From the 250 applicants from 35 countries for the MOSAiC School 2019, we have selected 20 Master and PhD students. through a rigorous review process involving 30 reviewers from MOSAiC, ARICE and APECS.
Find out more about who the MOSAiC School 2019 participants are and watch the FrostBytes about their research projects below. The FrostBytes are also avaialble to watch directly on Vimeo.
-
Neil Aellen - Switzerland
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
My name is Neil and I am a Master’s student in Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zürich. Already during my Bachelor’s thesis, I got the chance to work with the COSMO-LES a high-resolution model to investigate the impact of turbulent surface fluxes on Arctic mixed-phase clouds. This really triggered my scientific interest in the Arctic region which I am continuing to pursue with my Master’s thesis where I will focus on using variability analogues for climate prediction. The objective will be to check whether we can use them for predicting the pattern of temperature and precipitation at higher latitudes for the following seasons or years.
Next to my studies I work as a teaching assistant for exercise lectures and as a tour guide for the museum ‘focusTerra’ at the Department of Earth Sciences where I give tours about climate change and its future scenarios. Beside that I love to be in the cold, either skiing, playing ice hockey or other activities.
I am very excited to be a part of the MOSAiC School, especially being able to get some hands-on skills, meeting fellow polar scientist, exchanging ideas and strengthening my scientific network for my future career.
-
Marylou Athanase - France
Sorbonne University, France
I am a French PhD student in physical oceanography at Sorbonne University, Paris. The focus of my thesis is to document the consequences of the evolving sea-ice cover on the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, combining observational data and operational model outputs. Before starting my PhD, I completed a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Physics applied to climate and oceanography, also at Sorbonne University.
Since the beginning of my college studies, I enjoy sharing my interest for climate sciences and environmental stakes. In this frame of mind, I had the great opportunity to host the stand “Climate: how does it work?” during the Science Fair at Sorbonne University in 2017 and 2018: I presented fun and educational experiments to pupils from primary school to high school, and to the general public.
Beside my PhD, I love traveling the world and discovering new cultures (and cuisines!).
I really look forward to participating in the MOSAIC School: broaden my scientific knowledge, exchange with other scientists and experiment field work in the Arctic.
-
Sam Cornish - United Kingdom
Univeristy of Oxford, United Kingdom
I’m a British physical oceanographer studying for a PhD at the University of Oxford. I’m interested in the interactions between the Arctic atmosphere, sea-ice and ocean. In particular, I’m trying to better understand how the freshwater reservoir of the Arctic Ocean responds to different patterns of winds over the Arctic. Freshwater is intimately linked to stratification and therefore has key relevance for climate and biology. In the main, I explore these relationships using climate model data. Before moving to the study of cold water, my research focus was hot rocks, and how they deform under stress during mountain building. An interest in climate change informed my decision to move field to oceanography. Outside of science, I work with a group called Positive Investment to try and make finance work for a more sustainable future, starting with educational endowments. I also work as a freelance events photographer, and like to turn my camera to the landscape - I blog sporadically about landscape evolution.
-
Lisa Craw - Australia
University of Tasmania, Australia
I am a geologist pretending to be a glaciologist, or the other way around, depending on how you look at it.
I completed my BSc(Hons) and MSc in geology at the University of Otago, New Zealand, performing mechanical experiments on ice to study microstructural evolution. Last October I moved to the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania to start my PhD, using mechanical experiments to derive a better numerical description of ice shelf flow. I try to find ways to relate the small-scale to the large-scale, from micron-level microstructure to entire Antarctic ice shelves.
In my spare time I like to blow things up in Antarctica (also known as performing explosive seismic surveys to study ice flow), and run long distances (sometimes also in Antarctica).
-
Francesca Doglioni - Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
I was born nearby Venice (Italy) and I started my career in Physics in 2010 supported by a huge smile and a loud “Good Luck!” from my math teacher. At present time, I can roughly understand the magic of those sea waves that, as a child, I saw forming in the distance and breaking at the shore.
After completing a BSc. in Physics at the University of Padua, I specialised in Atmosphere and Ocean Physics doing an MSc program at the University of Bologna. During a traineeship at the National Oceanography Centre of Southampton, stories about iced sea landscapes moved my interest from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean.
