+ Early Career Forum
Periodically and the Early Career Forum will share research from, and opportunities for, early career researchers working in the polar regions. This regular round-up aims to highlight and celebrate the work being done by early career researchers in Arctic research. If you have information you would like to submit, please see the link below.
Are you or do you know an early career researcher who has recently published work related to the Arctic? We at and the Early Career Forum want to highlight your work! Please fill out this form with any Arctic publications, webinars, posters, etc. and we will share on the Early Career Forum and with our Twitter followers. Anyone who identifies as early career is eligible to submit! Any questions? Email usapecs@gmail.com for more information. Submit documents here: https://forms.gle/S1Gd3jpE4CtSoY6Y6
Publications
Malik, I. H. and Ford, J.D. (2025), Understanding the Impacts of Arctic Climate Change Through the Lens of Political Ecology. WIREs Clim Change, 16, e927. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.927
Keywords: Arctic; Climate Change; Political Ecology
Author website: https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/geography/staff/11717/dr-ishfaq-hussain-malik
Price, M. J. (2025), Arctic agrarian futures? A political ecology of climate change in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Geoforum, 167, 104462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2025.104462
Keywords: Climate change and adaptation; Political ecology; Rural futures; Arctic and subarctic
Events
10th Annual International Polar Film Festival
In conjunction with International Polar Week, the US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists () is hosting the annual international Polar Film Festival and celebrating its 10-year anniversary in March 2026! For five days, the Polar Film Festival will showcase short videos on topics related to the polar regions to the public and broader Polar research community. Films will be shared on our website each day during the International March Polar Week (March 16th-20th) and we will host an online panel discussion with filmmakers about their works.
Submissions of independently created films, typically 1-30 minutes in length, created by the submitter individually or as part of a group are welcomed. In the past, we’ve featured a range of works, such as academic documentaries, independently-produced videos, interviews, sneak peaks of upcoming full-length films, and news reports. We welcome a diversity of submission types and topics related to the Polar regions. Last year’s film festival can be viewed at:https://www.usapecs.org/polar-film-festival-2025.
Deadline for film submissions is: 6th of February, 2026
*Submission reviews begin 9th of February, 2026, notifications end of February
If you would like to submit or suggest any short films or videos (typically 1-30 minutes long) for viewing, please submit them using this google form.
We are also looking for people to host in-person screenings this fall, so if you’re interested in doing so, please indicate this on the film submission form. We look forward to another exciting Polar Film Fest!
More information about the Polar Film Festival is available at: https://www.usapecs.org/polar-film-festival-1
2025 Social for Polar Early Career Researchers
Join other members of the polar early career community at the American Geophysical Union () meeting in New Orleans, LA, to network, learn about how to get involved in the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (), Polar Impact, the United States Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (), and United States Permafrost Association (USPA) Community Care Committee on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 6.30pm to 8:30pm CDT.
Food will be provided courtesy of the Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. All early career scientists attending are welcome to register to attend but note that space is limited at this event to the first 100 people who register. Please do not register if you are not 100% certain you will attend.
Learn more and register to attend here.
Town Hall @ 2025
TH23D - Wants to Hear from You! Empowering Collaborative Research via an Update to the U.S. Arctic Research Plan
In 2021, the U.S. The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee () launched the Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026. This high-level strategy, accompanied by two-year implementation plans, outlined a vision to address emerging critical research questions about the Arctic. Under this Arctic Research Plan and its implementation plans, researchers, federal agencies, and Arctic communities have collaborated to conduct research that leads to understanding Arctic system interactions, strengthening community resilience and health, sustaining economies and livelihoods, and understanding and mitigating risks and hazards. is now updating the Arctic Research Plan, for release in late 2026, and we want to hear from you! How can this strategy be updated to better reflect ongoing research needs across the Arctic? We will also be collecting input on specific research deliverables to be included as a part of the next Arctic Research Plan. During this session will celebrate some of the accomplishments from the Arctic Research Plan, listen to input on how it can be improved, and share information about how researchers, Arctic residents, and others can get involved in , and how participation in Collaborations can support their work.
Town Hall: Tuesday, 16 December 2025, 13:00 - 14:00, 293 (NOLA CC)
Training
ADVANCEing FieldSafety Program
Join ADVANCEing FieldSafety (AFS) to help create safer, more supportive field environments!
The ADVANCEing FieldSafety program consists of three main components:
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A 7-module online course that focuses on creating a safe field environment, fostering a safe field culture, and building teams from varied backgrounds.
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Two 90-minute, interactive online workshops —one that provides practice in bystander intervention strategies and another that models how to compose norms agreements.
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A toolkit of resources such as checklists, fillable documents, and implementation guides that can be customized for a wide range of field contexts.
