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What is a TWAS Young Affiliate?

Every year, each of the five TWAS Regional Partners selects up to five brilliant early-career scientists to become Young Affiliates. These young scientists join a growing network of some of the developing world’s most promising talents, and bring valuable energy and generational perspective to the Academy. They also receive further opportunities to interact and learn from TWAS Fellows, some of the most accomplished scientific minds in the global South.

TWAS elected its first group of Young Affiliates in 2007. Currently 122 scientists from the developing world are serving five- or six-year terms as Young Affiliates, with 67 women accounting for 55% of the total. 

Who can be a TWAS Young Affiliate?

Affiliates are selected on their potential for future impact. They must be 40 or younger, have been living and working in a developing country for at least the last three years, and have a history of excellence and accomplishment, including at least 10 publications in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed, scientific journals.

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What are the benefits of being a TWAS Young Affiliate?

Affiliates receive a guaranteed invitation to attend all TWAS General Meetings and General Conferences for free. They can attend as observers and participate in discussion, but don’t have voting rights in the Academy. They can also attend regional events organized by the TWAS Regional Partners, and receive copies of TWAS publications such as the digital Newsletter.

Upon becoming an Affiliate, a profile highlighting their work and accomplishments is published in the TWAS Directory. They are further encouraged to provide insight to TWAS about how TWAS can respond to the needs of young scientists in developing countries, provide information about TWAS programmes to their students and colleagues, and seek out and nominate excellent scientists from developing countries for TWAS awards.

What happens when a Young Affiliate’s term is over?

After their Affiliateship term has ended, Affiliates become TWAS Alumni, and are encouraged to remain active with the Academy, including seeking nominations for TWAS Awards or to become a TWAS Fellow. Alumni also remain listed in the TWAS Directory. Currently, over 400 scientists combined, from 82 countries, are Affiliates or Alumni. Of those, 297 are Alumni.

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What is the TWAS Young Affiliates Network?

The TWAS Young Affiliates Network—or TYAN—was launched in 2016 at the 27th TWAS General Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. TYAN was established to bring fresh energy to the Academy, reinforce ties among the Academy's Young Affiliates, and further promote international collaboration.

What does TYAN do?

TYAN’s activities have been steadily growing since its inception. As it stands, TYAN organizes regional events to facilitate the success of early-career scientists in the global South. It also publishes reports, organizes outreach programmes, and provides perspectives from young developing-world scientists at international conferences. In recent years, it’s also begun to weigh in on major science policy issues, such as open science.

Young Affiliates also receive opportunities for interdisciplinary research through the TYAN Collaborative Grant Award, and for financial support to organize TYAN International Thematic Workshops on key topics in developing world science. Both programmes began in 2017.

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What makes TYAN regional events unique?

The events provide scientific training in countries where opportunities for young researchers are more scarce. For example, TYAN organized a five-day summer school in La Paz, Bolivia, from 6–10 March 2023, which offered over 100 young scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean hands-on sessions and the chance to build collaborative projects.  

How do I become a TWAS Young Affiliate?

TWAS Regional Partners propose candidates for TWAS Young Affiliateship, pending approval by the TWAS executive director. If you wish to inquire about that process, it is best to reach out by email to the Partner for your region. Information on the partners is available here. Alternatively, you are welcome to inquire with the TWAS Young Affiliates office for details about the programme.

Sean Treacy