Currently, I am a Physical Oceanographer working on my PhD at the Alfred Wegener institute for Polar and Marine Research (Bremerhaven). In my PhD research, I aim to contribute to the understanding of the long-term variability of near-surface currents in the Arctic Ocean, in relation to climate changes observed in the last decades. I analyse changes in the TransPolar Drift at seasonal to decadal timescales, by means of satellite altimetry data over ice-free and ice-covered ocean.
Besides, wherever I am I always find space and time to follow my other passion, singing.
-
Anika Happe - Germany
University of Oldenburg, Germany
I am a M.Sc. student studying Marine Environmental Sciences at the ICBM (Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment) at the University of Oldenburg.
Before moving to Oldenburg I completed my B.Sc. in Physical Geography at the University of Hanover where my studies specifically focused on ecosystem sevices and processing of data using GIS and InVEST. During my bachelor thesis I was able to apply my gained skills in the Ecuadorian cloud forest where I spent four isolated weeks collecting and processing data about the anthropogenic impact on habitat quality.
As I enjoy exploring the world, I became passionate about marine ecosystems due to several diving experiences and decided to follow that path in my further studies.
With participating in MOSAiC School 2019 I am very happy to have the opportunity of gaining my first experience on board of a ship and getting a special insight into arctic ecosystems through working with a MOSAiC team!
-
Carolynn (Carrie) Harris - United States
Montana State University, United States
I am a PhD Student in the Environmental Science & Ecology program at Montana State University. I study geobiology in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica in collaboration with a long term ecological research (LTER) site. I study how changes to regional climate effects microbially-mediated carbon cycling in permanently-ice covered lakes. Specifically, I am interested in determining if microbial decomposition is a significant sink of autochthonous and allocthonous organic matter. My work involves coupling biogeochemical experiments with long-term monitoring data to examine long-term trends in carbon transformations.
My interest in Polar Regions began during my M.S. studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where I studied terrestrial carbon subsidies to coastal food webs in the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea.
I am passionate about improving diversity and equity within STEM fields and work with my university’s chapter of Women in Science and Engineering to mentor undergraduates while they apply to graduate school. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and trail running in Bozeman, MT and beyond!
-
Mauro Hermann - Switzerland
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
I just finished my master's degree in Environmental Sciences with a major in Atmosphere and Climate at ETH Zurich, and look back on six amazing years – driven by curiosity about nature and one overarching interest; climate change and its communication. After recharging my batteries this summer, I will start a PhD in atmospheric dynamics and climate change. During an internship at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in Copenhagen, I investigated the surface mass balance of a South Greenland glacier catchment and participated in two (kite-)ski expeditions in the surroundings of this glacier (not yet the Arctic though ;-)). The study region did not change for my master thesis, but this time, I assessed the atmospheric dynamics that led to Greenland warm events. During my studies, I gained additional experience in communication by teaching as a maths assistant and event moderation. I am extremely grateful for the genuine team spirit in our degree and the research groups at ETH and GEUS, respectively. They all supported and guided my way to the MOSAiC School. I am excited and pleased that the journey of exploring the cool part of Earth's climate still continues.
-
Sean Horvath - United States
University of Colorado Boulder, United States
I am a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder studying hydrology and hydrometeorology. My research aims to understand the variability and predictability of summer Arctic sea ice, focusing on hydrometeorology and statistical methods for seasonal forecasting. This is done using various satellite data products, but does not require direct collection of data or field work of any kind. I’m therefore extremely excited and honored to be participating in the MOSAiC School!
After receiving my Bachelor’s of Science in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech, I worked for a small aerospace start-up company in San Diego as a technical writer and business developer, and yet craved to spend more time outdoors and to see the world. I therefore switched gears and became a wilderness guide and outdoor educator, allowing me the opportunity to live and work in Guam, Hong Kong, and all across the U.S., as well as travel throughout Asia, Europe, and South America. Interacting with nature on a daily basis led me to pursue a future in Earth science, attending graduate school at the University of Colorado Boulder where I obtained my Master’s in Hydrology/Hydrometeorology, Water Resources, and Environmental Fluid Mechanics. My free time is spent rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and exploring Colorado’s many microbreweries.
