The International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) actively supports Early Career Scientists (ECS) through a wide range of initiatives designed to strengthen scientific collaboration, professional development, and international engagement within the cryospheric community. ECS members are encouraged to participate in IACS working groups focused on key scientific topics, as well as workshops, symposia, educational activities, and international summer schools in glaciology. The association also provides awards recognizing scientific contributions of early career scientists, and travel support for participating in IUGG assemblies and related events:
- Gragam Cogley Award: given by IACS to two students to recognize an oral and a poster presentation of exceptional quality at an IACS Assembly (held every two years https://cryosphericsciences.org/awards/graham-cogley-award/)
- Early Career Prize: awarded every two years to two early career scientists who have published the best scientific papers on a cryospheric subject (https://cryosphericsciences.org/awards/early-career-prize/)
- Grants: IACS awards support for ECS participants at IUGG assemblies (https://cryosphericsciences.org/events/symposia/)
- Educational events: IACS sponsors workshops, symposia, and educational activities, such as the International Summer School in Glaciology (https://cryosphericsciences.org/events/co-sponsored-events/)
One of the main goals of IACS is to make it easier for Early Career Scientists to become involved in the international scientific community. Through collaboration, education, outreach activities, networking opportunities, and travel grants, IACS aims to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for young researchers entering the field.
At the same time, ECS face important challenges throughout their careers, including job insecurity, short-term contracts, work-life balance, and the difficulty of placing highly specialized research within a broader scientific and societal context. To help address these challenges, IACS recognizes the importance of developing transferable skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, visualization, fieldwork collaboration, teaching, and mentoring.
The association also highlights the importance of international networks and interdisciplinary collaboration. Strengthening connections between ECS across different IUGG associations can help create new collaborative opportunities, joint scientific sessions, and networking activities during conferences and workshops.
These ideas strongly resonate with the experience and perspective of Mathieu Morlighem, President of IACS for the 2025–2029 period. In his interview for IUGG, he emphasizes how international experiences and scientific collaboration shaped his own career path. Originally trained in computational mechanics and applied mathematics, Morlighem entered cryospheric science almost by accident during an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he contributed to the development of a new ice sheet model that later became central to his career.
Reflecting on his journey, Morlighem encourages students and ECS to become actively involved in scientific associations, working groups, conferences, and collaborative projects. According to him, building connections within the scientific community is one of the most valuable aspects of participating in organizations such as IACS and IUGG. He also stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and creating supportive environments where young scientists can thrive both professionally and personally.
For IACS, the future of cryospheric sciences depends on strong international collaboration, open scientific communities, and the active participation of the next generation of researchers.
Learn about the experiences, opportunities, and challenges faced by IACS early-career scientists.
