Council

Council Co-Chairs

• Stanislav Ksenofontov - Switzerland

  University of Zurich, Switzerland

  Native Sakha and Evenk from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), NE Siberia. Obtained PhD in human geography. My research interests tackle vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the Arctic social-ecological systems.

• Morgan Seag - United Kingdom

  Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

  I am a PhD candidate in human geography at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. I research the history of institutional change in remote spaces, focusing on the integration of women into national Antarctic programs in the twentieth century. Other research interests include the histories of science and exploration, polar geopolitics, environmental history, and the global commons. I received an MPhil in Polar Studies from Cambridge in 2015, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. In my non-academic career I’ve worked in science outreach as well as film exhibition and program development, and I spent two seasons working as a support contractor at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

• Neelu Singh - India

  Mangalore University - India / Norway

  My name is Neelu Singh and I have nearly 7 years and 4 months of R&D experience in the field of environmental chemistry in Polar Regions. During my research career as a PhD student at NCAOR, I have gained extensive working experience on the study of Trace Metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Polar Regions. These research work experiences confer me a command over the topics and global climate issues related to the environmental subject. Instead of locked behind fence my job responsibilities provided me unequaled opportunities to participate in scientific expeditions and platform to interact with the student to scientists from various backgrounds and ethnicities. I participated in several national expeditions those were carried out at different global hot spot study locations like Antarctica (Indian Antarctic Expedition 2008-09), Arctic (Indian Arctic expedition-Summer period 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and Indian Ocean Sector of Southern Ocean (Indian Southern Ocean Expedition 2010).

National Coordinators

• Iqra Choudhry - United Kingdom

  University of Manchester, United Kingdom

  I'm a current PhD student at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester. My research focuses on the history of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and it's role in international science policy and Antarctic governance. My other research interests include Arctic governance and gender inequality in polar research and higher education. My background is in life sciences and science communication - I have a BSc from Newcastle University in Physiology and a MSc in Science Communication from the University of Manchester.

  I'm involved in several projects alongside my studies, which aim to communicate science to lay audiences, and widen access to higher education for students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.

• Emily Choy - Canada

  McGill University, Canada

  Emily is a W. Garfield Weston Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University studying physiological tools to assess the impacts of shipping to Arctic seabirds and marine predators. She is supervised by Dr. Kyle Elliott and Dr. Grant Gilchrist (Environment and Climate Change Canada). She completed her PhD at the University of Manitoba studying on the effects of climate change on the diet (using fatty acids signatures and stable isotope ratios), body condition, and physiology of Beaufort Sea beluga whales as sentinel species of environmental changes within the Beaufort Sea ecosystem. She completed her MSc with a specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Dr. Jules Blais, studying biovector transport of marine contaminants (mercury and organochlorines) to High Arctic food webs on Devon Island, Nunavut. Emily is currently a Scientific Advisor for the Northern Committee of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and a 2014 Fellow for the International Arctic Science Committee.

• Swati Nagar - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India

  Greetings from India. I am Swati Nagar, associated with the outreach activities in Polar Regions at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa. Since 2016, I have been working for education and outreach in Polar Sciences. It has been a wonderful experience of interacting and educating students and general public about endevours in Polar sciences. I want to continue this experience by coordinating and helping in disseminating the information about polar sciences. APECS is one of the best international platform to encourage the ECRs. I joined APECS in 2016 as an individual Council member and continue to work for two consecutive terms (2016-2017 and 2017-2018). It has been a wonderful experience to associate with APECS and work with the motivated scientists as a team. I have team spirit and comfortable in working as a team and also as a leader.

Social Media Coordinators

• Mia Bennett - Hong Kong

  The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

  I am an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and School of Modern Languages & Cultures (China Studies Programme) at the University of Hong Kong and editor of the Cryopolitics blog. Through fieldwork and remote sensing, I research the politics of infrastructure development in frontier spaces, namely the Arctic and areas included within China's Belt and Road Initiative. I received my PhD in Geography from UCLA in 2017, where I focused on examining Arctic transportation infrastructure projects. As part of this research, I considered case studies ranging from the role of the Inuvialuit in constructing Canada's first highway to the Arctic Ocean to the Singaporean government's efforts to keep a watchful eye on Arctic shipping. In my spare time, I enjoy running, 80s music, and photography.

