Rethinking Committee Work In The Research Enterprise: The Case Of Regenerative Gatekeeping AGU Advances

Committees touch nearly every facet in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research enterprise. However, the role of gatekeeping through committee work has received little attention in Earth and space sciences. We propose a novel concept called, “regenerative gatekeeping” to challenge institutional inertia, cultivate belonging, accessibility, justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in committee work. Three examples, a hiring committee process, a seminar series innovation, and an awards committee, highlight the need to self-assess policies and practices, ask critical questions and engage in generative conflict. Rethinking committee work can activate distributed mechanisms needed to promote change. Erratum: In the originally published article, the statement “All perspectives outlined in this paper are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the positions, strategies, and opinions of the National Science Foundation (NSF) or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).” was omitted from the acknowledgements. In addition, the authors acknowledge the work of three anonymous reviewers. This version may be considered the authoritative version of record.