Join the PaleoPERCS Committee

Are you interested in everything paleo, would you love to give something back to the paleocommunity, and would you like to work in a diverse, global team of other paleo-enthusiasts? Then the PaleoPERCS Steering Committee might be something for you!

If you are interested, please apply via this link: https://forms.gle/tbaRP891TZVFAZp26

We look forward to hearing from you!

The PaleoPERCS Steering Committee

What is the PaleoPERCS Steering Committee: PaleoPERCS is a virtual seminar series designed to showcase the research of Early Career Researchers in the paleosciences, run by early-career folks. The Steering Committee is responsible for keeping this seminar series up and running. The Steering Committee is a non-hierarchical and inclusive group where members respect differences in opinion and find ways to work through those differences. It consists of 6-8 members at any given time, and members join and leave the committee on a rolling basis. Service on the PaleoPERCS Committee is a volunteer and unpaid position. New members join the existing committee and take on a key role in establishing and maintaining the future of the seminar series. We are looking for team members who are willing to learn and contribute to the running of PaleoPERCS.

What does it entail: Practically, being on the PERCS Steering Committee has two components: shared activities, and specific tasks. We all contribute equally to the shared activities, which include hosting and co-hosting the seminars, selecting speakers, holding weekly meetings, evaluating our alignment with the goals we have set for ourselves, and brainstorming about our next steps. Ability to attend PaleoPERCS seminars in real-time is not a requirement but is encouraged and appreciated. Historically, PERCS seminars have been held on Tuesday 1500/1600 UTC. While most of our seminars will likely continue to be held during this timeframe, we are currently moving away from a strict seminar schedule, and diverse seminar times and dates will become more prevalent soon.

In addition to these shared activities, most PERCS members also have taken on one or two specific tasks. This includes reaching out to potential speakers, running the website, updating out social media, managing our YouTube channel, sending out the newsletters, and doing outreach and fundraising. However, the final responsibility is shared as a team, and we can always cover for members if needed. If you are interested in a particular task, or want to explore avenues that we haven’t mentioned, please let us know!

What does the PERCS workload look like: Weekly tasks can vary from 1 to 3 hours, including our weekly leadership meeting. The exact workload depends on whether you are hosting that week, for example, and whether we are organizing larger events such as panels. Getting familiar with the team and the tasks usually takes several months. While we understand that life is hectic and planning can be difficult, especially for early career folks, we aim for members being on the Steering Committee for at least 1 year. Please consider this timeframe when applying. However, we are an accommodating group and can find ways to work around limitations or emergent situations.

Who can apply: PERCS is effort by Early Career Researchers (ECRs). While we welcome folks from all career stages and paths to join our seminars, we aim to keep an ECR perspective for the Steering Committee. However, we know that definitions like ‘ECR’ can be quite fuzzy. We define it as follows, see also the FAQ on our website:

Traditionally “early career” in PaleoPERCS has meant graduate student or postdoc, but we recognize that there are many possible career paths and trajectories (linear and non-linear). We deliberately are not defining what positions people must be in, nor a number of “years post-PhD” as criteria for determining “ECR Status”. If you identify as “early career” working in a paleo or paleo-adjacaent field/workspace, we would love to hear from you – our leadership committee has always included folks outside of the traditional graduate student or postdoc roles and having this breadth of expertise and perspective has been a core strength and one we value.

How to apply: If you are interested, you can apply year-round to the open call via the link above. Applications include a CV as well as a questionnaire. The CV can be in a narrative or traditional format. Please note that we are not evaluating your CV for a number of publications/awards (etc.), but rather to get an idea of your general research interests and area and experience in the areas we are recruiting for, as well as your specific interests within the world of paleo sciences – make sure you list all of your skills and achievements in these areas. Once you have applied, we will follow up with you within a month. If you have not heard from us by then, or if your personal situation calls for a rapid response from our side, please email us at paleopercs@gmail.com.