• Rupa Rupa - Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN)

  Durham University - United Kingdom

  Representing Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN) on the APECS Council

  Learning about the science behind disasters and climate change and their impacts on different societies is my research interest. Currently, I'm doing M.Sc. Risk in Durham University, UK and expanding my knowledge and understanding in this research area. I have worked with UNESCO Category 2 Centre for Natural World Heritage Management and Training for the Asia-Pacific region for almost 3 years.

Individual Council Members

• Kelsey Aho - United States

  United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States

  Kelsey is the Program Coordinator at the Center for Arctic Policy Studies - International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Previously, she served as a hydrographer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, adapting national models to Alaska's data availability. Outside of work, Kelsey co-Chairs the International Balkans Peace Park and harvests berries, herbs, and fish. MA in Transboundary Policy, University of Alaska Fairbanks (2016); Certificate in International Law, American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2014); BA in Geographic Information Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013).

• Keechy Akkerman - United Kingdom

  Loughborough University, United Kingdom

  My main research interests lie in the study of (Arctic) biodiversity dynamics and (human-induced) environmental change. I did a Bachelor's in Biology at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), focusing on marine ecosystems and paleoecology, followed by a master's in Biogeology, mainly looking at the effect of human activity on lake water quality.

  Currently I am a PhD-student at Loughborough University, working on Arctic lake ecology in Southwest Greenland. By studying (sub)fossil remains of algae (diatoms) in sediment cores, we can reconstruct spatial and temporal changes in algal biodiversity and productivity over the last centuries. Knowing how (and why!) the ecosystems responded to environmental changes in the past could aid us in predicting what will happen under the current climatic impact.

  In my spare time I really enjoy hiking, which I try to do as much as possible in the weekends, and this year after my fieldwork I will walk the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland, for which I am very excited!

• Tayana Arakchaa - Russia

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, Russia

  Currently, I am a PhD candidate in anthropology at University of Alaska Fairbanks. I am at the final stage of my PhD program finishing my dissertation. My research is about human-animal relationships among the Tozhu reindeer-herder hunters living in partnership with multiple animals such as reindeer, dogs, and horses in the taiga zone in the Tyva Republic in Siberia. I have always wanted to study Tyvan nomadic groups because they are understudied, and my aim was to document their lifestyles. Taking classes at University of Alaska Fairbanks, I decided that I would like to focus on the Tozhu reindeer herder-hunters because they are a less studied community. I returned to homeland, the Tyva Republic in July of 2018. I have been an APECS member since 2013.

• Eda Ayaydın - France

  University of Versailles, France

  I am a PhD candidate at University of Versailles in Paris. My research focuses on the Arctic Explorations and International Polar Years. I try to analyse the tendency to change of the Arctic governance and the parameters effecting the Arctic governance and politics. One of my aim is also awakening a bit of Arctic sense in France through workshops, conferences, network and newspaper articles!

• Atreya Basu - Canada

  University of Manitoba, Canada

  I am a research enthusiast in the field of light propagation and light matter interaction in the estuarine, coastal and marine waters of the Arctic and sub Arctic environment. The main focus of my research is unraveling the coastal-marine processes with the aid of in-situ and satellite based optical remote sensing. At present I am associated as an optical oceanographer with the "Marine and Climate system" team of the NSERC CRD funded project "BaySys- Contribution of climate change and hydroelectric regulation to the variability and change of freshwater-marine coupling in the Hudson Bay System”.

• Natalie Carter - Canada

  University of Ottawa, Canada

  I hold a PhD in Population Medicine from the University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada. I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Environment, Society and Policy Group (www.espg.ca) in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics at University of Ottawa. I am the Community Research Lead of two projects: 1) Arctic Corridors and Northern Voices and 2) Inuit Knowledge about the impact of light geese on land, wildlife, and people, and recommendations for management in Kivalliq region, Nunavut. In these roles, I actively engage Inuit and Northerners in the development of potential management strategies related to national marine policy initiatives, and wildlife co-management. I have spent 6 of the past 24 months in Canadian Arctic Communities working closely with community organizations, youth, adults, and elders. This includes youth capacity enhancement, co-constructing projects, documenting local knowledge, and conducting analyses, results validation and sharing. I am comfortable applying both qualitative and quantitative research methods, through an Ecohealth approach. I enjoy working at the intersections between western science and traditional knowledge. You can read more about my research at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalie_Carter2 or follow me on Twitter @natalieancarter.

