2026 AGU ELECTIONS
Narayan Kumar
AGU Council Student and Early Career Positions
Student Representative
Bio
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices and perspectives. List any identities, voices and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.
My path in geosciences has been shaped by a truly global journey moving from India to France and now the United States. But what grounds my perspective most is where I started: I am the very first-generation engineering graduate from my rural, economically disadvantaged village in India. This background gives me a firsthand understanding of the invisible barriers, from resource scarcity to a lack of mentorship, that students from developing regions face when trying to break into global STEM networks. Because of this, advocacy isn't just an extracurricular for me; it’s deeply personal. I’ve channeled my lived experiences into active leadership, serving on the American Physical Society Forum on Diversity and Inclusion, working as vice president of Project Brain Light to bring hands-on science to underrepresented kids, and contributing to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Inclusive Culture Committee. At AGU, I want to use my voice to bridge the gap between high-level computational engineering and genuine, grassroots inclusivity. I am committed to ensuring that international, first-generation, and early career researchers don't just have a seat at the table but actively help shape the future of our scientific community.
Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:
As an AGU Thriving Earth Exchange Fellow, I managed community-led flood mitigation projects. My leadership extends to serving as vice president of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Graduate Student Council and program committee member for the 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting. Additionally, as Vice President of Project Brain Light, I drove STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach to underrepresented populations. These roles demonstrate my deep commitment to community advocacy, student governance, and international scientific collaboration.
Q&A
The AGU Council is a diverse forum of perspectives that meets throughout the year to provide input to the AGU Board, staff, and other parts of the organization. Three communities within the Council—committee chairs, section leaders, and students and early career scientists—serve different roles in AGU and bring unique viewpoints to ongoing discussions.
The Council has up to 12 positions for student and early career members. The student and early career voices on the Council are critical to the future of Earth and space sciences. How have you taken intentional action to inspire others to advance a cause, mission, or goal? I took intentional action on this during my time as an AGU Thriving Earth Exchange Fellow. I stepped out of the lab to lead a community-driven flood mitigation project. By translating high-fidelity hydrodynamic data into clear, actionable risk profiles, I mobilized local residents, city officials, and scientists. I inspired them to see that data wasn’t an abstract technical barrier but a shared tool they could use to protect their neighborhoods. Similarly, as Vice President of Project Brain Light and the NHERI Graduate Student Council, I noticed that many early career researchers wanted to give back but didn't know how. I organized a team of peers to co-design interactive STEM workshops tailored for historically underrepresented youth in Delaware. By showing my fellow graduate students how their niche research could spark curiosity in a child who had never seen a scientist look like them, I inspired a dedicated cohort to step into science communication. On the AGU Council, I will bring this exact same focus: activating student and early career voices to prove that high-level geosciences and grassroots equity belong on the exact same track.