Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers

Sandra López-Vergès¹, Bernardo Urbani², David Fernández Rivas^{3

4}, Sandeep Kaur-Ghumaan^{5

6}, Anna K Coussens^{7

8}, Felix Moronta-Barrios⁹, Suraj Bhattarai^{10

11}, Leila Niamir^{12

13}, Velia Siciliano¹⁴, Andreea Molnar^{15

16}, Amanda Weltman⁸, Meghnath Dhimal¹⁷, Shalini S Arya^{6

18

19}, Karen J Cloete^{6

20

21}, Almas Taj Awan^{22

23}, Stefan Kohler²⁴, Chandra Shekhar Sharma^{19

25}, Clarissa Rios Rojas²⁶, Yoko Shimpuku^{27

28}, John Ganle²⁹, Maryam M Matin³⁰, Justine G Nzweundji^{31

32}, Abdeslam Badre³³, Paulina Carmona-Mora³⁴

Affiliations

¹ Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Sistema Nacional de Investigación SNI del SENACYT, Panama City, Panama.
² Center for Anthropology, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, Caracas, Venezuela.
³ University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
⁴ Young Academy of Europe, Cardiff, UK.
⁵ University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
⁶ Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, Trieste, Italy.
⁷ Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC Australia.
⁸ University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁹ International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy.
¹⁰ Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Lalitpur, Nepal.
¹¹ National Young Academy of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹² International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria.
¹³ Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁴ Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Naples, Italy.
¹⁵ Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC Australia.
¹⁶ Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum, Melbourne, VIC Australia.
¹⁷ Nepal Health Research Council, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹⁸ Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India.
¹⁹ Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi, India.
²⁰ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences/Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
²¹ Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, Somerset West, South Africa.
²² University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
²³ National Young Academy of Young Scientists Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan.
²⁴ Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
²⁵ Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India.
²⁶ Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁷ Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
²⁸ Young Academy of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
²⁹ University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
³⁰ Department of Biology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
³¹ Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³² Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³³ Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco.
³⁴ Department of Neurology and MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, CA USA.

PMID: 34901880
PMCID: PMC8646015
DOI: 10.1057/s41599-021-00944-1

Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers

Sandra López-Vergès et al. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2021.

. 2021;8(1):284.

doi: 10.1057/s41599-021-00944-1. Epub 2021 Nov 19.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Sistema Nacional de Investigación SNI del SENACYT, Panama City, Panama.
² Center for Anthropology, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, Caracas, Venezuela.
³ University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
⁴ Young Academy of Europe, Cardiff, UK.
⁵ University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
⁶ Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, Trieste, Italy.
⁷ Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC Australia.
⁸ University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
⁹ International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy.
¹⁰ Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Lalitpur, Nepal.
¹¹ National Young Academy of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹² International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria.
¹³ Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁴ Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Naples, Italy.
¹⁵ Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC Australia.
¹⁶ Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum, Melbourne, VIC Australia.
¹⁷ Nepal Health Research Council, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹⁸ Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India.
¹⁹ Indian National Young Academy of Sciences, New Delhi, India.
²⁰ UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences/Nanotechnology, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
²¹ Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation, Somerset West, South Africa.
²² University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
²³ National Young Academy of Young Scientists Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan.
²⁴ Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
²⁵ Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India.
²⁶ Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁷ Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
²⁸ Young Academy of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
²⁹ University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
³⁰ Department of Biology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
³¹ Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³² Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³³ Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco.
³⁴ Department of Neurology and MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, CA USA.

PMID: 34901880
PMCID: PMC8646015
DOI: 10.1057/s41599-021-00944-1

Erratum in

Correction: Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers.
López-Vergès S, Urbani B, Fernández Rivas D, Kaur-Ghumaan S, Coussens AK, Moronta-Barrios F, Bhattarai S, Niamir L, Siciliano V, Molnar A, Weltman A, Dhimal M, Arya SS, Cloete KJ, Awan AT, Kohler S, Sharma CS, Rios Rojas C, Shimpuku Y, Ganle J, Matin MM, Nzweundji JG, Badre A, Carmona-Mora P. López-Vergès S, et al. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2021;8(1):313. doi: 10.1057/s41599-021-01000-8. Epub 2021 Dec 2. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2021. PMID: 34879121 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and to build international partnerships as part of science diplomacy is a well-established notion. The international flow of people and ideas has played an important role in the advancement of the 'Sciences' and the current pandemic scenario has drawn attention towards the genuine need for a stronger role of science diplomacy, science advice and science communication. In dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, visible interactions across science, policy, science communication to the public and diplomacy worldwide have promptly emerged. These interactions have benefited primarily the disciplines of knowledge that are directly informing the pandemic response, while other scientific fields have been relegated. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists of all disciplines and from all world regions are discussed here, with a focus on early-career researchers (ECRs), as a vulnerable population in the research system. Young academies and ECR-driven organisations could suggest ECR-powered solutions and actions that could have the potential to mitigate these effects on ECRs working on disciplines not related to the pandemic response. In relation with governments and other scientific organisations, they can have an impact on strengthening and creating fairer scientific systems for ECRs at the national, regional, and global level.

Keywords: Health humanities; Science, technology and society.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsWhile the authors are members or alumni of the GYA, the GYA office staff or GYA funders did not influence the content and discussion presented in this article. The authors declare no competing interests.

References

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Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers

Affiliations

Mitigating losses: how scientific organisations can help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early-career researchers

Authors

Affiliations

Erratum in

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources