Welcome to the EMCR News and Highlights section—a space dedicated to celebrate and share the inspiring achievements and activities of EMCRs across and beyond WCRP! Our goal is to shine a spotlight on the incredible work of EMCRs and keep everyone connected with the latest news, breakthroughs, and projects. New content will be coming soon—stay tuned!

If you have exciting updates, stories, or accomplishments, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Hindumathi Palanisamy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Let’s make EMCR voices heard!

(22-26 September, Bali, Indonesia)

By Philip Tuchen and Shikha Singh

During the co-hosted Pan-CLIVAR meeting and CLIVAR Symposium on “Bridging Science and Society in Southeast Asia and Beyond” held from September 22-26, 2025 in Bali, Indonesia, about 20 early career researchers (ECRs) came together for an inspiring mix of reflection, discussion, and connection. They shared their diverse career journeys, the challenges they have faced along the way, and their aspirations for the future.

This session aimed to provide insightful mentorship from experienced senior researchers in the WCRP CLIVAR community. This was followed by a second block focused on brainstorming the needs and challenges of cutting-edge climate science.

The ECRs were joined by four distinguished scientists and meeting participants who generously offered personal insights and guidance drawn from their extensive experience with WCRP and CLIVAR:

• Prof. Dr. Francois Engelbrecht (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; CLIVAR SSG Co-Chair)
• Dr. Masa Kageyama (LSCE, France; CLIVAR SSG member)
• Dr. Chris Lennard (University of Cape Town, South Africa; WCRP Academy)
• Prof. Dr. Cristiana Stan (George Mason University, USA; WCRP Joint Scientific Committee Co-Chair)

Through candid storytelling, the invited guests shared how they navigated their careers, became involved in the WCRP and CLIVAR communities, and seized their opportunities along the way. The ECR session also sparked lively discussions among the ECRs about common research challenges, knowledge gaps, and priority areas where action is needed. One key topic that emerged was the need for effective science communication, striking a balance between accessibility, scientific accuracy and public awareness to better bridge the gap between research and society. The other topics were - studying the impact of small scale processes and incorporating them into global models, particularly in the perspective of the island nations. 

The atmosphere during the ECRs session was of mentorship, curiosity, and collaboration, leaving participants energized and inspired to chart their own paths within the global climate research community. Not even a magnitude 5.4 earthquake could interrupt the conversation; the group simply moved to a safe outdoor area and continued their discussion undeterred.

Balancing Earth science careers in an unequal world

By Sara Pasqualetto

Early-career Earth scientists around the world face vastly different professional landscapes. While some benefit from robust funding, strong mentorship, and institutional support, many others, especially those in low- and middle-income countries, struggle to access even the most basic resources. A recent global study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment based on survey data and conducted in-depth interviews with early-career Earth scientists from across the globe, sheds light on these disparities and proposes concrete steps toward a more inclusive and equitable scientific community. This work stems from a side event organized by the Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community during the 2nd Open Science Conference of the World Climate Research Programme, held in Kigali, Rwanda in October 2023.

The paper was published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment: Testani, N., Cappelletti, L.M., Díaz, L.B. et al. Balancing Earth science careers in an unequal world. Commun Earth Environ 6, 22 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01964-w

19 March 2025: Dedicated ECR Session Co-Organized by WCRP and WWRP Held During IWM-8

An engaging Early Career Researcher (ECR) session was successfully held on 19 March 2025 during the Eighth WMO International Workshop on Monsoons (IWM-8) at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India. The session, co-organized by WCRP and WWRP, brought together 68 early-career researchers from around the world.

The ECR session aimed to foster dialogue and collaboration among the next generation of monsoon researchers and professionals. Organized in a small-group discussion format to facilitate discussion and engagement, participants were divided into eight groups to explore four key scientific topics critical to advancing monsoon science:

• Geographic Connections: Potential joint research topics and approaches across different monsoon regions
• Scales & Teleconnections: Multi-scale features of monsoon and their interactions
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Application: Cross-cutting research opportunities
• Emerging Technologies: Applying AI & machine learning in monsoon studies

These discussions encouraged peer learning and collaborative thinking across disciplines, scales, and regions, while also planting the seeds for potential collaborations in the participants’ future careers. The session also featured insights shared by senior guest scientists, providing valuable intergenerational exchange and career perspectives for early-career participants.

On the final day of IWM8, each group presented their main ideas and outcomes to the plenary audience, highlighting innovative approaches and future research directions inspired by their discussions.

In a further demonstration of ECR engagement, one of the participants was also invited to join the closing panel discussion, bringing early-career perspectives into the broader scientific conversations at IWM8.

This session not only underscored the importance of empowering early-career voices in shaping the future of monsoon research and building a stronger, more connected scientific community, but also reflected WMO’s strong commitment to supporting Youth, including early- and mid-career researchers by encouraging Youth-focused activities in its major events.