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Early-Career Advisory Group

Our Early-Career Advisory Group advocates for early-career researchers while shaping eLife's activities to help realise our mission.

Established in 2014, eLife's Early-Career Advisory Group (ECAG) is a diverse committee that acts to influence and support eLife’s mission and voice the needs and aspirations of researchers at the early stages in their careers within the organisation.

Our early-career advisors

Spanning graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior investigators from across the world, all members of the group are active scientists in the life sciences or medicine. Since 2017, new members have been selected through open calls, with a focus on maintaining diversity and geographic representation within the group.

Meet the Early-Career Advisory Group.

Join the group

Applications to join our Early-Career Advisor Group will re-open in 2025. Sign-up for our monthly newsletter to be alerted when applications open, as well as to receive the latest updates from and for eLife’s communities.

What our advisors do

Bringing their understanding of the unique pressures faced by early-career researchers, the group:

  • Offer feedback and advice to eLife staff and editorial leadership

  • Support ongoing programmes like the eLife Community Ambassadors and Ben Barres Spotlight Awards

  • Organise or take part in events for the research community

  • Advocate for open science and research culture change


Activities and Impact

Our early-career advisors have spearheaded impactful initiatives for researchers over the years. Here are five key contributions showcasing their commitment to support and empower the research community.

  • eLife Community Ambassadors: ECAG members are vital contributors to the eLife Community Ambassador programme, advancing activism initiatives among passionate early-career researchers

  • Early-career reviewer pool: Launched with ECAG support, this reviewer pool gives early-career scientists the opportunity to engage in peer review and establish an independent track record as a peer reviewer

  • ecrLife: Supported by eLife, this writing platform provides early-career researchers a place to share their stories and ideas, with an ECAG member acting as co-managing editor

  • ECRcentral: This crowd-sourced hub, also co-managed by an ECAG member, allows early-career researchers to share and discover funding opportunities and resources

  • ECR Wednesday Webinars: The ECAG hosts monthly webinars focusing on opportunities and issues relevant to early-career researchers

Read about the group’s most recent activity.

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  2. Wellcome Trust
  3. Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
  4. Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation