Co-envisioning an academia that fully embraces and supports early career researchers in interdisciplinary social-ecological research

There is widespread and growing recognition that interdisciplinary research, informed by the social and ecological sciences, is needed to solve “super wicked” problems like the biodiversity and climate crises. At the same time, there is increasing recognition of the challenges complicating the production of such research. This paper contributes to the urgent need to identify strategies to resolve the factors complicating the production of interdisciplinary social-ecological research. To do so, we gathered 13 interdisciplinary social-ecological researchers/scientists from the pan-Canadian NSERC ResNet Strategic Network for a participatory scenario visioning workshop. The workshop sought to co-envision an academic environment that fully embraces and supports interdisciplinary social-ecological researchers, especially early-career scientists (here, students and postdoctoral researchers). Participants identified seven interconnected potential areas for reform: (1) funding allocation and practices, (2) shifting academic culture to support interdisciplinary social-ecological research, (3) (peer) support, (4) academic structure and training, (5) communicating methods and findings about social-ecological systems, (6) career assistance/services, and (7) networking. A follow-up systems-thinking workshop enabled participants to co-develop a causal loop diagram illustrating the dynamic interdependencies among these reforms and identifying key leverage points for change. Although this perspective comes from early career researchers in Canada, based on our experiences in other countries, we argue that the barriers and recommendations identified are likely applicable across international contexts. Our study identifies both structural and practical solutions to support interdisciplinary social-ecological researchers, especially early-career scientists (ECRs). While deep reforms in funding and academic culture may be gradual, immediate improvements—like peer support, networking, and clearer career guidance—can be implemented by many actors, including ECRs, to create a more inclusive research environment. We also reflect on how researcher positionality, academic cultures, and institutional design shape the pathways for transformative change. We provide recommendations to help researchers and institutions foster this support.

academic culture · career guidance · causal loop diagrams · early-career researchers · institutional design · interdisciplinary research · leverage points · networking · Peer support · research funding · researcher positionality · social-ecological systems · super wicked problems · Systems thinking · Conservation, Ecology, Wildlife Education · Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration · Research, Science, and Academia