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SC14 ECS

Academia is not the only route: exploring alternative career options for Earth scientists
Convener: Laura Roberts Artal 
Tue, 25 Apr, 15:30–17:00

With more PhD and post-doc positions than there are tenured posts, landing a permanent job in academia is increasingly challenging. For some the prospect of many years of funding and position uncertainty, coupled with having to relocate regularly is an unwelcome prospect. The skills acquired by those striving for an academic career are valued in other job sectors. In this short course, a panel of current and former geoscientists will discuss career opportunities for Earth, space and planetary scientists both inside and outside academia.

Public information: The panellist include: VICTORIA O'CONNOR the Technical Director at Petrotechnical Data Systems Ltd. She is a graduate of the University of Liverpool and will discuss her career in the oil industry and her experience setting up her own geological consulting business.



PHILIP BALL is a Portfolio Adviser and Geological Specialist at Saudi Aramco. His current work focuses on exploration of the Red Sea.

XENIA VAN EDIG is in charge of Business Development at Copernicus.org, who are publishers of open access journals (all the EGU journals are published by Copernicus). Xenia has a PhD in Agricultural Sciences and an MSc in Geography.


ROBERT MCSWEENEY is a writer for Carbon Brief covering climate change. He holds an MEng in mechanical engineering and an MSc in climate change. He also has experience working as a consultant for consultancy firm Atkins.

STEVEN GIBBONS is employed as a research scientist at NORSAR working on various projects within the fields of signal processing, array seismology, and their application to the monitoring of underground nuclear explosions.