51-14 Global Geoscience Societies Survey: Insights from Early Career and Students (2023/24)

Session: Geoscience Education Research: Methods, Frameworks, and Results from Emerging Scholars

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The Support Early Career and Student Communities Task Team, made up of members from various global geoscience societies, collaborated to create a survey specifically designed to understand the needs and questions of early career scientists worldwide. The survey was designed for geoscience societies, to provide insights to guide our leadership in developing programs that strengthen cooperation and foster shared initiatives among our organizations. Here, we report the findings of the survey of early career researchers and students in geoscience disciplines -which started in 2023, and conducted until 2024. The survey collected responses from 518 participants representing diverse geographic regions, with the highest participation from North America (160), Asia (121), Africa (109), and Europe (75). The survey focused on assessing career intentions, professional challenges, and support needs. Based on the results, 66% of participants intend to pursue academic careers post-graduation, with most having limited professional experience (0-5 years). For non-academic oriented respondents, preferred alternatives were the industry and government sectors. The participants’ professional core responsibilities category was led by research, teaching, and degree pursuit. 

The survey also highlighted challenges faced by students and early career geoscientists including: (1) difficult transition between academia and industry due to lack of preparation, (2) international barriers such as visa restrictions, (3) insufficient mentorship, and (4) limited networking opportunities. Participants also emphasized the need for improved mentorship programs (most requested form of support), better preparation for diverse career paths (e.g., programming skills development), enhance accessibility to networking platforms, and address institutional barriers in research environments. These findings emphasize the importance of implementing initiatives by professional societies and educational institutions to better support the next generation of geoscience professionals across both academic and industry sectors.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10646

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