• Mathieu Casado - Germany

  Alfred Wegener Insittute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany

  "It seems that I'm passionate about cold and inhospitable regions. I have been through Siberia and the Himalayas, Iceland, and even Paris! Yet, going to Antarctica was yet another level of crazy. It has been the most amazing experience of my life. Luckily for me, ice carrots (we call ice cores ‘carotte de glace’ in French) grow well in Polar Regions (I think that it's probably because the penguins scare the rabbits off!), so I will probably be able to return there to study them more.

  I'm now at the Alfred Wegner Institute (AWI) doing a post-doc on isotopic proxies in Antarctica but also in the Himalayas and the Arctic. I'm currently the Early Career Representative on the SCAR Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics Research Program steering committee. I’m also the leader of the IPCC review project group, during which, in partnership with the IPCC, we organized a group review of the next Special Report on Ocean and Cryosphere. Leading this project has, to some extent, motivated me to apply for ExCom: given the scale of the project, I’ve been in touch with many on the APECS Council and membership, and I’d be happy to engage even more with the APECS Council and community, providing help where I can."

• Nicolas Champollion - France

  University of Bremen, Germany / France

  I'm a physical geographer and my research interests cover the cryosphere evolution and its link to sea level. I made my Ph.D. at the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et de Géophysique de l'Environnement (LGGE) in Grenoble, France, where I studied the snow surface evolution in the East Antarctica Plateau, combining in-situ observation and inverse modeling of satellite remote sensing observations. I had the chance to participate to a summer field campaign at Dome C, Antarctica. Then, I continued my research career in the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland, where I conducted research on sea level budget and its components whith a focus on land water and glacier evolution, using space gravimetry observation, altimetry measurements and literrature assessment. I was involved in the organisation of many international workshops and teams. Recently, I started a new project at Bremen University in Bremen, Germany, on the simulation of glacier evolution during the coming century in a 1.5 degree warmer world. The simulation will be made with the Open Global Glacier Model. With this project, I will start a collaboration between LGGE and Bremen university with a focus specific Alps glacier where lot of observations are available and continue a collaboration between ISSI and Bremen university on sea level projections in a 1.5 degree warmer world.

• Eleonora Conca - Italy

  University of Turin, Italy

  My interest in polar areas started with my master in Environmental Chemistry; for my final thesis I analyzed water and suspended particulate materials collected from six shallow Antarctic lakes, in order to understand the biogeochemical cycles taking place in those ecosystems.

  I am currently a PhD student at the University of Turin (Italy), studying the elemental composition of Arctic atmospheric particulate matter, which can give us insights on PM sources and transport mechanisms.

  During my PhD I had the chance to spend 6 weeks in Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard) for sample collection, and I suddenly fell in love with that place!

• Adrian Dahood - United States

  University of Santa Cruz/ NOAA Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division, United States

  I am a Postdoctoral scholar who works to bridge interests across academia, the NGO community and government. Specifically I develop dynamic food web models to aid in the international efforts to develop a new marine protected area in the Antarctic Peninsula region. I enjoy working at the nexus of environmental science and policy.

• Rahul Dey - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India

  I am a PhD student in Antarctic Paleoclimatology working at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India. My research interests are broadly in the areas of visual stratigraphy and glacio-chemistry. My research work focusses on analysing the optical and chemical properties of ice cores from coastal Dronning Maud Land and using this data to establish the paleoclimate of the region. This includes ice core processing, followed by dark-field imaging and ion-chromatography analysis of ice cores. Prior to this, I received a MSc in Applied Geology (2017) and BSc in Physics and Geology (2015) from University of Allahabad (India) where I studied the climate and sedimentation pattern in the Northwest Arabian Sea during the last two glacial cycles.

