2024 AGU ELECTIONS

Rodrigo Vargas

Biogeosciences

President-Elect

Bio

Professor, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices, and perspectives. List any identities, voices, and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

I identify as a LatinX and use the pronouns "he/him". I am originally from Mexico, speak three languages, and have lived in countries across North America, Central America, and Europe. I take pride in being a "mestizo," reflecting a mixed ancestry of white European and indigenous backgrounds, which is common across Latin America. I have faced invisibility and discrimination, but I also acknowledge the privilege I hold as a male in academia. I consider myself an ally and advocate for people from underrepresented groups, including women, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. I am committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive scientific community, and my leadership style is rooted in empathy, sympathy, and compassion.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Volunteer experience includes associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (2016-present), handling editor for Oecologia (2020-present), science committee member for AmeriFlux (2017-present), member of the Committee on Science and the Arts for The Franklin Institute (2018-present), the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC) from the Department of Energy (2024-present), the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016-2022), and science leadership group of the North American Carbon Program (2014-2020).

Q&A

This role aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. This leadership position is a dual role - helping to advance AGU’s strategic plan as a member of Council and leading your section. How would you support the Board, staff and other sections to achieve AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals? How will you engage with members of your section to execute AGU’s strategic plan?

As president-elect of Biogeosciences (B), I am committed to enhancing AGU's mission through strategic community engagement and fostering an inclusive scientific culture. I will continue working on efforts to increase community engagement with participation from experienced section members as well as underrepresented and early-career groups. Webinar series spearheaded by members of different backgrounds and career stages have proven to be successful for career development, promoting AGU initiatives, and highlighting topics relevant to B section members. Communication is imperative to keep members informed but also to solicit their input and participation for ongoing and future initiatives. These efforts emphasize the importance of inclusivity and the role of each member in shaping the future of the B section and AGU’s strategic initiatives.

Section members come from all over the world, so initiatives that celebrate this richness are needed to foster a community of practice. Collaborating closely with the editorial teams of the different AGU journals could enhance community engagement through commissioned special issues, highlights of emerging research topics, and promoting the work of B section members around the world. Therefore, we can create opportunities for B section members to enhance their careers and showcase the social relevance of their work and their impacts on the Earth and space science community. Finally, fundraising is a priority that could be enhanced to expand the actions and reach of existing or new committees and section awards.

Section affiliations:

Atmospheric Sciences; Biogeosciences; Global Environmental Change; Natural Hazards