The Silent Mental Health and Well-Being Crisis of Early Career Researchers in Aquatic Sciences

A severe mental health and well-being crisis lurks in academia and early career researchers face a particularly daunting set of challenges. Early career scientists may face short-term and uncertain pay, anticipated relocation for work, and high productivity expectations. They also often experience significant feelings of imposter syndrome, isolation, disenchantment, and anxiety. Here, we present an article written for the Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin that discusses and highlights the challenges particular to this career stage in the aquatic sciences. In addition, we mark the 2-year anniversary of the successful “Voices for Well-being in Aquatic Sciences” quarterly seminar series and reflect on the topics presented to date. The topics we have covered, both in-person and online, include battling imposter syndrome, navigating uncertainty in research, banishing burnout, misconceptions about procrastination, maintaining positive well-being during periods of change, and academic mental health. We have organized eight webinars (two in-person, six online), and we have more planned for the 2025 calendar year, both at this conference as well as online. The ASLO Early Career Committee is committed to providing means of open dialogue and community support for researchers at all career stages.

Presentation Preference: Oral

Primary Presenter: Heili Lowman, Duke University (heili.lowman@duke.edu)

Authors:

Cale Gushulak, University of Manitoba  (cale.gushulak@umanitoba.ca)

Pascal Bodmer, Cornell University  (pb577@cornell.edu)

Carolinne Carvalho, State University of Campinas  (carolinnerdc@usp.br)

Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, University of Auckland  (rebecca.gladstone-gallagher@auckland.ac.nz)

Ying Ping Lee, University of Tokyo  (yingping87@gmail.com)

Heili Lowman, Duke University  (heili.lowman@duke.edu)

Ngozi Oguguah, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research  (ngozimoguguah@yahoo.com)

Karin Meinikmann, Julius Kühn Institute  (Karin.Meinikmann@julius-kuehn.de)

Yoshimi Rii, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa  (shimi@hawaii.edu)

Bianca Rodríguez-Cardona, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, U.S. Forest Service  (Bianca.Rodriguez-Cardona@usda.gov)

Mina Bizic, Technical University of Berlin  (mina.bizic@tu-berlin.de)