Council Elections 2027
Council is the Society’s board of trustees, consisting of 12 members including six Officers (President, Treasurer and four Vice-Presidents). Council is chaired by the President.
Council Members are trustees of the Society and have collective responsibility for overseeing the Society’s values, vision, and strategy. They take the big strategic decisions and make sure we are carrying out the Society’s purposes for the public benefit, acting in the charity’s best interests, managing our resources responsibly, being accountable, and acting in accordance with the rules. Trustees have legal responsibilities. Read more about being a trustee at the gov.uk website.
A good Council member will be adept at collaborative decision-making: as well as being able to think strategically, they will be good at listening, communicating, cooperating, and being open to different viewpoints. They will have strong analytical skills, good judgment and the ability ask relevant questions and prioritise.
Visit our Governance page to find out more.
Upcoming Vacancies
For the forthcoming Council year (June 2027-2028) there will be 7 vacancies on Council:
3 Officer roles:
• President-Elect
• Vice-President, Publications
• Vice-President, Professional Matters
4 Non-Officer roles
A Council Member’s term of service is three years. The President serves for three years, with the first year as President-Elect.
Council normally meets five times a year, usually on a Wednesday afternoon between 14:00 and 17:00. Most meetings are virtual, with one meeting per year normally held in person. In addition, there is a one-day in-person strategy meeting. Trustees may be consulted occasionally at other times in the year should a time sensitive matter arise.
All members of Council are invited to serve on a Standing Committee – External Relations, Finance & Planning, Professional & Chartership, Publications & Information and Science. Standing committees usually meet three or four times a year via video-call. The President is an ex-officio member of all Standing Committees.
The typical time commitment is 8 to 10 days annually for non-officer Council Members, around fifteen days for Officers and approximately 20-25 days per annum for the President. The time commitment is less in the first year as President-Elect as they are only required to attend Council (five a year) and the Finance & Planning Committee (five meetings per year, chaired by the Treasurer).
New Council Members are selected by all Voting Members of the Society (Fellows, Honorary Fellows, and Student Members) through a ballot held each year, usually in March. See the Nomination and Elections Process section below for more information.
All Voting Members can submit their Nomination Form to serve on Council.
We are committed to supporting diversity amongst our staff and Fellowship, and have made it a priority to help encourage and celebrate equity and inclusion in geoscience education and professions.
As the UK professional body for geoscientists, we believe that everybody should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or other diversity characteristic. We believe that making the geosciences more inclusive will benefit individuals, the science, and society.
Improving diversity, equity and inclusion in geoscience education and professions, and in the Geological Society itself, is a long term goal which will involve generational change.
In September 2014 we formalised this commitment by becoming a signatory to the Science Council’s Declaration on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This Declaration sets out our ambition to improve diversity, equity and inclusion across geoscience communities.
Read more about EDIA at the Society by visiting our EDIA section of the website.
How to apply?
Voting Members wishing to go forward to the election process must complete the appropriate nomination form below.
Prior to completing the nomination form, please read the Council Elections Candidate Information Pack relevant to the role you wish to be nominated for. Each pack details the role's responsibilities, requirements and time commitment required, along with an explanation of the nomination process.
Please read the candidate information pack in full. If you would like more information or guidance in regards your nomination, we’d be happy to help. Please get in touch via secretary@geolsoc.org.uk no later than Friday 11 December 2026 as all nomination forms should be submitted by 15 January 2027 (23:59 GMT).
Candidate Information Packs
View and complete your nomination form
(you can save and resume at any time):
The below diagram illustrates the process for both Officer and Non-Officer nominations processes:
