European Geosciences Union Young Scientists Network

European Geosciences Union Young Scientists Network
Name	EGU Young Scientists Network
Formation	2004
Type	Scientific network
Headquarters	Vienna
Parent organization	European Geosciences Union
Region served	Europe, global
Language	English

European Geosciences Union Young Scientists Network is a volunteer-run network for early-career researchers associated with the European Geosciences Union. It facilitates career development, peer support, and representation across conferences and committees such as the EGU General Assembly and interfaces with bodies like the International Union of Geosciences and the European Commission. The network connects members to professional opportunities that include mentoring, short courses, and awards in collaboration with organizations such as the Union Internationale des Géosciences and the Royal Society.

History

The network emerged within the context of initiatives by the European Geosciences Union staff and delegates following discussions at assemblies like the EGU General Assembly and policy forums tied to the European Research Council and the Horizon 2020 programme. Early coordination referenced models used by the American Geophysical Union and the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior. Founding volunteers organized sessions at the Vienna International Centre and liaised with institutions including the University of Vienna, the British Geological Survey, and the Max Planck Society to expand participation. Over time the network established formal links with committees such as the EGU Council and outreach partnerships with the European Commission DG Research and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Structure and Governance

Governance combines elected convenors and appointed coordinators who interact with the EGU Executive Committee and the EGU Bureau. A steering committee reports to the EGU Council and maintains working groups analogous to bodies in the International Union for Quaternary Research and the European Space Agency outreach teams. Administrative support is provided through the EGU office hosted in Vienna, while policies align with frameworks from the European Commission and ethical guidelines referenced by institutions such as the Royal Society. Elections and term limits reflect practices seen in the American Meteorological Society and the Geological Society of London.

Membership and Eligibility

Membership criteria mirror eligibility rules used by the European Geosciences Union and professional societies like the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America. Eligible participants typically include students and early-career staff from universities such as the ETH Zurich, the University of Cambridge, and the Sorbonne University, and researchers affiliated with national agencies like the Geological Survey of Finland or the Instituto Português de Oceanografia. Membership outreach targets attendees of conferences including the EGU General Assembly and workshops organized at venues like the Imperial College London and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

Activities and Programs

The network organizes mentoring schemes similar to programs run by the Royal Society of Chemistry and short courses modeled after offerings at the European Space Agency training centers. Regular activities include mentoring pairings with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, career panels featuring speakers from the European Commission, and training sessions employing resources from the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. The network also coordinates conference sessions at the EGU General Assembly, outreach events with museums such as the Natural History Museum, London and collaboration with journals like Nature Geoscience and Geophysical Research Letters.

Awards and Recognition

The network administers travel grants and awards comparable to those offered by the European Research Council and the Royal Society. It partners with prize committees similar to those in the European Academy of Sciences and coordinates recognition at meetings attended by laureates from prizes like the Vening Meinesz Medal and the Gold Medal of the European Geosciences Union. Award recipients have included early-career researchers from institutions such as the University of Oxford, the University of Bologna, and the University of Barcelona.

Regional and Thematic Groups

Regional and thematic subdivisions mirror structures found in the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics and the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans. Examples include country-level representatives liaising with national societies such as the German Geological Society, the French Geological Society, and the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, and thematic teams focused on topics represented at the EGU General Assembly like volcanology, paleoclimatology, and remote sensing with links to research centers such as the Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace and the National Oceanography Centre.

Impact and Outreach

Impact is measurable through increased participation of early-career scientists at forums like the EGU General Assembly and through collaborations with policy-informing organizations such as the European Commission and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Outreach activities have partnered with media outlets like the BBC science unit and public institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and have promoted mobility via ties to funding bodies including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and national research councils like the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Category:European Geosciences Union Category:Scientific organizations based in Austria