Strengthening the Future of Geodesy: Empowering Early Career Scientists

Early Career Scientists (ECS) play a crucial role in advancing research and innovation, yet their contributions often remain underrepresented. The IAG ECS representatives group was established in 2023 to support the progression of the 3G’s defined by the IAG: Generation, Gender, and Geography. In this initial phase, we focus on three key objectives: 1. Raising public awareness of geodesy to attract future students and ensure the long-term availability and maintenance of geodetic products and services. This includes engaging with high school teachers to introduce geodesy early in education and developing content for potential exhibitions to showcase our field to a wider audience. 2. Encouraging ECS participation in IAG activities to foster engagement and collaboration within the geodetic community. We have established an ECS representative webpage and email address as central points of contact to consolidate information, resources, and opportunities for ECS. 3. Increasing visibility and establishing role models for ECS, particularly from underrepresented geographical regions and gender. To strengthen global engagement, we aim to create a pool of regional representatives who can act as local points of contact and support ECS activities in their regions. Our mission is to enhance the visibility of ECS contributions, strengthen the pipeline of future researchers in the field of geodesy, and create an inclusive and diverse research environment. In this presentation, we will introduce the current ECS representatives, highlight recent initiatives, and outline our future plans. As part of our outreach efforts, we plan to support geodetic summer schools at core stations and geodetic training schools in currently underrepresented regions, providing hands-on training and experience for students and early-career researchers. Looking ahead, we plan to expand our outreach by strengthening connections with students, developing new communication strategies, and collaborating with institutions to address disparities in representation. By working closely with senior researchers, scientific organizations such as FIG (Young Surveyors Network) and EGU (Geodesy Division ECS group), and student networks like IGSO, we strive to build a supportive and globally connected ECS community. We invite all ECS members to participate, share their ideas, and contribute to shaping the future of geodesy. This presentation will serve as a platform to discuss strategies for strengthening ECS-related initiatives and ensuring sustainable support for the next generation of geodesists.