Early Career Hub

Welcome to the Early Career (EC) Hub of SocSES!

The Early Career Hub (EC Hub) of SocSES is a dynamic, inclusive space for Early Career Professionals (ECPs) in Social-Ecological Systems research and practice. This Hub offers ECPs opportunities for collaboration and connection within a global community that is dedicated to fostering inter/transdisciplinary approaches to address novel and interconnected challenges that we are facing in the Anthropocene.

SocSES and the EC Hub aims to support both personal and professional development, helping members connect with diverse perspectives, bridge the science-policy-practice divide, and contribute to the future of SES work. The EC Hub will facilitate global activities such as thematic discussions, speed talks, brainstorming sessions, peer support groups, and the creation of EC Working Groups. By joining you can build your career, learn from peers, engage in inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations, access resources tailored to your development, and even get involved in the foundational leadership.

Early career hub

The EC Hub, like SocSES, has evolved gradually over the past few years, being led by early career researchers from the Resilience Alliance Young Scholars (RAYS), ResNet, and the Program for Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS). A key catalysing event was the special session for ECRs held at the PECS-3 Conference in Montréal (August 2024), which led to the creation of an initial virtual community in preparation for the Society’s launch.

This Hub is being led by a small “kickstarter” team of ECP’s with a transitionary structure and governance approach similar to the overall SocSES. A key aim of the EC Hub in the first year is to catalyse the building of a global community that is diverse, inclusive, and values relationship building. Broadening the EC community at this formative stage of SocSES will enable us to convene diverse leaders and co-create our future governance together.

ECP Hub FAQs:


Who qualifies as an early-career practitioner and who should join?

  • It’s up to you! SocSES is an open, diverse, and inclusive organization, and we invite anyone who self-identifies as being in the “early career” stages of SES work to join. This includes researchers, practitioners, Indigenous Knowledge Holders, community organizers, government actors, politicians, and more.
  • The field of SES is complex, interconnected, and relatively new, so you may have been working in a specific job or discipline for years but are only now entering the interdisciplinary SES space. If that’s the case, this Hub is for you!
  • From an academic perspective, early-career researchers are often considered those within 10 years of earning their PhD, but we welcome a broader range of experiences.

Do I need to be a paying member?

  • Yes, if you want to participate in thematic stream and working group events, which include the EC Hub. There is also an open Slack group that’s free to join and engage with.

Will events include other time zones and languages?

  • We are committed to making this space as accessible as possible, and we are actively discussing how to include a broader range of time zones and languages. While the current “kickstarters” are mainly in Atlantic time zones, we hope to recruit volunteers to support efforts in other languages and time zones. We’ll continue to explore the best ways to achieve this as a group.

How do I join?

  • When you sign up as a SocSES member, you’ll be asked to create a personal profile. During the sign-up process, you can select up to 5 “Streams and Hubs” to participate in. Just choose the EC Hub, and you’ll be added to the internal membership dashboard.

Once I sign up as a member of EC Hub, do I need to commit to all activities?

  • No, again it is up to you. There is no minimum or maximum number of activities you have to attend.
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