Council co-Chairs
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José Queirós - Portugal
University of Coimbra, Portugal -
Priyanka Rajput - India
Not affiliated
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Ryan O'Hara - United States
Harvey Mudd College, United States
My name is Ryan O’Hara, and I am an undergraduate studying biorobotics at California’s Harvey Mudd College. My primary research focus is on the ways that robotic systems can improve the functionality of biological organisms and mitigate the consequences and root causes of climate change. This research has taken me from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where I worked on the development of an algae-based life support and water purification system for extraterrestrial habitats and water-starved regions on Earth, to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where I took part in a research expedition to study the effects of climate change on both myctophid populations and the wider marine ecosystem. During my tenure with APECS, I have served as a group leader for both the podcast and UArctic Congress projects and represented APECS as part of our organization’s group review of the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report. Outside of academia, I enjoy writing, digital art, and running.
National Committee Coordinators
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Hugo Guímaro - Portugal
MARE-UC (Marine and Environmental Sciences Center of the University of Coimbra) and BAS (British Antarctic Survey)
Hello there, greetings from Portugal!
My name is Hugo Guímaro and I am a PhD researcher in Marine Ecology at the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre of the University of Coimbra (MARE-UC), Portugal, and at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Cambridge, United Kingdom. My research focuses on Antarctic marine animal ecology with a particular interest in ecological interactions of apex predators to climate change and conservation in the Southern Ocean. My path through science began back in 2017 in my master degree when I started to study the impacts of climate change and fisheries on Snares and Rockhopper penguins, as well as on cephalopods from the Pacific Sector. I also did research in the impacts of microplastic pollution in Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins from Antarctic Peninsula. Nowadays, my goals are to understand how climate change drove population dynamics of Emperor penguins in the past and how they are going to answer in the near future. Besides my scientific work, I am highly involved in education and outreach activities related to polar science, raising awareness for environmental issues. I also love photography and to write, with several journalistic science articles already published.
My experience with APECS began in 2018, when I joined APECS Portugal and APECS International too. Since then, I am the Representative from APECS Portugal in APECS International, and for the last two years, I have been the President of APECS Portugal. In the last year, I had the opportunity to be one of the Council Co-Chairs, a great experience to help other early career fellows. Nice to meet you!
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Social Media Coordinators
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Anika Happe - Germany
University of Oldenburg, Germany
My name is Anika Happe and I just recently graduated from the University of Oldenburg with a Master's degree in Marine Environmental Sciences. For my Master's thesis, I studied the interactive effects of temperature, nutrients and light on the performance of freshwater phytoplankton. In the coming moths, I will start a doctorate project in the field of aquatic ecology at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM). I found my way into APECS and my fascination for the Arctic during my participation in the MOSAiC School 2019 (organized by AWI and APECS) and have very much enjoyed communicating my experiences, the topic of climate change and the polar regions as an ambassador for the expedition. Besides my research interests and the polar regions, I am passionate about the outdoors, arts and slow-traveling.
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Lina Madaj - Netherlands
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
I recently started my first postdoc position at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, now diving into a new and cool research topic: permafrost, especially the fate of organic carbon and related greenhouse gas emissions connected to thawing permafrost along the Beaufort Sea coast. Before I moved to Amsterdam and permafrost research I did my PhD at the University of Bremen, Germany on past ice-sheet dynamics along the Greenland west coast based on provenance studies by analysing radiogenic isotope composition in marine sediments. I am not only passionate about Arctic (climate) science and mud, I am also really interested in all things science communication and already joined a few projects on this matter, with hopefully more to come. This will be my third year on the APECS Council as I really enjoy the network, community and opportunities that come with it.
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Nadine Steiger - Norway
Not affiliated
I have recently finished my PhD in physical oceanography at the University of Bergen, Norway, where I studied the dynamics of ocean currents in the vicinity of the front of Antarctic ice shelves. I am from southwestern Germany, far away from the ocean and polar regions, but I got highly fascinated by glaciers, sea ice and the surrounding oceans during a semester in Svalbard. To get closer to the Arctic, I moved to Norway for my Master, during which I modeled outlet glaciers in Greenland and got highly interested in the interface between marine glaciers and the ocean underneath. To see this interaction from the ocean side, my PhD focused on how oceanic heat reaches the base of the ice shelves in Antarctica. My PhD involved analyzing observational data in the vicinity of the Getz Ice Shelf in West Antarctica, as well as idealized modelling for a better understanding of the dynamics, and experiments on a large rotating tank in Grenoble, France. I love enjoying the outdoors and believe that it is our responsibility to take care of our planet. Thus, I believe that as scientists, one of our main responsibilities is to communicate our knowledge and to bring a general awareness to the public.
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Sakshi Mankotia - India
Jamia Millia Islamia, India
I am a Phd Candidate in Department of Geography , Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi , India. My research area is Climate change and Glaciers of Northwestern Himalayas. I have been Associated with APECS as National Committee coordinator (2020-2021), EX-Com in IPRN ( Indian Polar Research Network) . I have been working with WCRP Lighthouse Activity: My Climate Risk Science Plan Development Team. I have a keen interest in understanding people and environment interaction in Himalayan region. I love to go on Trekking and Cycling to spend my time apart from my research. I have extensively worked on e platform on conducting and coordinating Academic Courses to enhance understanding of research and interdisciplinary studies.