ECR Journeys: The ACCESS Fellows – Navigating New Terrain

This month, The Applied Ecologist is amplifying the voice of early career researchers from around the world working in and around the field of applied ecology to help inspire the next generation. In this post, Sarah Golding, Steve Guilbert, Harry Marshall, Michelle Spruce, Gerardo A Torres Contreras and Valentine Seymour, ACCESS Fellows at The Universities of Exeter, Sussex and Surrey and Forest Research, share their story below.

Our background

The ACCESS Fellows (top right to bottom left; Michelle, Steve, Sarah, Valentine, Harry and Gerardo)

Sarah Golding: I love making my small suburban garden a haven for wildlife. I’m not an ecologist but do try to see my garden as an ecosystem.

Steve Guilbert: I’m currently trying (unsuccessfully) to learn the fingerpicking pattern to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Never Going Back Again’. I enjoy making my children go on long moorland walks they don’t want to go on.

Harry Marshall: I try and read at least one poem a day.

Michelle Spruce: I am a Girl Guide leader, keen gardener (maintaining a wildlife focused garden and growing fruit and veg) and regularly run/walk the country lanes where I live.

Gerardo A Torres Contreras: I am an avid cyclist and runner. My summer project is to try to grow some lettuce in my kitchen.

Valentine Seymour: I love exploring new walks along the North Downs and baking gingerbread biscuits.

What are you working on right now?

We are an interdisciplinary team of early career researchers, all working on the ACCESS (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science) project. The project is funded for 5 years, by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council.

ACCESS is a large, multi-partner and multi-faceted project. At its heart, however, is a fairly simple premise – if we are to better understand human-driven environmental problems (such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation) then social science insights and data need to play a more prominent role.

So while we need climate scientists, oceanographers, engineers and (of course) ecologists, we also need the expertise of social scientists to help us collectively solve these complex, interconnected environmental challenges. Social science can offer novel insights on policy, place and society, and can challenge us all to see environmental problems (and solutions!) in new ways.

ACCESS is not your normal ‘academic research project’. Instead, it is a broad and inclusive network of academics, funders, policy makers, practitioners, and publics, all working together to increase the impact of environmental social science. We are doing this by identifying and trialling new ways of doing things, opening up new opportunities, and establishing new connections.

We are seeking to make environmental social science more accessible, inclusive, and diverse, as well as be more environmentally sustainable and responsive to the needs of policymakers. We are also working to upskill and empower the next generation of social scientists to support interdisciplinary and co-productive ways of working.

Visual minutes of the ACCESS Assembly 2022 © Johnny Glvoer

What are the next steps in this field and what would you like to do next?

Because ACCESS is a different kind of project, our roles as Fellows are somewhat different too. Although our job titles vary slightly (Knowledge Exchange, Research Impact or Data Impact Fellows), we all find ourselves occupying this relatively new space that lies somewhere between knowledge generation (research) and knowledge use (policy and practice). This can at times be both unsettling and exciting!

Occupying this in-between space provides a real opportunity for us ACCESS Fellows – and others in similar roles – to help define the nature of these ‘bridging’ roles. We can potentially open up new career pathways and help craft the ‘next steps’.

What has motivated you in your career?

We have each had our own unique career journeys that have led us to our current ECR roles within ACCESS. Some of us went straight to university after school (and didn’t really leave!), while others of us have moved back-and-forth between studying, working outside of academia, and raising families, before (or while!) embarking on PhD and post-doc life. What we have in common is that none of us would have predicted that our career paths would lead us to our current positions in this evolving, interdisciplinary space. We also share a belief that our diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are a key part of what makes us a better, stronger and mutually supportive team.

One piece of advice for other ECRs

Sarah Golding: Academic training is a double-edged sword – you become an expert, but as you are often surrounded by other experts it can be hard to shake the imposter feeling. You forget how much you know compared to those outside your own academic bubble. Trust in your knowledge and abilities, and remember, you absolutely deserve to be part of the conversation.

Steve Guilbert: Be patient but persistent and open to opportunities both within and outside academia.

Harry Marshall: Don’t worry about anyone else, careers are personal journeys that take unexpected paths – be curious and open to opportunities (and learn when to say ‘no’, as well as ‘yes’) and over time you will find your niche.

Michelle Spruce: If you find yourself working in an interdisciplinary space, try not to focus what you don’t bring to a project, but instead focus on what you DO bring. Everyone’s contribution is valuable.

Gerardo A Torres Contreras: Never say no to a beer (low and no alcohol included).

Valentine Seymour: Say yes to opportunities that open up and follow those experiences that support your happiness and passions!