Early Career Researchers

Inter- and transdisciplinary (ITD) early career researchers (ECRs) face various challenges performing their research and reaching their career goals. The ITD ECRs working group is focused on the support, peer-exchange and mentorship of early career researchers, lecturers and students. We discuss these challenges and prospects for future action with the aim of networking and jointly developed solutions.

Participants and Trainers of a LIRA 2030 training course form TD

Goals

The purpose of the Working Group is to provide a space for conversations, networking and support between researchers in various stages of their careers who are working in and around ITD. We aspire to reach the following goals:

○ Provide a platform for peer exchange between ECRs working at the intersection – and beyond – disciplines.

○ Provide a space for informal mentorship where ECRs are able to ask questions to more experienced researchers working in and with the inter- and transdisciplinary field.

○ Ascertain the most common challenges that are faced by ECRs working in ITD fields. This information could be the starting point for creating supervision guidelines for ITD ECRs.

○ Offer support and ideas for how to face these common challenges by creating content that can be used on the ITD Alliance website and ITD supervisors. 

○ Offer concrete support for disadvantaged ITD scholars who are in the process of applying for academic positions and for those who are still in the process of acclimating to new environments (i.e., training, mentorship, sharing of ID/TD positions, interview advice, CV review etc.).

Activity

Currently we hold monthly virtual meetings where ECRs come together with more experienced academics. Prior to the meeting, it is decided whether there is a particular topic of discussion that is important or timely to one of the participants. If there is a prior topic to be discussed, then the person who suggests it will be responsible for moderating the session. Otherwise, the session is open and consists of ECRs addressing questions that challenged them.

If you are interested in attending one of our sessions to gain insight into our group, do not hesitate to contact BinBin J. Pearce.

ECR Handbook – Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research

Are you conducting or interested in incorporating aspects of interdisciplinary (ITD) and transdisciplinary (TD) approaches into your research projects? If yes, this Handbook provides you answers to common ITD/TD challenges and questions, which should help you to design your project. It should also help you to identify with the ITD/TD community, a vital part of the scientific landscape. The list was compiled based on over fifteen meetings of the Early Career Researcher Working Group, discussing their challenges and concerns.

Explore the Handbook here

Organising Team of the Working Group

The current Organising Team of the Working Group consists of:

○ BinBin J. Pearce, Delft University of Technology, Assistant Professor

○ Erika Angarita, Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Research Assistant, Wageningen University, PhD candidate

Former Organising Team Members:

○ Irina Dallo, Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich, Postdoctoral Researcher

○ Hammond Sarpong, Dundalk Institute of Technology, PhD candidate