Leading Big Team Science as Early-Career Researchers: Challenges and Solutions

Big team science networks are large-scale, collaborative and global initiatives that pool intellectual and material resources to answer a common scientific question, while increasing transparency, inclusivity and replicability in research. In animal cognition and behaviour, these networks emerged in response to the replicability crisis, addressing limitations such as small sample sizes, taxonomic biases and restricted species and researcher representation. Examples of established animal-focussed networks include ManyPrimates, ManyBirds and ManyDogs, which collectively engage hundreds of collaborators across continents, countries, species and research sites. These initiatives have already produced empirical work, commentaries and reviews, demonstrating proof-of-concept and offering a model for comparative, cross-species science. While big team science offers opportunities for advancing scientific knowledge and promoting inclusive culture, leading such networks, particularly as early-career researchers, comes with challenges. We identify three key challenges shaping early-career researchers' leadership in big team science: 1. Power dynamics, “Reviewer 2” and challenging behaviour, 2. Communication, relationship-building and community trust in globally distributed teams, 3. Confidence, motivation and experience required to manage simultaneous roles as scientists, leaders and administrators. These issues can delay research progress, risk reputational harm and contribute to stress or burnout, particularly for early-career researchers navigating job precarity and career progression. We outline practical solutions, including transparent governance, clear authorship criteria, inclusive communication strategies, and the need for mentorship and early leadership training. We highlight the importance of securing funding to sustain long-term governance of big team science projects, and the vital role that senior researchers have in supporting, rather than overshadowing, early-career leaders. Ultimately, big team science complements traditional single-lab, PI-driven approaches, promoting inclusivity, diversity and collaboration over competition. Our collective experience suggests that big team science leadership, though it can be high-risk, is also among the most rewarding and transformative experiences of an academic career.