ADVANCEing FieldSafety is open to all, from individuals to full field teams, and welcomes scientists of all career stages, from students to seasoned field researchers. Participants have two options to receive certificates after completing the training. To get started, take the online course and then enroll in an upcoming workshop.
December Workshop Dates
If you are part of a field team and are interested in having your team participate in ADVANCEing FieldSafety, please consider also having your team take part in the AFS research component, which aims to measure the effectiveness of the AFS program and its impact on field culture. As part of this research, field teams will complete surveys and participate in interviews or focus groups. Incentives are available for participating teams. Visit the AFS research and evaluation page to learn more and to sign up. Now is the perfect time to prepare for your next field season.
If you’d like to learn more about the ADVANCEing FieldSafety program, particularly the research component, please email fieldsafe@colorado.edu. You may also subscribe to the AFS Newsletter, follow AFS on LinkedIn, and get AFS updates through the CEEE Facebook page and Instagram feed.
Travel Support
Travel Support to attend the 2026 Arctic System Science Conference in Potsdam, Germany: Travel Support Program for Early Career Researchers and Participants from Indigenous Communities
Thanks to the International Arctic Science Committee () we have funding available to support Early Career Researchers and participants from indigenous communities with their travel costs.
Contributions and participation of Early Career Researchers (ECR) as well as people from indigenous communities is of fundamental importance for the conference and the future of polar science. For this reason the conference supports active participation in the conference by travel support.
The program is open to researchers who are students or within 5 years of receiving their PhD and we highly encourage participants from indigenous communities (especially by prioritizing travel grants). Award recipients and amounts will be decided by a small committee, based on the applicant's contributions to polar science, contributions to the Arctic System Science Conference 2026 (i.e., session convening, poster or talk, etc.) and need for support (or lack of any other support).
Visit the conference website for more information and to access the application form: https://polarsystemscience.org/arcticsystemscienceconference2026
Travel support application due: January 12th, 2026
Abstract deadline: January 12th, 2026
CAMAS 2026 Workshop and Early-Career School
The Consortium for the Advancement of Marine Arctic Science (CAMAS) will hold its third Workshop on April 8-10, 2026, in amazing Monterey, CA. The workshop will be preceded by an Early-Career School on April 7, and will be held at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. Registration will open in January 2026, so please check back soon. We are inviting applications for early-career travel support, although no such support is currently guaranteed due to budgetary constraints.
Visit the CAMAS 2026 website for more information: https://www.hilat.org/camas-2026-workshop-and-early-career-school.html
Other Announcements and Updates
Share your experience as a US-based polar early career researcher!
You are invited to participate in a research survey titled “Assessing Challenges for Polar Early Career Scientists During Science Policy Upheaval.” This short (10-15 minute) anonymous survey seeks input from early career researchers based in the U.S. who work in polar cryosphere science. Anyone from an undergraduate researcher to early-stage faculty (within 10 years of terminal degree) are eligible to take the survey.
Participation is voluntary and completely anonymous. No identifying information will be collected. You may also choose to enter an optional raffle for gift cards via a separate, unlinked form after completing the survey.
Take the survey here: https://princetonsurvey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Zqm1AiW6ajNZvE
This study is being conducted by the U.S. Association of Polar Early Career Scientists () and Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) (Princeton University IRB #18449).
Questions? Please contact @gmail.com.
Thank you for contributing your perspective to this effort!
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists () is launching an international call for bids to host the International Directorate and sponsor ’ activities starting from 2027.
is seeking a primary host institution or consortium for its International Directorate (including the Executive Director and supporting staff) from January 2027.
In addition, institutions or consortia are invited to submit bids to:
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Host a satellite office of the International Directorate, increasing and diversifying the activities of through additional staffing capacity
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Sponsor activities organized by the International Directorate that directly benefit the polar early career community.
By hosting the International Directorate, your institution ensures support for the next generation of polar stewards. ’ network includes 32 National Committees and 5800+ members around the world. The International Directorate helps boost the reputation and international profile of its hosts, in part due to ’ role in international polar research coordination processes and longstanding relationships with organizations like and . is part of the International Polar Year () 2032-2033 Planning Group and foresees an increase in projects and engagement opportunities as we approach the itself. welcomes and encourages potential linkages between its hosting arrangement and the -5 International Coordination Office, for which a host selection process is also currently underway.
Interested parties can find more information in the full call text that is accompanied by an information package. Potential hosts/sponsors must contact the International Directorate with a non-binding statement to indicate their interest by 14 December 2025 and submit a full bid by 15 February 2026.
Please contact the International Directorate (info@apecs.is) with any questions.