Navigating the Conference Ecosystem: Expert Insights for Early Career Researchers on Building Connections, Creating Opportunities, and Amplifying Research

By James Correia and Maisie McDavid, Early Career Committee 

Conferences are a fixture of the academic calendar. They provide a platform for exchanging knowledge, engaging across borders and disciplines, forging ‘epistemic communities’ and paving new pathways for collaboration. They offer an opportunity for informal dialogue to underpin more formal research activities, enabling researchers to test ideas and present initial findings, further develop existing analysis or embark on new ventures. Conferences are also condensation points for data, evidence, and knowledge, concentrating learning that often unfolds painstakingly over several months into a handful of days.

For all of these reasons, they are particularly vital for early career researchers. While the theoretical benefits are clear, practical guidance on how to effectively tap into them remains limited. After spending countless hours in introverted isolation, doctoral and post-doctoral researchers can be swiftly thrust into the unforgiving glare of collective scrutiny. Emergent ideas must be presented not to friends and family, but to established experts The impacts of any given conference on future career paths can be real and transformative, but are also diffuse and difficult to anticipate or quantify. To alleviate the trepidation and anxiety that often accompanies these experiences, we asked leading luminaries across the Earth System Governance network for their insights on how to navigate and make the most out of conference. As we approach this year’s Annual Earth System Governance Conference in Bath, this brief article draws on their advice and provides a guide for the perplexed. A few key lessons emerge from our exchanges.

Navigate the conference lifecycle before, during, and after. 

This involves an admixture of prior preparation, strategic selection of events and discussions during the event, and following up after a conference concludes. Before the event, it is beneficial to identify potential connections, reach out proactively Most leading researchers are used to engaging with students and highly approachable. During the conference, the leading researchers we spoke to urge the targeting of sessions of interest, active participation in discussions, and engaging directly with potential collaborators. Regular participation at conferences tends to build deeper and broader forms of collaboration over time.

Build a community of practice with emerging and established researchers.

Academic research can be a lonely road, and large parts of research work can be unintelligible to your family and friends. Conferences are a rare opportunity to engage with people who share your interests and values, across a diversity of backgrounds. Many of our interviewees stressed that ‘soft’, informal and social connections with early career peers can be as important as more direct forms of networking and collaboration with established researchers. This continues beyond the conference hall and into the social events, and can contribute to the formation of both academic projects and lasting friendships.

Embrace uncertainty.

Our interviewees cautioned that reconceived aspirations often do not transpire. Those we hope to build and strengthen collaborations with, sessions we expect to find most interesting, and the goals we may form prior to conferences frequently fail to materialize. However, they also noted that unforeseen avenues emerge in the form of connections we do not expect, new interests we did not anticipate, and projects we may not have encountered previously. This underscores the importance of an open and adaptable approach.

But be bold.

Many researchers use conferences to showcase and stress-test existing analysis. While this can be daunting for those in the early stages of their career, comments and feedback are almost invariably constructive, improve the quality of research, and help to sharpen ideas. It can be particularly helpful to select conferences that align strongly with your expertise. When approaching more senior colleagues, a willingness to propose and take the lead on practical, concrete projects can make an impression, while relatability, sensitivity, and intellectual curiosity tend to be more effective than more vague or nakedly instrumental forms of engagement.

As we approach the Annual Earth System Governance Conference, a playbook combining systematic strategy throughout the conference lifecycle, forging communications and community, openness and adaptiveness to uncertainty, and the assurance to present ideas and propose projects may open pathways to your next opportunity.

The authors are grateful to Michele Betsill, James Holloway, Hamish Van der Ven, and Joyeeta Gupta for sharing their experiences to inform this article.