Early Career Scientists

Dr. Lindsay Young, Laysan Albatross
Dr. Lindsay Young, from Pacific Rim Conservation, checks the bands on a Laysan Albatross.

PSG is committed to supporting early career scientists. As a PSG Early Career Scientist Member, you can:

If you have not previously been a PSG member, you may also be eligible to apply for a 1-2 year sponsored membership via PSG HELPS. PSG is a society of professional seabird researchers and managers dedicated to the study and conservation of seabirds—join us today!

Stay in the loop! The Pacific Seabird Group maintains an email list for information exchange about Pacific seabirds. The email list is open to everyone, but does require adherence to PSG’s Code of Conduct. To join the email list, click here.

Ready to dive in? Contact the Communications Committee to learn more: communications@pacificseabirdgroup.org.

Additional Resources: click here for other resources about seabird-focused publications and professional societies curated by the World Seabird Union.

See the links below for Job Boards that advertise positions related to seabirds, conservation, and ocean studies. The PSG listserv and PSG Job Board are also a good source for job and internship opportunities.

Additional Resources:

Resources to help ensure safe, inclusive conditions in the field and in the lab:

Select resources documenting harassment and discrimination in the field and in the lab:

Addressing harassment, discrimination, and other negative and/or hurtful interactions:

  • When taking on a new job, know what policies, processes, and protections are in place regarding sexual harassment, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, bullying, and/or other hurtful/negative interactions. Get copies of these materials; these are just as important as a copy of your contract, so hold on to these and make sure that you have them handy. Request that your supervisor goes specifically over information related to Human Resources (HR) and what resources and services are available.
  • If someone harasses you, you must respond. Although difficult, be strong and commit these lines to memory: “Do not talk to me like that; your language is inappropriate” and “Do not touch me; your touch is unwanted.” In the case of an investigation or other inquiry pursuant to harassment, you will be asked if you made it known to the perpetrator that you were not comfortable or that the perpetrator knew that what they did was inappropriate.
  • When harassment occurs, document it. Document everything. In the event that an investigation arises in association with a sexual harassment claim, you will absolutely need evidence. If something happens, write it down immediately. Jot it down in an email to yourself and note the date, time, exact quotes (if possible), and the names of any other people that were present during the incident (you might need to contact them in the future to corroborate your own claim). Or, if you receive an email, text, phone voicemail, or other communication from the perpetrator, keep it. Moreover, if you have repeat incidents of sexual harassment (e.g., a colleague continually makes inappropriate, sexual comments to you) from a specific person, record these conversations and comments.
  • Report your claims and follow-up with the appropriate chain-of-command. Stick with it. Find the courage and bravery within yourself to face these uncomfortable situations. Demand what is yours: closure, safety, justice. You name it. It’s yours—claim it. For more information, click here.

For additional resources, consult The Fieldwork Initiative and In the Field from ADVANCEGeo.

***If you are facing any form of trauma, violence, or simply don’t feel safe while in the field or anywhere else, get yourself to a safe place as soon as possible. If that is not possible, complete this form via The Fieldwork Initiative so they can help you.

PSG Early-Career Scientist Member Highlights

Jenny Howard

Jenny Howard, Galapagos Islands

I work with Nazca boobies (Sula granti) in the Galapagos Islands. There, I used GPS loggers and accelerometers to ask how foraging, diving, and flight performance change with age, sex, and environmental factors. Nazca boobies can live to 28 yrs and experience reproductive senescence–a decline in breeding success in late-life. Breeding success is linked tightly with good foraging performance and/or high prey availability, but how does foraging performance change with age? My research investigates that link, to connect to documented declines in reproductive success in old age. Photo by Kristin Brunk.

Rodrigo Silva

Rodrigo Silva, ROC (Chile)

I am a veterinarian by profession and I have a MSc in Wilderness Conservation. I live in the countryside near Santiago, Chile with my wife and 2 daughters. I’m very involved in the NGO Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile (ROC – The Network of Chilean Birders) where I serve as Coordinator of the Seabird Program. This program encompasses our research and conservation actions related to storm-petrels along with other threatened seabirds such as the Peruvian Tern (Sternula lorata), Grey Gull (Leucophaeus modestus), and Peruvian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides garnotii).

Do you want to be PSG’s next featured Early-Career Scientist? Or would you like to nominate someone? Fill out the form here!