Why join a Research Group committee?

Joining a Research Group or Research Group committee can be a wonderful way to meet and network with colleagues working in your area of the discipline, to share ideas, and to feel connected.

Here we share vignettes by former and current Research Group committee members about what they have gained from the experience.

Make new connections and network

As a committee member, you will have the opportunity to develop connections with and work alongside a committee of geographers within your subfield and from across institutions and countries. 

You will also have the opportunity to develop connections across the wider Research Group membership, particularly through the organisation and delivery of events and activities.

"Being part of a research group has given me a sense of community that is vital in our current climate and has inspired confidence in my own abilities. Connecting with others and finding spaces of learning and creativity is a key aspect of research group activities."

Cheryl McGeachan, Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow, Chair, Historical Geography Research Group.

"The RGS-IBG research groups have provided me with an important sense of community and solidarity beyond where I was studying or working."

Cordelia Freeman, Lecturer, University of Exeter, Conference Officer, Latin American Geographies Working Group.

Collaborate on new initiatives and events

The connections you develop across your Research Group(s) may spawn fresh initiatives and events with new collaborators. 

"We have an enthusiastic and dedicated committee, most of whom are early career researchers, and an engaged wider research community. While it is still early days for LAGWG, we have already made great strides, holding well attended public events and AGMs, hosting a popular blog, and conducting diverse research group activities, from a dissertation prize to the LAGWG Away Day."

Matthew A. Richmond, Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow (London School of Economics) and Secretary, Latin American Geographies Working Group.

Advance your research interests

Through networking with like-minded researchers, you will develop your own knowledge of your research field and the wider discipline, and be perfectly positioned to keep to-to-speed with the latest developments in your field to inform your own research and teaching practice.

"Being in contact with a supportive and collaborative community of researchers with shared interests I have kept up-to-date with the latest research developments in the field. Through my participation, I have benefited from the overall discussions being shared and have found opportunities for collaboration with like-minded researchers."

Maria Jesus Alfaro-Simmonds, PhD student, University of Birmingham, Website Officer, Latin American Geographies Working Group, Membership Secretary, Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group.

Develop new skills

As a committee member, you will develop new skills as you take on new responsibilities, including event organising, communications and social media, and managing news of colleagues. These opportunities enhance your professional development and help you develop as a researcher and colleague.

"On a personal level, it is great to work in a hub of diverse scholars and activists with shared interests, and keep up to date with the work people are doing. I have also developed different skills required of an RGS-IBG research group secretary, such as organisation, communication and planning and managing different kinds of activities."

Matthew A. Richmond, Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow (London School of Economics) and Secretary, Latin American Geographies Working Group

"I have gained considerable experience of organising events, and knowledge about the wider work of Society through attending sub-committee meetings. The experience and knowledge I have gained are of course great for CV-building, but more than that it is the personal relationships and networks that I will value the most."

Catherine Walker, Secretary, Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group.

Shape the discipline

On a Research Group committee, you will also have the opportunity to work with your colleagues to actively shape your subfield and the wider discipline of geography, through the delivery of novel and timely events, or through initiating schemes to promote particular groups of researchers or topical research themes.

"Many of the research groups play a key role in making the discipline more equitable and the ones I have been part of have run mentoring schemes, lobbied for care costs to be covered by funders, funded fieldwork, and provided opportunities for postgraduate and early career researchers to share their research."

Cordelia Freeman, Lecturer, University of Exeter, Conference Officer, Latin American Geographies Working Group.