The purpose of the Early Career Section is to establish a dedicated space within the AAEA for early-career members who are seeking to advance their careers in the fields of agribusiness, agricultural economics, or environmental and natural resource economics. This forum will provide opportunities for early-career professionals to connect, share experiences, and discuss challenges unique to their roles, such as navigating tenure and promotion processes, balancing scholarly work with outreach and teaching responsibilities, securing research funding, transitioning into and out of academia, and building professional networks. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, the section will provide resources and support tailored to the needs of early-career professionals, strengthening their contributions to the profession and ensuring long-term engagement within the AAEA.

The section will serve as a comprehensive platform for engagement and professional development. It will maintain a dedicated mailing list for timely communication; organize business meetings, track sessions, and networking opportunities at the AAEA Annual Meeting; and sponsor activities throughout the year that advance the section’s goals. In addition to these formal activities, the forum will encourage ongoing dialogue among members to address pertinent issues specific to early-career professionals and to explore opportunities for collaboration across research, teaching, and extension activities.

The section will organize a range of programming and initiatives designed to support early-career professionals. These activities include: (i) hosting track sessions at the AAEA annual meeting on topics broadly beneficial to all section members; (ii) organizing a business meeting and networking reception at the AAEA Annual Meeting; (iii) maintaining a mailing list for timely communication of professional development
opportunities; (iv) hosting virtual writing retreats for early-career scholars; and (v) coordinating pre-conference workshops and/or virtual webinars on topics such as tenure and promotion, grant writing, work–life balance, innovative teaching practices, industry/government/academia interactions, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Additionally, the section will maintain media engagement to showcase the professional achievements of its members and to enhance visibility within the broader academic and industry communities.

Membership

Membership to the Early Career Section is open to current members of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA). You can learn more about joining AAEA by visiting the AAEA membership page. If you are already a member of AAEA and would like to join the Early Career Section, you can do so by logging in to the My Account section and completing the Online Section Form.