Overcoming the Obstacles Faced by Early Career Researchers in Marine Science: Lessons From the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean

• Published in: Frontiers in Marine Science
• Main Authors: Madeleine J. Brasier, Stacey McCormack, Narissa Bax, Jilda A. Caccavo, Emma Cavan, Jessica A. Ericson, Blanca Figuerola, Alyce Hancock, Svenja Halfter, Nicole Hellessey, Juan Höfer, Peter S. Puskic, César Soares de Oliveira, Roshni C. Subramaniam, Jake Wallis, Christine K. Weldrick
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020
• Subjects: ECR; mentorship; diversity and inclusion; polar science; interdisciplinarity; Science; Q; General. Including nature conservation; geographical distribution; QH1-199.5; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00692; https://doaj.org/article/a07a260a6c41428d91f063eb023b76c7

Pressure in academia and science is rapidly increasing and early career researchers (ECRs) have a lot to gain from being involved in research initiatives such as large international projects. But just how inclusive are they? Here we discuss experiences of ECRs directly involved in the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO), an Australian led international research project to assess the status and trends of Southern Ocean ecosystems. We review the benefits of ECR involvement in large-scale initiatives to the project deliverables, the leadership team and ECRs themselves. Using insights from MEASO, we outline the obstacles that may become barriers to ECRs in scientific research in general but with a focus on large-scale research projects and suggest potential actions to overcome these at the individual, institutional and scientific community level. We consider the potential for ECRs to lead future Antarctic science programmes with a focus on science communication and applied research for policy makers within a global setting.