To remain vibrant and relevant over the long-term, professional organizations must attract, integrate and retain diverse perspectives, especially of early career professionals. The connection between organizations and early career professionals is mutually beneficial. Engaging ECOPs in PICES promotes diversity, initially generationally, but eventually by incorporating a greater number of disciplines and sectors and by developing and strengthening relationships with countries and organizations located in different ocean basins; provides expertise in new research techniques and greater emphasis on science communication, outreach, and enhances organizational capacity. Complementary to this, ECOPs benefit by engaging in knowledge sharing, training, and mentorship and getting direct experience in relevant professional skills such as international collaborations, intergovernmental engagement, science communication, and conference organization, as well as employment, funding, or other professional opportunities. A survey conducted by the previous SG-ECOP demonstrated how willing and keen both ECOPs and later career ocean professionals (LCOPs) were towards the institution of a mentorship program and towards greater inclusion and engagement of ECOPs within PICES organizational development, scientific agenda, communication strategy and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
The goal of the proposed Advisory Panel is to facilitate the incorporation and engagement of diverse early career ocean professionals (ECOPs), across regions, sectors, disciplines, and other axes of diversity into the PICES scientific activities and organizational structure, including expert groups and the Secretariat. This includes identifying opportunities for participation, recruiting diverse ECOPs, and sustaining their engagement. The AP will support and direct ECOP engagement within PICES and the North Pacific, as well as encourage ECOP participation in organizations, programs, and activities of interest to the PICES community, such as associated with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (e.g., SMARTNet).
While PICES currently defines ECOPs as early career scientists who are less than 36 years old, or who obtained their PhD within the last 5 years, the Advisory Panel intends to expand and update this definition further so as to be more inclusive of ECOPs coming from different sectors and career backgrounds (e.g., graduated at an older age but still self-identify as early career).