This year, we have SIX positions that have come up for renewal for the 2026-2029 term. We’re keen for members to nominate themselves or their colleagues. We know there is a depth of talent and interest in the Society and are excited to see your nominations.
Important Dates
We aim to announce successful candidates this summer and so we’re running the following time frame, subject to receiving sufficient nominations:
- Nomination period: Closes May 31st (subject to receiving sufficient nominations)
- Elections: Voting opens June 15th, closes June 24th
- Candidates notified June 26th, to confirm by July 3rd
All candidates will have a handover period with the current Executive member, so they will be “eased in” over the first few months. People must be a CES member to stand for election and to vote. You can find links to the CES By-laws here.
We’re hoping to have at least 3 candidates for each post. Any non-student CES member may be nominated for President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and Executive Ordinary members. Any student CES member may be nominated for Student Representative. Region is open for these roles, but as always, we strongly encourage nominees from underrepresented regions or backgrounds. The terms are for 3 years.
The positions are listed below, along with a short description of responsibilities, post-holders who can be contacted for more details, and any extra information on desirable characteristics in the interest of inclusion. The nomination form walks through the information we need. We plan to hold the election as soon as possible. A brief description is at the end of this bulletin.
President-Elect
President-Elect serves an apprenticeship on Executive until taking over as President, and then on completion of term has the option to stay on the Executive for a further 1-2 years as Past-President. This continuity and memory have served the CES extremely well so far, and we are very grateful to individuals who put themselves forward for this important role in steering the CES and representing cultural evolution to the wider world. Gender is open for this position though with an eye to future balance on the Executive, we encourage men and those who do not identify as women to nominate themselves. The current president, Fiona Jordan ([email protected]), or past president, Alex Mesoudi ([email protected]), can answer queries.
Treasurer
The Treasurer position carries with it the financial responsibilities for the Society, including overseeing membership fees and maintaining the CES bank account. It will involve a regular time commitment and good financial organisation, and potentially a credit check. Together with the President(s) and Secretary, the Treasurer sets agendas, proposes policy, and oversees formal communications. A substantial handover period is possible. Gender is open for this position though with an eye to future balance on the Executive, we encourage men and those who do not identify as women to nominate themselves. The current treasurer, Nicole Creanza ([email protected]), can answer queries.
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for written record-keeping, newsletters, and advising officers on procedures and by-laws. Together with the President(s) and Treasurer, the Secretary sets agendas, proposes policy, and oversees formal communications. A substantial handover period is possible. Gender is open for this position though with an eye to future balance on the Executive, we encourage women and those who do not identify as men to nominate themselves. The current president, Fiona Jordan ([email protected]), can answer queries.
Executive Ordinary Member
We seek 2 new executive ordinary members. The responsibilities are to engage with Executive Committee discussions about Society business and initiatives. Committee members usually contribute to one or two small sub-groups regarding workshop funds, elections, conference organisation, outreach, publications, and inclusiveness. Discussions are usually convened via email/zoom. With an eye to future balance on the Executive, we encourage men and those who don’t identify as women for both positions. Any member of the Executive Committee can answer queries or please contact Nicole Wen ([email protected]), as Elections Officer.
Student Representative
Student Representatives solicit and represent the early-career voices in our community. We encourage our Student Reps to participate in our subcommittees (e.g. workshop funds, conference liaison, media team) but are mindful of their time. To be eligible, you will need to be a doctoral student for at least 12 months from taking up the post. Any student CES member may nominate themselves. We aim to have two Student Reps of different genders. Our continuing Student Rep is a man so we encourage candidates who are women or those who do not identify as men to nominate themselves. Our current student representatives, Feryl Badiani ([email protected]) and Ishaan Sinha ([email protected]), can answer your queries.
Information we ask on the nomination form:
- Name, email, current position and institution, preferred pronouns.
- A confirmation of good standing: we ask all nominees who agree to run to confirm that they have not been found by their university or institution to have committed academic/professional misconduct or harassment/bullying of any kind. This is in keeping with the culture of CES as an inclusive academic society with strong ethics of conduct.
- Two short statements (100-200 words each):
- The first on how your research/career relates to the field of Cultural Evolution.
- The second about your vision for the Society that you will pursue if elected, including what you might contribute to CES’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Relevant information on gender, region, or other characteristics. This is only seen by the Elections subcommittee for the purposes of eligibility and not included in the voting materials.
- [Link to nomination form]
A reminder: nominations close May 31st.
General enquiries can be addressed to Nicole Wen (Elections Officer; [email protected]).