-
Ewa Korejwo - Poland
Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
I am a PhD student in Marine Geochemistry at Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences. My research is about mercury and methylmercury in sediments and benthic organisms from polar regions. My interest in mercury cycle started during my MSc studies. I worked on fractionation of mercury in aerosols. Now, during my PhD studies I will try to distinguish the origin of mercury in polar ecosystems between natural and anthropogenic mercury sources, estimate mercury impact on the ecosystem and determine its main origin in the Arctic and Antarctic. I will also try to quantify the impact of Global Climate Change on mobilization of past mercury deposits on surface of melting glaciers. The study area of my research are the Spitsbergen fjords (Arctic) and the area of the Admirality Bay (Antarctic).
During my PhD I will participate in all cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
-
Robbie Mallett - United Kingdom
University College London, United Kingdom
I grew up on an island in the river Thames, leaving to do my undergraduate degree in physics at Oxford University. I became passionate about environmental science during an Energy Studies module in my final year and wrote my dissertation on the detection and simulation of freezing rain events.
After finishing my degree I spent a year designing and building my own carbon fibre canoe. I then had a pretty disastrous few weeks paddling it solo from London to Germany.
I then moved to University College London to take an MSc in Climate Change, writing my dissertation on North Atlantic deep water formation over the last 10,000 years. During my master's I also developed interests in climate modelling and dynamics.
I now work at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at UCL investigating the physics of snow on sea ice. I’m supervised by Julienne Stroeve and Michel Tsamados and my research currently focuses on better incorporation of brine wicking and grain properties into radar altimetry products.
In my spare time I’m an environmental activist, sea scout leader, kayaker, powerboat instructor, Raspberry Pi programmer and Wikipedian.
-
Tatiana Matveeva - Russia
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
I graduated Lomonosov Moscow State University and now I’m a PhD student in Atmospheric and Climate Science in Institute of Geography of Russian Academia of Science (Moscow). I’m interested in climate change and relationships between atmospheric variability and sea ice changes in Arctic seas. Now my current scientific project is reconstruction of sea ice concentration in the first half of the 20th century using archives, re-analyses and climate models. I have some experience of Arctic cruise as scientific assistant during NABOS cruise (Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System). Also I'm a teacher of "Young meteorologist" course for schoolchildren.
In my spare time I’m hiking and travelling. The mountains, sky and ocean are my passions.
-
Alex Mavrovic - Canada
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada
Alex Mavrovic received the B.Sc. degree in physics in 2016 and the M. Sc. degree in remote sensing in 2018, that he completed in 20 months, from the Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke, QC, Canada. He is currently Ph.D. candidate in environmental science at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
He participated in numerous field campaigns in the Canadian boreal forest, artic regions and mountainous regions. His research interests include snow, passive microwave, land surface schemes and avalanche risk assessment.
-
Rosalie McKay - Norway
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
I completed my Bachelor of Science Specialization Chemistry at the University of Alberta in Canada. I am currently completing my Master of Environmental Chemistry at NTNU. My Master thesis is an experimental and modelling study of the fate of oil droplets released from subsea pipeline leaks. The work is completed in partnership with SINTEF. As part of my program, I was able to spend a semester at UNIS on Svalbard. It was there that I fell in love with polar sciences and am eager to learn more! I joined APECS and am now a Polar Week committee member with APECS Norway. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, traveling and volunteering.
-
Ryleigh Moore - United States
University of Utah, United States
After graduating as Valedictorian and President of the National Honor Society from the largest high school in Idaho, Ryleigh Moore earned a full academic scholarship to attend Boise State University. She graduated summa cum laude with a double major in pure and applied mathematics and a minor in computer science in just 3 years. In fall 2017, Ryleigh entered the applied mathematics PhD program at the University of Utah where she is currently working with Distinguished Professor Ken Golden to study Arctic Ocean processes. Her research specifically focuses on creating a model that captures the impact Arctic melt ponds have on sea ice albedo. Ryleigh utilizes tools from statistical mechanics, probability, geometry, and mathematical physics in order to rigorously explore, classify, and model the evolution of Arctic melt pond geometry. Ryleigh is also interested in using stochastic differential equations to model sea ice dynamics and other Arctic processes. Outside of math and reasearch, Ryleigh enjoys playing golf and raquetball, collecting football cards, exploring antique stores, and SCUBA diving or snorkeling in the ocean.
