eLife Community Ambassadors
The eLife Community Ambassadors programme empowers early-career researchers to drive positive change in research culture around the world.
Launched by our Early-Career Advisory Group, the eLife Community Ambassadors programme assembles global cohorts of early-career researchers dedicated to transforming research culture worldwide.
Since 2017, the programme has given over 500 early-career researchers the opportunity to build supportive global networks and share solutions to challenges faced by their different communities. Working collaboratively our Ambassadors drive change toward open science and responsible research assessment, advocating for equity and integrity in research.
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Get involved
We are currently recruiting for the 2025/26 cohort. Find out more including how to apply below. Sign up to the eLife Community newsletter to hear about more opportunities, events and issues that are important for early-career researchers.
Hear from our Ambassadors
“I gained a holistic view on how we can make science more accessible, more inclusive and more reproducible – core values that I will promote in my new lab.”
- Simone Li , Monash University, Australia
“The initiatives birthed during the programme made me realise the true power of collaboration and that all perspectives matter, regardless of career stage.”
- Andrew Abagai Ali , Rhodes University, South Africa
“Being an Ambassador helped me to see that we are not alone in our professional and personal struggles, and that meeting and sharing experiences can take us a long way.”
- Sandhya Prabhakaran , Moffitt Cancer Center, United StatesInitiatives and Impact
Explore the diverse initiatives driven by the past cohorts of our Ambassadors, showcasing their commitment to supporting and empowering the research community.
Our 2018-2019 cohort of Ambassadors initiated various projects, focused on issues such as careers, mentorship, meta-research, preprints, peer review, open science and reproducibility. They also created ECRcentral, a platform for early-career researchers to share and find funding opportunities.
The 2019-2020 cohort contributed further with new initiatives related to anti-bullying, mental health, intersectionality and statistical literacy.
In the 2022-2023 cohort, Ambassadors spearheaded many new projects such as the African Reproducibility Network; an LGBTQ+ STEM Writing Group amplifying underrepresented voices in science communication; the Rare Diseases Initiative, and the publication of “10 Steps to Successful and Sustainable African Research Collaboration”.
Open Science Champions Network
We launched the Open Science Champions Network due to the growing numbers of early-career researchers applying to the Ambassadors programme as an alternative way to get involved. In 2022, we welcomed 250 researchers dedicated to advancing open, trustworthy research. Developed with eLife Ambassadors and partners including Sciety, Reproducibility for Everyone (R4E), and PREreview, it provided global training resources, reflecting our commitment to fostering a diverse community dedicated to improving research culture.
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