Food for thought - Rising tides – voices from the new generation of marine scientists looking at the horizon 2050

In the competitive realm of academia, the pursuit of meaningful knowledge often collides with the imperative to publish quickly and frequently, sidelining patient investigation and deep understanding. This article aims to share critical insights into this issue, sparking further discussions about the challenges of fast-paced science and cultivating a more ethical scientific landscape, one that values exploration and ingenuity over rushed output and flashy headlines.

This paper aims to guide the stakeholder engagement process related to plastic pollution research in marine environments. We draw on advice identified during an online workshop (Ocean Plastic Workshop 2022) organized by Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) from 11 countries, held in April 2022.

Recent years have seen increasing calls to better document and understand the human dimensions of the marine and coastal environment and to incorporate this knowledge into decision-making. Human dimensions of the marine and coastal environment are best investigated through the application of marine social science. Individuals within marine social science are not solely “pure” social scientists, but rather are a diverse and interdisciplinary community, including many who have moved from the natural sciences to pursue a career in marine social science.

Scientific careers and publishing have radically changed in recent decades creating an increasingly competitive environment for early career scientists (ECS). The lack of quantitative data available on ECS in marine and fisheries sciences prevents direct assessment of the consequences of increased competitiveness. We assessed the contributions of ECS (up to 6 years post first publication) to the field using an indirect approach by investigating the authorships of peer-reviewed articles.

This paper interrogates the concept of transdisciplinarity, both theoretically and practically, from a perspective of early career researchers (ECRs) in transformative ocean governance research. Aiming to advance research methodologies for future complex sustainability challenges, the paper seeks to illuminate some common uncertainties and challenges surrounding transdisciplinarity from a marine science perspective.

Human-caused climate change is real. A message the scientific community has documented and disseminated for decades. Yet, after equally long inaction by global leadership to address climate change, the world is facing a climate emergency with unprecedented consequences for all aspects of life.

In this perspective, I reflect on my path to the deep sea, a field, and ecosystem that are often hard to access. Growing up in a coastal town, the seashore was my playground, but it was not until I was 18 years old that I was inspired to be a deep-sea scientist. From a Bachelor of Arts in the United States to a Master of Science in Norway and currently a PhD programme in Scotland, I have let the deep sea lead my career path with the help of supportive mentors and peers.