About us

 

The Society

The Challenger Society for Marine Science is a learned society for marine scientists in the UK. It is named after the ship H.M.S. Challenger, which was used in one of the most important marine studies ever conducted. Here, you can find information about the history of the Society, the people behind the Society, how to join, our aims and objectives and information on the Special Interest Groups organised by CSMS.

The Society is a Limited Company and Registered Charity run by an elected Council of volunteers.

Objectives

What are the Society's objectives?

• to advance the study and application of marine science through research and education
• to encourage two way collaboration between the marine science research base and industry/commerce
• to contribute to public debate and government policy on the development of marine science
• to hold, at regular intervals, scientific meetings for the discussion of all aspects of marine science
• to set up specialist groups as required in different disciplines
• to provide a forum for deeper technical discussions
• to disseminate knowledge of marine science to the public with a view to encouraging a wider interest in the study of the seas and an awareness of the need for their proper management
• to publish, among other things, news of the activities of the Society and of the world of marine science; material intended to present new activities and developments in a way to bring them to public attention; such other papers as may from time to time be deemed appropriate
• to provide or arrange, in suitable cases, financial assistance to students in marine science

How does the Society aim to achieve these objectives?

• By holding regular scientific meetings covering all aspects of marine science
• By supporting specialist groups to provide a forum for discussion and by publishing a magazine and newsletter
• By fostering links to other groups and societies throughout the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
• By operating a travel grant and stepping stones bursary scheme
• By its biannual award of Challenger Fellowships and the Challenger Medal.

In practice all this means we are a vibrant and important UK scientific society
The Society’s biannual Challenger Conference is the premier Ocean Science meeting in the UK attended by hundreds of researchers from the UK and world-wide with an associated marine science technology exhibition.

In addition, our affiliated groups organise specialist meetings which are ideal for detailed discussion of the key hot topics of the day and provide a friendly and informal place for PhD students and senior scientists to mingle and present their latest research. The current specialist groups of the Challenger Society are listed (link) but we keep these under review and are always open to forming new groups.

We publish Ocean Challenge twice a year (link), a high quality magazine designed to appeal to all members and to a wider audience with substantial articles on all aspects of marine science around the world. We now make this journal available freely via this website as an educational resource.

We also publish a more informal large monthly newsletter for members which includes material of interest on marine policy, field programmes, meetings and jobs.

We support early career members through our bursary and travel grant schemes (link).

We contribute to policy advice to government and learned bodies.