• Vikram Goel - Norway / India

  University of Oslo / NCAOR (Goa), Norway / India

  I'm an Antarctic glaciologist currently working as a project scientist at the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India. I use geophysical tools like Ice-Penetrating Radar and GPS, along with ice-flow modeling to investigate the dynamics and history of coastal Antarctica. I did most of my Ph.D. work at the Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, while enrolled at the University of Oslo. I'm originally from Delhi, did my Bachelors (Aerospace) from Dehradun, and Masters (Earth-Sciences) from Kharagpur/Hannover.

• Carolynn Harris - United States

  Montana State University, United States

  I am a PhD student in Ecology and Environmental Science at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. I am passionate about the outdoors and my love of fieldwork led me to explore science in polar environments. Currently, I study organic carbon transformations in permanently ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Despite the cold, salty, and lowlight environment, microbial life thrives in these lakes year round. This research may have implications for if and how life could survive on icy worlds beyond our planet, such as Mars and Europa. I got my first taste of polar research as a technician for the Toolik Lake Field Station in northern Alaska. I continued to study the Alaskan Arctic for my M.S. degree in Marine Science at the University of Texas at Austin. For my M.S., I studied the hydrology and ecology of hypersaline lagoons in the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea using stable isotope techniques. When I’m not in the lab or the field, I enjoy long-distance backpacking, climbing, and hanging out with my adventure cat, Milo.

• Alexa Hasselman - New Zealand

  University of Canterbury, New Zealand

  I am from the United States, but have just started a PhD working with Gateway Antarctica at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. My research project is on mammal acoustics in the newly established Ross Sea Marine Protected Area, as part of continued research and monitoring. My research background and interests are in top predator ecology, including work with photo-identification, acoustics, tagging data, and behavioural studies. My BSc. was conducted at Eckerd College (USA) working on gray whale acoustics and my MSc. was conducted at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS, Australa). I have conducted research in both polar regions and am actively involved in collaborative efforts. During Polar 2018, I have gotten involved in establishing a SCAR-EGBAMM working group on cetaceans.

• Meghan Helmberger - United States

  University of Colorado Boulder/National Snow and Ice Data Center, United States

  Originally from San Francisco, CA, I’m finishing up my second year as a PhD student in the Geography department at the University of Colorado Boulder. My research focuses on the evaluation of patterns in the surface energy budget across the Arctic Ocean and how those patterns relate to the changing sea ice concentration. I use atmospheric reanalysis and satellite data with some in situ data for model validation. I previously received my Masters from Clark University in Environmental Science and Policy. This track was important in my foundational work because I believe that in order to improve the working relationship between scientists and policy-makers each party needs to know a bit about the other side. Through conference and international school attendance, I have further learned the importance of cross institute and country communication and collaboration. I’m extremely interested in mentoring, advocacy and communication. Outside of academia, I enjoy hiking, baking, and photography.

• Andrea Herbert - New Zealand

  Gateway Antarctica/Antarctic Environments Portal, New Zealand

  I am an anthropologist with an Antarctic focus. Since I received my PhD (in Anthropology and Antarctic Studies) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2014, I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies and have worked in various positions with an Antarctic connection, for example The Antarctic Office (Christchurch), Gateway Antarctica, and currently, the Antarctic Environments Portal.

  My research interests lie in gateway cities (Ushuaia and Punta Arenas), gender aspects of Antarctic engagement, and Antarctic tourism.

• Shridhar Jawak - Norway

  Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS)

  Bio to be added soon.

• Amy Kirkham - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  I am a PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where I am studying the physiological ecology of Weddell seals. My research focuses on how hormones and nutrition influence annual cycles in these animals. Broadly, I am very interested in how biological rhythms drive life history events. These questions are especially exciting in polar ecosystems, where environmental conditions change drastically between seasons and are shifting with global climate change. Fieldwork at McMurdo Station has shown me how special and important the Antarctic environment is, inspiring me to share this through extensive K-12 polar science outreach. Prior to my graduate studies, I completed my undergraduate degree in biology at Stanford University, and worked with marine mammals in stranding response and wildlife tourism.

