP), and check out this recent blog post for some tips on how to make your presentation stand out from the crowd.
Finally, don’t forget to save space for a few talks from outstanding early career scientists. The winners of the Arne Richter and division awards will be giving talks throughout the week and are well worth a listen. Check the online programme to find out when and where they are taking place.
See you at the conference!
The EGU General Assembly is taking place in Vienna, Austria from 7 to 12 April. Check out the full session programme on the General Assembly website and follow the Assembly’s online conversation on Twitter (#EGU19 is the official conference hashtag) and Facebook.
