Launching in late summer/fall 2026, the NNA Early Career Community of Practice for Ethical Engagement with Arctic Communities is a program for early career researchers working in or connected to the Arctic. Organized by the Navigating the New Arctic Community Office, with support from the Polar Science Early Career Community Office, this cohort-based program creates space to learn, connect, and grow together.
This Community of Practice is centered on exploring how to conduct community-engaged Arctic research thoughtfully, effectively, and ethically. Participants will learn from one another’s experiences while engaging with the principles of convergence research—addressing complex societal challenges through deep, interdisciplinary collaboration. The program is open to those with interests and experiences related to any Arctic region, including Alaska and beyond. This program is open to early career individuals within and outside of traditional academic environments, including those who may have more lived experiences in working with communities, rather than formal training. While the program will draw on lessons from the Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) initiative, no prior NNA involvement is required to participate.
The cohort will help shape its own learning journey; discussion topics and areas of focus will be driven by participant interests, with opportunities to lead conversations, contribute to peer learning, and take on shared leadership roles. The program will also build connections to the upcoming 5th International Polar Year and offer a supportive network during a time of global and funding-related challenges.
Participation & Engagement Expectations
Participants are expected to actively contribute to the cohort experience through regular engagement and peer leadership. This includes:
This program is open to early career researchers.
Apply using this form by July 31, 2026 at 11:59pm MT (decisions to be announced in August).
Abstract submissions are now open for AGU 2026. The following two sessions, led by the NNA-CO, are now accepting abstracts: ED004 - Arctic Education & Outreach - Effective Ways of Engaging Diverse Learners in Arctic Science and C007 - Convergence Research in the Arctic: Applying Ethical Data Practices to Create Research Products for Collective Benefit. Abstract submissions are due August 5, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET.
The Fostering Indigenous-led Research (FILR) Convergence Working Group (CWG) is one of three Convergence Working Groups that the NNA-CO supported from June 2023 to May 2025. The FILR group focused on what Indigenous-led research is now, what it can look like, and next steps to creating research that is Indigenous-led. One of the final products of the FILR CWG is a podcast mini-series, of which this is the third episode. This episode is hosted by host Mary Beth Jäger with guests Dr. Anamaq Margaret Rudolf and Leasi Vanessa Lee Raymond.
The Fostering Indigenous-led Research (FILR) Convergence Working Group (CWG) is one of three Convergence Working Groups that the NNA-CO supported from June 2023 to May 2025. Each group had experienced and early-career co-leads. This group focused on what Indigenous-led research is now, what it can look like, and next steps toward Indigenous-led research.
The deadline to submit session proposals for the 2026 NNA Annual Community Meeting has been extended to June 10, 2026 at 11:59pm MT. We will not be accepting session proposals after this deadline, so please get your ideas promptly. We will open a call for oral and poster presentations in July.
The recording of the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (NSF OPP) office hour held on May 7, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. EDT is now available. Leadership and staff invited researchers to attend the virtual office hour to discuss recent organizational updates and what to expect going forward. The goal of this event was to help researchers understand how these changes may affect proposal development and review, and to answer questions from the research community. The recording is available here.
On Monday, May 11, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will release vacancy announcements of particular interest to early career scientists and engineers. The staff in these positions work with program directors to plan and analyze program portfolios, identify emerging research areas, and support/manage the merit review of proposals and use data analysis to understand the landscape of the principal investigator community and the impact of current NSF investments. The incumbents will work internally and externally to engage with the research community through outreach and other community activities. NSF also supports the professional development of entry level scientists and engineers through interdisciplinary activities, training, and opportunities to engage in independent research and collaboration.
These career opportunities found on the NSF career webpage will be open for a limited time for applicants to apply through USAJobs.
