The Role of the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network (IMECaN) in Supporting Capacity Building, Ocean Literacy, and Collaborative Leadership of Early Career Researchers

Abstract

The Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network (IMECaN) (https://imber.info/imecan-interdisciplinary-marine-early-career-network/, assessed March 2025) was established in 2016 as an initiative of early career researchers (ECRs) participating in the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR, https://imber.info/, assessed March 2025) summer school, ClimEco (Cvitanovic et al., 2024). At that time, a group of ECRs identified the need for a platform where they could both develop collaborations and exchange training and opportunities within the relatively new field of interdisciplinary marine science. With the endorsement of IMBeR's Scientific Steering Committee, IMECaN has since become a vital platform for fostering collaboration, professional development, and leadership opportunities for ECRs within and beyond IMBeR. Here, we share what IMECaN is, including its structure and operations. Additionally, we highlight key achievements of the network over the past eight years and present membership statistics. We finish by looking forward, and highlighting how we see IMECaN developing in the near future.

IMECaN is directly associated with IMBeR, a large global research project dedicated to promoting, developing, and communicating marine scientific research (see Fang et al. in review). Thus, the network's objectives are in alignment with the IMBeR Grand Challenges, which focus on interdisciplinary marine research to address pressing ocean-related issues. Specifically, the network provides: (i) a platform for early career marine researchers to develop collaborations, (ii) training and development in areas not traditionally covered through formal education and training programs, and (iii) leadership opportunities for early career marine researchers, particularly from the Global Majority.

To keep the network on track to fulfill its objectives, an Organizing Committee consisting of up to 12 members was established, with one to three members serving as co-chairs. Committee members, including a member who also acts as the direct IMBeR liaison, voluntarily serve for up to three years, after which a call for new members is opened. Anyone can be part of the Organizing Committee, as long as they meet IMECaN's ECR terms of reference (i.e., an individual who graduated from their highest academic degree less than eight years prior, excluding career leaves for family care or health-related reasons).1 Members of the IMECaN Organizing Committee typically represent and span diverse regions, including the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. This global representation ensures a broad spectrum of perspectives and expertise, enriching the network's ability to address complex marine challenges. Currently, the Organizing Committee members are from Brazil, China, Fiji, Ghana, Mexico, Norway, Spain, and Uruguay, with some based abroad in countries such as South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. Their diverse professional experiences and connections to multiple global contexts further expand the network's reach and scope.

Currently, IMECaN has 1243 members from 101 countries distributed in all continents (except Antarctica) (Fig. 1). China (n = 135), the United States (n = 120), Canada (n = 81), India (n = 63), and Australia (n = 61) represent the top five countries in terms of membership, and together they comprise 37% of all members. At least 25% of the members identify themselves as students at all levels, with the rest spanning a wide spectrum from postdoctoral researchers to professors, entrepreneurs, and members of non-governmental organizations. Forty-three percent identify as women, and 29% identify as men.

The diversity of nationalities and research interests highlights IMECaN's role as a truly global interdisciplinary network, bringing together ECRs with various values, visions, backgrounds and a range of marine science disciplines. While common areas of members research interest include biodiversity, systematics and evolution, fisheries, marine ecology, and climate change, the fact that they collectively account for only 12% of IMECaN members demonstrates the network's broad scope. Members are engaged in a wide range of topics, including ocean governance, marine biotechnology, socioecological resilience, ocean acidification, and marine spatial planning, among many others. This diversity fosters cross-disciplinary collaborations and enriches the discussions and initiatives spearheaded by the network.

The network regularly reaches all its members through a bi-monthly newsletter and dissemination via social media platforms (follow us on Bluesky @imecan.bsky.social and Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/). The newsletter serves as a platform to share novel ideas and contributions in interdisciplinary marine science and provides opportunities for members to contribute stories or be featured in the Early Career Researcher Spotlight. It also functions as a hub for upcoming academic events, training and courses, as well as job and career development opportunities.

Over the years, IMECaN members have played an active role in co-organizing and participating in various events aligned with IMBeR, including international summer schools (e.g., ClimEco7 Summer School: Interdisciplinary ocean science for sustainable development, https://imber.info/event/imber-climeco7-summer-school-interdisciplinary-ocean-science-for-sustainable-development-goals/, assessed March 2025), interdisciplinary workshops (e.g., IMECaN Workshop on Fostering DEI into Interdisciplinary Marine Research, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExBFIrhtf2o, assessed March 2025), training sessions (e.g., IMECaN Capacity Building Workshop: How to operate effectively at the science-policy-society interface, https://imber.info/event/building-the-capacity-of-eu-early-career-marine-researchers-to-operate-effectively-at-the-science-policy-society-interface/, assessed March 2025), and panel discussions focused on skill development, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities for early career researchers (e.g., IMBeR Future Oceans 2: ECRs workshop, https://imber.info/event/2019-imber-open-science-conference/, assessed March 2025). Events are often hybrid or fully virtual, attracting participants from different countries and open to everyone in the network. This use of online formats allows an inclusive atmosphere where attendees are not burdened by travel costs. For example, an interdisciplinary marine spatial planning virtual workshop in 17–19 August of 2020 had 681 participants from 82 countries, with 67% of participants from the Global South (http://imber.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Summary-of-the-Marine-Spatial-Planning-Workshop.pdf, assessed March 2025).

From a strictly academic perspective, IMECaN Organizing Committee members have led multiple scientific papers (e.g., Brodie et al. 2021; Pennino et al. 2021; Kaikkonen et al. 2024) while also editing a special issue in Frontiers in Marine Science titled Solving Complex Ocean Challenges Through Interdisciplinary Research: Advances from Early Career Marine Scientists (Brodie et al. 2022). Currently, some current and past members of the IMECaN Organizing Committee are leading the development of guidelines to ensure meaningful engagement of ECRs in scientific collaborations, in partnership with 12 other ECRs networks related to marine sciences around the world (Kaikkonen et al. in review).

Additionally, IMECaN members frequently engage in conference sessions, webinars, and collaborative research initiatives that promote new connections and interdisciplinary approaches to ocean sustainability challenges. For example, some members of IMECaN have started a collaboration on exploring ethical “exit strategies” in transdisciplinary research, engaging early career and established researchers at a global scale to expand the critical thinking on this, both through online interactions and at an in-person Transformations Conference in South Africa in August 2025. This example, among others, emphasizes and showcases the transformative potential of IMECaN at a global scale by bringing together ECRs from different disciplines, geographies, and lived experiences.

Since 2024, IMBeR's main office has transferred from Canada to China, marking a new era for both projects (see Fang et al., in review). In the coming years, IMECaN is looking to increase its members while engaging with other networks to coordinate efforts towards training and development of skills targeted at ECRs. Moreover, IMECaN is well positioned to help shape the future direction of IMBeR as it transitions into its next phase, leveraging its diverse network and interdisciplinary expertise while considering the perspectives and values of ECRs.

To achieve this, IMECaN's evolution and impact over its first eight years, featuring insights from past and present members of the Organizing Committee, is reviewed during IMBER's Synthesis and Future Planning Conference (Future Oceans 3)—navigating a future ocean: Inward, outward, and forward, particularly the section titled Reflecting on IMECaN's Journey: Achievements, Insights, and Future Directions (a hybrid session on 14 May 2025, Wednesday, 07:00–09:30 UTC). Moreover, discussions are ongoing around future directions as IMBeR enters a new phase. This reflection and review are a great opportunity for past, current, and future members to join the discussion and help strengthen IMECaN's role in shaping the next generation of interdisciplinary marine researchers and contributing to a sustainable ocean.