Early Career

by Hayley Henderson By the time I was about to graduate high school, I was too busy trying to live until tomorrow to think of a future for myself. Many of my classmates had careers already in mind – intelligence security, computer engineering, veterinarian science. They’d talk about them openly, about summer internships, the best schools to apply to, the…

This month’s blog post features an interview with Pacifica Sommers, the new ECE Chair for this year! Introduction – tell us about yourself! I am a microbial ecologist based at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. My formal job title is Research Associate (and also Lecturer for the fall 2021). My doctoral training at…

By Amanda J Gorton I was three weeks postpartum when I received the news that my post-doc fellowship had been selected for funding. My immediate feelings were a mixture of relief, excitement, and sheer panic. I was relieved that I had secured my next position and would not be unemployed after defending my PhD. I was excited to move in…

I am a community marine ecologist by training. My PhD consisted of me driving a boat to conduct fieldwork in a wetsuit in Moorea, French Polynesia. Now, I am a Research Staff Member at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)….

Early Career Ecologists Section list of relevant activities and presentations ESA Annual Meeting 2019 – Louisville, KY We will have a booth in the exhibit hall each day of the conference and we guarantee someone will be there for the first hour each day (4-5pm). Come on by to say hi, get some swag, and get a semi-professional photo taken!…

It’s the last week to vote in the ECE 2019-2020 elections for Vice-Chair and Secretary Treasurer. Cast your vote here. To be valid, votes must be cast by 11:59pm on July 21, 2019. Only current members of the ECE Section are eligible to vote. Limit one vote per eligible member. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of valid ballots cast….

Early Career Ecology Events @ ESA New Orleans Meeting 2018 The following activities during the ESA annual meeting are either hosted/co-hosted by the Early Career Ecology section, or are likely to be of interest to early career members. **If you complete the “ESA 2018 To Do List” and give it to our booth by Wednesday afternoon, you could win a…

An ideal working environment involves a culture that expects and demonstrates civility and courtesy to all members of a professional community, regardless of identity and status. A culture of mutual respect will be free of abuse, and from retaliation against those who speak out against it. However, from Hollywood to Antarctica1, and from federal agencies2,3 to prestigious academic institutions4–6, the…

USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests & Ranges and Research Natural Areas As an early career ecologist, securing funds for new, field-based studies can be challenging.  One strategy is to collaborate on existing studies.  This type of collaboration is cost efficient because study establishment is already completed, allowing collaboration to focus on continuing the original objectives (e.g., re-measuring) or developing new…