The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce the below exciting opportunities to support our community of ocean scientists and innovators. If you are interested to join the Council please submit your application (i.e., CV and brief expression of interest) by 30 September to kathen@bas.ac.uk.
CSMS are looking for new Council members to fill the following Portfolios:
(1) Membership
The Challenger Society for Marine Science is seeking a volunteer Membership Officer to join its Council and help support our vibrant ocean science community. This role is ideal for someone who is organised, reliable and enjoys engaging with members. Responsibilities include maintaining membership records via our online membership platform, monitoring membership enquiries, managing subscriptions and renewals, reporting to Challenger council and supporting the Societies activities. This is an excellent opportunity to support the UK’s marine science community and to develop and grow your network whilst growing and supporting our membership. Training on the role will be provided during a handover period.
(2) Website Design, Development and Data Protection
The Challenger Society for Marine Science is looking for a volunteer Website Design, Development and Data Protection Officer to oversee the Society’s digital infrastructure and support good data governance practices. This role provides an exciting opportunity to bring your creative energy to our new website (WordPress). The scope of the role includes hosting, maintaining and developing the Society’s website and ensuring compliance with GDPR and data protection policies and supporting Council with following best practices. This position offers an excellent opportunity to shape the Society’s digital presence to ensure it is secure, accessible and effective. Prior experience with web development, hosting and/or security would be desirable but training will be provided.
(3) Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network Coordinator
The ECR Network Coordinator is responsible for the Challenger Society ECR Network- a network which is free to join for ECRs associated with the UK marine science community in the Challenger Society (one don’t need to be a member to join, but one needs to fit the definition of an ECR). They are responsible for organising both in-person and online events and training opportunities for ECRs including niche areas often overlooked by Doctoral Training Programmes (DTPs) in the UK (e.g. FAIR Data Science, Ship-time Training, Funding/Grant Applications). Depending on the capacity, they are welcome to coordinate the Challenger Society ECR Seminar Series- an online series of seminars from guest speakers. Overall, working alongside other Challenger Society sub-groups such as the Special Interest Groups, and the EDIA Working Group, the ECR network coordinator should ensure that the needs of ECRs are well supported in the UK marine science community.
Day to Day Tasks:
- Work with the Membership/Communications officer to maintain a mailing list for the ECR Network.
- Be a point of contact for Challenger community members on ECR related matters e.g. opportunities for the ECR network.
- Ensure any events organised are well advertised on the mailing list and Challenger Society website, society publications including the Challenger Wave and social media.
- Maintain the ECR Network SLACK community space
- Collaborate with other ECR networks in marine science to develop research and recommendations guidelines.
- Collate together any relevant resources for the ECR Network website section.
(4) Communications Portfolio
The Communications portfolio holder is responsible for promoting the work of the Society and its members via social media, which currently includes the following:
- Twitter (although inactive)
- Bluesky
Communications Responsibilities:
- Support Presidents’ Photography competition at conference, by managing submission form & downloading/organising submissions for viewing at conference
- Posting content on LinkedIn/Twitter/BlueSky also Captains’ blog
- Reminders about award funding deadlines
- Conferences & Workshops run by the Society & similar ones
- Contributing to making funding award decisions
- Supporting the website team with communications as needed
- Liaising with other Comms staff from relevant societies (MBA, SAMS/UHI) to support work across marine science
(5) Education and Outreach Portfolio
The Objectives of the Challenger Society include:
- To advance the study of Marine Science through research and education.
- To disseminate knowledge of Marine Science with a view to encouraging a broader interest in the study of the seas and an awareness of the need for their proper management.
- To contribute to the public debate on the development of Marine Science.
The Education and Outreach portfolio aims to further these objectives in various ways. We have defined “Education” as broadly referring to efforts involving the formal education system in marine science and “Outreach” as encouraging wider public interest in the subject, although these are not necessarily exclusive and the incumbent will have the freedom to choose which directions to follow. These activities may be preparing materials for schools, public engagement to promote marine science or contributing to the wider public debate on the oceans and climate.
The duties of the E&O Officer are as follows:
- Attend the quarterly Challenger Council meetings (in person or remotely)
- Draw up a list of activities, in conjunction with other members of the Council, e.g. the ECR Officer for training opportunities for young scientists
- Engage with schools and other groups of the public about Marine Science
- Manage the developing Challenger YouTube channel with outreach content, SIG meetings and conference keynote presentations
- Keep the E&O page within the Challenger website up to date
- Manage the E&O budget
The role will require less than 1 hour on an average week and there is a lot of flexibility in how the new incumbent interprets the role. If you have any questions about the role please contact Robyn Tuerena (robyn.tuerena@sams.ac.uk).
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The usual term for Council members is three years.
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the roles, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: The Challenger Society for Marine Science Council Members
The Challenger Society is working towards being a fully equitable and inclusive organisation (see our EDIA statement). The Society encourages applications from individuals from underrepresented and/or diverse backgrounds. Those in the early stages of their career are encouraged to apply for the roles. The Challenger Society definition of ECR can be found here but please note that those in non-research focused roles are also encouraged to apply.