By Sarah Njeri. Sarah Njeri is a peace and conflict scholar and teaches at SOAS, in the department of Development Studies. This piece first appeared on her LinkedIn page.

On Wednesday, 28th May, 2025, I was invited to speak at a professional development workshop for racially minoritized Early Career Researchers (ECRs), organized by the Development Studies Association. I participated in a conversation alongside the brilliant Madhuri Kamtam.

I opened up about the hurdles I’ve navigated as a woman and researcher within not only, a male-dominated and predominantly white academic environment but the humanitarian mine action subsector that I research. My journey into academia was far from typical, leading to a rocky start to my PhD. This was compounded by the traumatic birth of my daughter and a subsequent return to a remarkably unsympathetic system. Yet, I highlighted how this very unconventional trajectory—spanning, pre-academia advocacy, humanitarian work, and diverse research roles—has uniquely converged to equip me with a distinct and highly competitive skillset for today’s job market.

I reflected on a fundamental question: What role do Early Career Researchers play in reshaping who gets to produce and own knowledge in development studies and related disciplines like Peace and Conflict Studies? This question strikes at the heart of power dynamics and epistemic justice.

I argued that ECRs are uniquely positioned to challenge traditional knowledge hierarchies in several key ways:

Diversifying voices and perspectives: Many early career researchers today come from the Global South or marginalized communities that have historically been subjects rather than producers of development, peace, and conflict knowledge. They bring lived experiences and cultural insights that can fundamentally reframe how we understand development challenges and solutions.

Challenging methodological orthodoxies: ECRs often feel less bound by established academic traditions and are more willing to experiment with different research methods, community-based approaches, and indigenous knowledge systems. We constantly question who gets to define what counts as “valid” research and push for more inclusive methodologies.

Building collaborative partnerships: Rather than perpetuating extractive research relationships, ECRs have the potential to shift the research dynamic from studying “on” communities to researching “with” them. Having been studied ourselves, we’re more inclined toward collaborative approaches.

Leveraging new platforms and technologies: ECRs can use digital tools, social media, and alternative publishing models to bypass traditional gatekeepers and make knowledge more accessible to the communities it affects.

Driving institutional change: As more ECRs enter academic institutions, there’s an opportunity to advocate for more equitable hiring practices, diverse curricula, and decolonized approaches to knowledge production. The challenge lies in ensuring these emerging voices have the institutional support and resources to sustain this transformative work as they advance.

I also shared my profound sense of isolation as a researcher and academic. As a first-generation academic navigating, cultural transitions and working across disciplinary boundaries, these challenges are compounded by my identity as a Black woman conducting research in the humanitarian mine action subsector. This presents distinct challenges that intersect with both the broader humanitarian field’s structural issues and the sector’s particular characteristics.

I frequently encounter situations where my expertise is questioned, facing scepticism from established experts and a tendency for my knowledge to be dismissed. This naturally contributes to existing imposter syndrome.

I reflected on the crucial support I’ve received from mentors—including those who don’t know they are my mentors. These are empathetic people genuinely interested in my wellbeing and career development. They understand the struggles I’ve faced to reach where I am today. Importantly, they acknowledge that I can develop my own criteria for success rather than imposing conventional metrics.

These mentors speak my name in the right places, identify opportunities, and connect them to my research. They understand that supporting each other’s visibility doesn’t diminish their own. They can hold both my ambitions and my doubts without trying to fix either.

This mentorship doesn’t necessarily come from senior, female, or racialized colleagues. It comes from people whose humanity sees beyond these characteristics and boundaries—those who can hold both my ambitions and doubts without trying to fix either.

I also emphasized the importance of networks outside academia, including my hiking groups and extended friendship circle, who have become more than family to me.

I concluded with reflections on what gives me hope. First, there’s growing recognition that current approaches to development, peacebuilding, and humanitarianism haven’t worked—and that this failure might be connected to whose knowledge has been centered.

I also find hope in how technology is democratizing knowledge sharing. Racially minoritized ECRs are creating alternative platforms, building networks across institutions and borders, and finding ways to amplify each other’s work outside traditional gatekeeping structures.

To close my presentation, I shared an anecdote about my daughter’s development as a baker.  During my train journey from Bradford to London, a social media reminder popped up of the very first cake she had ever baked (hence the two images). It made me reflect on her incredible progress. When I truly measure her baking skills, I’m not comparing her to other bakers; I compare  her current ability to where she started. This same principle should guide us. While some might advocate for comparing ourselves to colleagues, I strongly feel our efforts should be directed towards our individual trajectory and achievements, not the milestones of others.

Sarah Njeri is a peace and conflict scholar and teaches at SOAS, in the department of Development Studies. This piece first appeared on her LinkedIn page.