Students, new grads, postdocs, early career scientists, anyone looking to make a career transition in ecology — this one is for you.
Career Central, held annually in the exhibit hall, serves as a less formal complement to other sessions focused on ecology careers and skill-building. Hear from professionals how they navigated their way into different industries and institutions — and how they succeeded — while getting important direct guidance on everything from resume-building to the tenure track.
Monday, July 27: Career Fair
Monday is dedicated to career navigation and job search support; this is the “how-to” day of Career Central.
- Career Search 101: Step-by-step Guidance on How to Master Your Environmental Job Search by Laura Thorne (bio below)
Career Search 101 is a 3-hour interactive workshop series designed to help ecology and environmental career seekers build a stronger, more confident job search in a time of uncertainty. Many attendees are trying to understand where the jobs are, how artificial intelligence may change hiring and early-career work, whether academic training translates outside the expected academic path, and how to show they have the skills employers need. This session is structured as one umbrella workshop with three focused, drop-in-friendly segments: resume and skills essentials, interviewing preparation, and real-world networking. Attendees may stay for the full sequence or join the hour that best fits their immediate needs.
Participants will learn how to translate research, field, academic, and volunteer experience into employer-relevant language, prepare for hiring conversations with more confidence, and approach professional networking as a practical way to learn the field and create momentum. The full sequence gives attendees a clearer, more connected job-search strategy, while each standalone hour provides concrete tools they can use right away during and after ESA. - Other sessions will cover:
- Transitioning from academia to industry
- Managing career transitions
- Resilience & success
- And join us for live resume and CV reviews
Tuesday, July 28: Career Exploration
Ecology is a highly diverse field, so it stands to reason that ecologists are employed in a highly diverse range of sectors!
- A day in the life of a NEON scientist
- Skills and training needs for field ecologists (live town hall)
- Working in science policy
- Careers in environmental consulting; natural resources management; ecological restoration
- Navigating pathways to and through leadership
- Live resume reviews and mock job interviews
- Drop-in career coaching with Laura Thorne
The Coach Is In: 30-Minute Environmental Career Coaching Sessions
Focused 30-minute career coaching sessions for ESA attendees who want practical guidance on a specific job-search question. Participants can use the session to talk through a resume or CV concern, prepare for an interview, think through next career steps, discuss how to translate academic or field experience for employers, or get help approaching networking and follow-up during the conference.
These sessions are designed to be useful, low-pressure, and action-oriented. Attendees will leave with clearer next steps, practical recommendations, and a better sense of how to move forward in their environmental career search. Sessions are available via pre-signup form or drop-in if available.
Wednesday, July 29: Careers in Research & Academia
We’ll never stop doing what we can to support the careers of ecological researchers! This set will give you perspective and advice straight from the mouths of those who’ve done it before.
- Speed networking with the ESA journals’ editors-in-chief
- Diverse pathways in higher education
- Faculty jobs boot camp
- Mentorship to navigate research careers
- Earning tenure
- Engaging storytelling to communicate ecological information
- Navigating the hidden curriculum
- Faculty and research careers outside of R1s
- Live CV reviews and mock interviews
The Environmental Career Coach, Laura Thorne
Laura Thorne is a certified career coach, business consultant, and environmental professional with over a decade of experience across public and private sectors. She helps students, recent grads, and career changers confidently break into environmental fields by creating practical, customized career navigation strategies.
With a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of South Florida and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Laura brings both scientific insight and real-world planning skills to her work. She began her career in habitat restoration and environmental project management before launching her coaching business in 2015. Since then she’s coached hundreds of career seekers one-on-one.
Laura is the co-host of Environmental Professionals Radio (EPR), a leading podcast for the environmental industry. She’s also a former President of the Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals and actively involved with the National Association of Environmental Professionals, giving her strong national connections in the field.
She’s been in your shoes, as a student, a career changer, and now a business owner. Her mission is to help the next generation of professionals get hired, stay motivated, and make a real impact.