Fellow Guidelines

APPLYING FOR FELLOWSHIP OF THE AIG

The Membership Committee of AIG Board receives applications for membership at the grade of Fellow that do not conform to the requirements for this particular grade. Most commonly, applicants provide a general curriculum vitae as evidence of their qualifications, but do not address specific criteria for admission as a Fellow of the AIG. Further information is usually requested in such cases, often significantly delaying processing of the application.

Sunset at Wave Rock near the town of Hyden, in the south west of Western Australia, Australia.
Sunset at Wave Rock near the town of Hyden, in the south west of Western Australia, Australia.

The AIG constitution, summarised on the membership application form, states that to be eligible for election as Fellow (FAIG), an applicant must be a geoscientist with not less than fifteen years of experience in his/her field of practice, who has, in the opinion of the Board, achieved prominence in such a field.

Many applicants forget the second half of this eligibility statement and expect to be accepted as Fellow simply upon completion of fifteen years as a geoscientist. This is not the case, and the Board rejects applications where prominence in the field of geoscientific practice is not clearly evident. In order to provide better advice on the eligibility criteria, the Board of AIG has developed and updated the following expanded set of guidelines, which were ratified at the then AIG Council Meeting on 20th May, 2003.

GUIDELINES

All applications for Fellowship, including Membership upgrades, should be made via AIG’s online application system at https://www.aig.org.au/membership/.

Applicants for Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (FAIG) should provide evidence to the Board of their contributions in any aspect of the geoscience profession with respect to at least one of the following three criteria.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide a supporting statement (in addition to their Curriculum Vitae) pointing out to the Board of the AIG why they are worthy applicants for Fellowship of the Institute.

Applicants should note that a minimum of two proposers must attest to knowledge of the applicants’ experience for a minimum of 15 years between them.

Sustained Professional Experience as a Geoscientist at a Senior Level

At least fifteen years experience as a professional geoscientist, of which at least five years have involved a professional geoscience position of major responsibility in any aspect of the geoscience profession (whether it be in industry, government, consultancy or Tertiary education) that itself contributed significantly to geoscience. Such positions could include: Chief Geologist / Geophysicist, Exploration Manager, General Manager or Managing Director of an exploration, mining or petroleum company or consultant group that itself contributed significantly to geoscience; Chief Geologist/Geophysicist, Director, Program Manager or similar position in government geoscience organisations at State or National levels that itself contributed significantly to geoscience. Head of an academic department or unit, within a department at a university responsible for education of geoscience graduates to a level accepted for AIG membership and that itself contributed significantly to geoscience.

Personal Responsibility for Significant Advances in Geological Science

At least fifteen years experience as a professional geoscientist in any aspect of the geoscience profession, of which at least five have involved conduct of exploration or development programs, research activities or similar investigations that have contributed significantly to geological knowledge. Such contributions may be demonstrated by: Evidence of personal responsibility for initiation, technical management of sustainable development projects; Authorship of a significant number of papers involving personal geological research, published in scientific or technical journals, conference proceedings etc at a national or international level: Preparation of a significant number of technical reports of geological importance, accessible to professional peers (including the AIG Membership Committee) on an open-file or a similar basis.

Significant Contribution to Development of the Geoscience Profession

At least fifteen years of activity as a professional geoscientist in any aspect of the geoscience profession with a substantiated aggregate contribution of at least five years at a senior level on Boards, Committees and related bodies, on behalf of government, industry, academic bodies or professional organisations relevant to the geoscience profession or where sustained involvement in the professional development of geoscientists can be shown. These could include: major contribution to the geoscience profession while on the Board of professional bodies such as AIG, GSA, AusIMM or ASEG; appointment by government or industry to formally established Committees providing significant advice on policy etc. with respect to the geoscience profession at state or national level; sustained contribution to advisory committees or similar bodies connected with geoscience education and/or research at tertiary institutions.

Download a PDF version of the Fellow Guidelines here.