• Kara Layton - Australia

  The University of Western Australia, Australia

  I am a PhD candidate at the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at The University of Western Australia studying the diversity, systematics, and evolution of marine invertebrates. Part of my doctoral work focuses on the coevolution of parasitic gastropods and their echinoderm hosts in Antarctica, and uncovers novel invertebrate diversity in the region. I have experience conducting research at both poles as my previous work as a master’s student and research assistant in Canada focused on marine mollusc diversity in the Arctic. My research interests include genomics, phylogenetics, phylogeography, and biogeography of polar marine invertebrates.

• Sasha Leidman - United States

  Rutgers University, United States

  My name is Sasha and I am a PhD student at Rutgers University studying glacial hydrology. My research has taken me to several different polar regions but my current research looks at meltwater transport in Greenland. At higher elevations of the Greenland Icesheet, I look at meltwater refreezing within firn by drilling shallow ice cores, digging snow pits, and running ground-penetrating radar transects. At lower elevations, I look at meltwater that flows into streams flowing on top of the ice. These so called supraglacial streams have a big impact on albedo and my research aims to understand that relationship with the use of GPS, velocity, temperature, and reflectance measurements in southwest Greenland. Before working in Greenland, I studied the hydrology of ice covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica by mapping their complex bathymetry. I also worked with the Denali National Park Service to map glacial retreat. My research is a combination of watershed-scale hydrology and remote sensing to hopefully answer questions of how the hydrologic cycle affects the cryosphere.

• Sarah Maes - Belgium

  KU Leuven, Belgium

  I am a PhD student at the KU Leuven in Belgium. My research focuses on better understanding the genetic population structure and connectivity of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in a rapidly changing Arctic. I became passionate about polar cod during my Master thesis, which simultaneously sparked my interest in the polar regions. After receiving my Master’s degree in Biology (2017), I had the opportunity to participate in Polarstern expedition PS109 to Northeast-Greenland as a member of the Sea Ice Biology team.

• Maciej Mańko - Poland

  University of Gdańsk, Poland

  I am a PhD candidate in Marine Biology working at the University of Gdańsk (Poland). My research focuses on gelatinous zooplankton of the Arctic. In my thesis I am trying to describe the diversity and the long-term and large-scale distribution patterns of jellyfish in the European Arctic, but also to get better understanding of their ecology at both poles. So far I have been to the Arctic two times during expeditions of the Polish Academy of Sciences on board of R/V Oceania.

  Aside from the purely polar research interests I am also studying the life cycle of the little-known group of planktonic, colonial cnidarians called siphonophores, conducting most of the work in the South of France – but I always come back to the Arctic.

• Jhon Fredy Mojica Moncada - United Arab Emirates

  New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  As a Physical oceanographer working as a Post-Doctoral associate at the Center for global Sea Level Change (CSLC) in the New York University Abu Dhabi, I have been involved in polar research. My research activity looking for describe the interaction ocean, sea-ice, and glacier, and how these influence the sea level variability. I been participate in several marine surveys, where I can stand out fieldwork in Disko bay (Greenland) on board the Adolf Jensen, and over the southern sea (Antarctica) on board the R/V Araon (South Korea) and R/V S.A. Agulhas (South Africa). The objective of my research work is to characterize the ocean circulation in polar areas at multiple scales, particularly characterizing the mixing and difussivity processes and their temporal and spatial variabilities in Greenland fjords (Ilulissat and Helheim) and Antarctic areas (Amundsen and Weddell sea, and Peninsula).

• Elizabeth Orr - United States

  University of Cincinnati, United States

  My research broadly focuses on the topographic evolution of the Earth’s surface, by examining the interactions between Quaternary climatic change, geomorphic processes and tectonics. More specifically, I look to understand the role of glacial dynamics and process within landscape development and long-term environmental change of polar and high altitude mountain settings, by using geomorphic, sedimentological and geochronometric techniques. These research themes are critical now not only because they improve our understanding of the evolution of landscapes, but also because they provide insights into the geomorphic impacts of climate change that are occurring now and in the future.

  My doctoral research has been primarily focused on the reconstruction of Quaternary landscape and glacial histories of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen, specifically the NW Himalaya of northern India. I work to decipher the timing and controls of erosion-depositional cycles at the scale of the individual catchment, by investigating the transfer of sediment from headwall to foreland basin, and how this varies over time and space.

