Shaping the Future of Early-Career Chemical Engineering across Europe

Kseniya Papchenko, Theodoros Papalas, Silvie Müller and Sofía García Fracaro look at how EFCE’s Early Career Chemical Engineers Section was established, expanded and is moving into its next phase

FOUR years ago, the idea was simple: create a space where early-career chemical engineers across Europe could meet, connect and shape their own community. What began as a small online forum has since evolved into a vibrant EFCE section, spanning more than 20 countries and supporting hundreds of early-career peers through networking, skills development and visibility on an international stage.

The Early Career Chemical Engineers Section was officially approved in 2022, but its roots lie in an earlier moment of collective need. Early-career members of the EFCE community were looking for more than passive participation - they wanted a voice, opportunities to lead and practical support for navigating the realities of modern chemical engineering careers. From those early conversations, momentum built quickly. 

Formation and management

The origins of the Early Career Chemical Engineers Section can be traced back to 2020 when the EFCE Working Party on Education identified the need for a dedicated forum to bring together less experienced members of the EFCE. An initial online Early Career Forum, organised with the support of senior EFCE members, connected a small group of early-career chemical engineers and encouraged them to take ownership of the initiative.

What began as a one-off event quickly developed into a committed micro-community. By 2021, a core group had formed a preparatory committee, chaired by Gabriele Verrecchia, with the aim of establishing a formal EFCE section. Their proposal was approved by the EFCE Executive Board in August 2022, marking the official creation of the Early Career Chemical Engineers Section. 

The section held its first general meeting in November 2022 and has met monthly ever since. Membership grew steadily, expanding from five founding members to 25 within its first year. The section was formally inaugurated at the 14th European Congress of Chemical Engineering (ECCE) in Berlin in 2023, where Sofia García Fracaro and Silvie Müller were elected as the first chair and vice-chair, respectively. A Board was subsequently established to support governance and coordinate activities.

Since then, the section’s growth has accelerated. By 2025, it had attracted more than 60 members from countries across Europe and beyond (see Figure 1).

Activities and achievements under first years of operation

Much of the section’s activity is delivered through its taskforces, which focus on upskilling, leadership development and community building. Each taskforce is made up of several members driven by the mission to provide upskilling opportunities and develop leadership and soft skills.

A strong online presence has been key to building the community. The section actively manages its own LinkedIn¹ and Instagram² accounts and contributes to the official EFCE LinkedIn profile,³ helping to strengthen visibility, foster connections and keep early-career chemical engineers across Europe engaged with the latest news, opportunities and initiatives.

Beyond social media, the section takes an active role in EFCE’s Spotlight Talks, a series of free webinars which describe key topics in chemical engineering. Since 2023, the Early Career Chemical Engineers Section has contributed to shaping the programme by hosting three successful webinars. The series covered open science in chemical engineering, skills and competencies across academia and industry, and strategies for navigating career transitions between the two.⁴

“The section actively engages various stakeholders across academia and industry through its dynamic membership and taskforce groups. Navigating early-career professionals through collaborative networking among chemical engineering societies across Europe and beyond is one of the key highlights here”

Raghu Krishna Moorthy, member from Ireland

locate professional communities in different countries. To further strengthen networks among early-career engineers, the section proudly organised the Early Career Programme at the 15th European Congress of Chemical Engineering, which took place in Lisbon in September 2025. The programme featured a variety of activities, including a pub quiz, workshops on CV writing and scientific publishing, a science slam, interactive poster session, guided tours of the exhibition tailored for early-career attendees and a professional photo booth. Overall, the programme created a lively platform for early-careers to connect and build new professional relationships and friendships.