-
Pierre Priou - Canada
Memorial University of Newfoundland / Fisheries and Marine Institute, Canada
I am a PhD student at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada working with Arctic forage fish. My main research interests are rooted in the fields of marine ecology and fisheries science. My PhD research focuses on the northward range expansion of boreal species into Arctic waters. This phenomenon is known as the borealization of the Arctic. The borealization is not a uniform process at the Pan-Arctic scale. I aim to describe where borealization occurs and how it affects Arctic ecosystems. Most of this work is based on the use of ice-tethered autonomous sampling platforms that are to be deployed throughout the Arctic. These platforms collect data for a full year cycle and are fitted with environmental sensors and echosounders, which give the animal distribution in the water column and their preferred habitat seasonally.
Originally from France, I moved to Norway for my MSc where I worked on coastal plankton ecology. This is where I discovered polar ecosystems and appreciated how the strong seasonality of the Arctic drive marine life.
In my spare time you are likely to find me outside near mountains where I like to run, ski, climb and camp. I always enjoy a good book, music, and company.
-
Natalia Ribeiro Santos - Australia
University of Tasmania, Australia
Oceanographer, Msc. Born in Brazil, I’ve already wanted to be an astronaut, an actress, a writer and a journalist. Ended up a physical oceanographer with zero artistic skills. At the moment, I am a phD student at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), working with elephant seal CTD data. The focus of my research is to examine the influence of the melting of the Totten ice shelf on the downstream Vincennes Bay polynya. I aim to describe the physical oceanography of Vincennes Bay region in relation to the seasonal evolution of Dense Shelf Water (DSW) for Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) production, focusing on how the vertical stratification affects the distribution of the modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW). Prior to my PhD, I have worked as a marine technician in merchant vessels for the Ship of Opportunity Program and got a master’s degree in Physical, Chemical and Geological Oceanography at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG). My dissertation looked into XBT fall rates in the Southern Ocean. The goal was to identify and quantify the depth errors and to develop a new regional equation that would represent better the particularities of the region.
-
Thea Schneider - Germany
University of Potsdam, Germany
I was born in Nuremberg, Germany, and was always interested in both science and art. In 2010 I started a Bachelor of Arts in Photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Dortmund and graduated in 2014. I love being a photographer, but working on my photographic Bachelor thesis reminded me of my interest for science. Finally the visit of alpine and polar landscapes, especially Svalbard, during that time convinced me that studing Physics with a chance of becoming a polar researcher was the right thing for me.
So I startet a Bachelor in Physics at the TU Dortmund in 2014 and graduated in 2017. In 2017 I started the Master in Dortmund but went to UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø for a one year exhange. Within this year I had the chance to visit Svalbard once again and study at UNIS, the University Centre in Svalbard, for two courses. Since 2018 I am absorbed in the Master of Physics at the University of Potsdam, Germany, where I am currently starting my Master thesis about the impact of an improved turbulence parametrization for polar conditions in a regional Arctic climate model.
-
Igor Vasilevich - Russia
AARI, Russia
Hello! My name is Igor. I`m from Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), department of estuary hydrology, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. I`m bachelor of general physics and master of ecology. I have been working in AARI and participating in seasonal polar expeditions since 2014 (Svalbard and Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago). Now I`m PhD student and my research is "Current state and methodologiical approaches to assessment of Arctic estuaries". I love science, extreme works, music and jokes.
-
Julika Zinke - Sweden
Stockholm University, Sweden
My background is in meteorology. Under my bachelor studies at the University of Hamburg and my master studies at Stockholm University I obtained a broad knowledge on the global climate system, atmospheric physics, chemistry and research methods in general. In my master thesis I focused on Arctic aerosols and their importance for cloud formation. As a part of my thesis I participated in the MOCCHA (Microbiology-Ocean- Cloud-Coupling in the High Arctic) campaign on the Swedish Icebreaker Oden in August and September 2018 that had the objective to investigate the origin of Arctic aerosols. My task during this campaign was to deploy and maintain a newly developed miniaturised cloud water sampler and to analyse the sampled cloud water for their chemical composition. Recently I completed my master studies and will pursue a PhD at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Analytical Chemistry (Stockholm University) starting in May, where I will focus on sea spray aerosol fluxes. I am very much looking forward to the MOSAiC summer school and am very excited to learn more about Arctic research beyond my field of expertise.
-