Early Career Day

Early Career Day Programme

Date: 7 September 2026

Venue: University of Bath campus, Claverton Down (1West) 

Audience: Early career researchers (Master, PhD students and postdocs) 

Time           Session  Format 
08:30 – 09:00  Registration & Welcome  Informal networking over coffee. 
09:00 – 09:30  Introduction  “Speed dating” with introductions and elevator pitch of research 
09:30 – 10:30  Navigating the PhD Journey 

 

 Panel discussion with experienced scholars on maintaining work-life balance, interdisciplinary work, and engaging with ESG frameworks. Includes open Q&A. 
10:30 – 11:00  Coffee & Connection Break  Social break 
11:00 – 12:30  Publishing in Earth System Governance and Sustainability Journals  Workshop on targeting the right journals, peer-review tips, and writing for impact. Led by journal editors and/or recent authors. 
12:30 – 13:30  Lunch Break   Vegetarian menu
13:30 – 15:00  Career Development and the Sustainability Job Market  Interactive career clinic with practitioners from academia, NGOs, and policy organizations. Includes breakout mentoring circles. 
15:00 – 15:15  Coffee Break   
15:15 – 16:15  Interactive Games: Systems Thinking for Sustainability  Team-based challenge that simulates real-world governance dilemmas, designed to promote creative collaboration and thinking about sustainability in different ways. 
16:15 – 17:00  Closing Reflections  Group dialogue on lessons gained; intention-setting for the main conference. 
17:00 – 18:30  Reflective Walk through the City of Bath/or the Skyline walk  Guided reflection on sustainability and governance in context. Participants visit key heritage sites and/or green walk. 
19:00    Optional Evening Activity, drinks and dinner Hosted at a local sustainable restaurant in Bath city centre (self-funded; sign-up required) 

Note: We will invite several senior researchers to join our activities throughout the day and sit together with ECR participants to make sure that the conversations flow and encourage everyone to express themselves. 

 

If you have questions, please visit the FAQ.

Hosts

Looking back at #TCESG2025

During four days in August 2025, more than 400 participants from over 70 countries came together in Johannesburg for TC/ESG 2025, a joint conference organized by the Earth System Governance Project, the Transformations Community and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, dedicated to navigating sustainability transformations toward justice and equity.

Have a look at the opening plenary session, which was recorded and shared with the broader audience!

2026 Bath Conference Organizing Team

If you have any questions about the 2026 Bath Conference on Earth System Governance, you can reach out to our Organizing Team. We will get back to you regarding your questions within a few working days.

Email

ESG@bath.ac.uk

Address

University of Bath
Claverton Down, Bath
BA2 7AY
United Kingdom