by Tamryn Hamilton – ECR Steering Committee Member
IGAC SSC members at the 2025 annual review in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
The IGAC Scientific Steering Committee (SC) recently held their annual review in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; on the heels of the 21st Global Emissions Initiative (GEIA) conference. Annual review meetings usually fall into the administration category, often seen as a ‘hoop to jump through’ by many researchers. But, this review gave the ECR steering committee the chance to look back at what we have achieved. Considering that the IGAC ECRs only officially came about in 2023, we are making big strides towards an inclusive and representative global ECR community – we have all of you to thank for that!
The IGAC 2025 Annual review brought together scientists from across the world and from very different fields of atmospheric chemistry. Intimidating as it was to be in the room, the SSC members encouraged discussion and welcomed engagement from the ECRs.The review included a summary of 2025 from the perspective of the IGAC Activities, Regional Working Groups and the ECR Community. This was followed by funding discussions and a planning session directed at IGAC’s way forward for 2026.
One stand out feature for me was the IGAC SSC’s critical review of SSC applicants for 2026. It was inspiring to hear about the amazing achievements some scientists have made, but my focus was on highlighting the features that defined a strong candidate. Most importantly, these distinguishing features are not limited to academic career paths and are highly applicable to industry career applications as well.
Here are some key features identified for ECRs to consider for future applications:
- Demonstrations of career progression
- Dynamic/adaptable character
- Ability to integrate (through experiences at different institutions)
- Variety of past engagement and collaborations
- Ideals that align well with the position.
As an ECR, this was an amazing opportunity to engage with leading scientists, especially considering their broad areas of expertise under the umbrella of IGAC. As a South African researcher coming from an academic background that isn’t chemistry-specific, I hesitated to even apply for the IGAC ECR SSC, but I’m so grateful I did. My involvement with the IGAC ECRs has changed my perception of the statement ‘the importance of networking’ from a checkbox to tick, to a valuable community of researchers to integrate into future research.