• Prashant H. Pandit - India

  TERI University, India

  I am Prashant H. Pandit, an early career student and researcher, with a research enthusiast in field of remote sensing of polar regions. My scientific career started in 2015 after joining TERI University as a master's student of Remote Sensing & Geospatial Technology. During my studies, I was the part of Himalayan Glacier field campaign team and visited East Rathong Glacier-East Himalaya, which created impatient interest toward cryosphere research and motivated me to join Polar Remote Sensing Division of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, India for my thesis work, where I worked on topic “Estimation of Glacier velocity using SAR data”. Being an enthusiast researcher, I frequently visit Himalayan Glaciers and try to derive glaciological parameters using Remote Sensing Techniques. Dr. Shridhar D. Jawak, a prominent early career scientist and my mentor, who, has participated in several Indian Expeditions to Antarctic and Arctic, always guided me about physical and topographical truth of Polar region to support my research results. I am passionate about, and dedicated to, educations, research and collaboration between scientist and scientific community- who are actively involved in Polar studies.

• Lindsey Parkinson - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  I am a master's candidate in the Biology and Wildlife Department of the University of Alaska Fairbanks studying Alaska's wild berries. Specifically, I work within the Bonanza Creek LTER to investigate what environmental conditions within the boreal forest blueberries and lingonberries most productive. I fell in love with Arctic ecology the summer of 2012 during a month long program run by the Woods Hole Research Center. The Polaris Project took students from around the US and Russia to do research at the Northeast Science Station in Siberia. I loved everything from attempting to eat our bagged lunches without taking our mosquito hoods off to muddling through willow identification keys late at night in a cobbled mix of Russian and English. I'd never appreciated the importance of scientific species names before then, at least we had a few words in common that way!

  Currently, I'm the Graduate Student Representative of the Bonanza Creek LTER and a Fellow of the UAF Resilience and Adaptation Program.

• Lara F. Pérez - United Kingdom

  British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom

  I am a post-doctoral researcher at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Cambridge, UK. My research is focused in the analysis of oceanic basins and continental margins, including sedimentary processes and seismic stratigraphic analysis. My research areas include the Arctic Ocean, the Greenland margins, the West Antarctic Margin and the Drake Passage - Scotia Sea (Antarctica). Thus, I have a broad interest on the evolution of the Polar Regions. Working in both Antarctic and Arctic polar regions I hope to achieve a global perspective on the Cenozoic evolution of Earth, and the controlling factors globally involved. I work with the interaction of tectonic, oceanographic, climatic and cryospheric processes and their evolution through time. Therefore my research encompasses multi-disciplinary approach to a broad range of marine geophysical topics.

• Jean Polfus - Canada

  Trent University, Canada

  I recently completed my PhD at the University of Manitoba conducting genetic and traditional knowledge studies on caribou populations in partnership with the Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı (Sahtú Renewable Resources Board) and five Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę (Renewable Resources Councils) in the Sahtú Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. My collaborative research project built a comprehensive understanding of the identities and relationships among caribou populations and Dene people in order to inform and prioritize management efforts. I am currently a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow at Trent University, though I live in Tulı́t'a, Northwest Territories. I am working to develop, assess, and evaluate innovative cross-cultural methods that are required to communicate indigenous and scientific knowledge about caribou, among indigenous communities and to other stakeholders, in a clear and compelling manner. I am committed to an approach to conservation that respects the lives and experiences of people that depend on natural resources for their livelihood, facilitates cooperative long-term problem solving, improves the performance of ongoing research, and affirms the value of community caribou stewardship.

• Ankit Pramanik - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India

  I am working as project scientist at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India and currently working on glaciers in Himalaya. I am about to submit my PhD thesis. I have been pursuing my PhD from University of Oslo, Norway and mostly worked at Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø in the field of Glaciology. My research work focusses on mass balance evolution, hydrology and melt water routing of glaciers in Kongsfjord basin, Svalbard. As a part of my PhD, I attended four field session in Svalbard in last 3 years to conduct glaciological measurements. Earlier, I pursued my bachelors and master degree in Physics from Calcutta University (2010) and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2012). During my spare time I like to live in nature by doing outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, hiking.

• José Queirós - Portugal

  MARE - Marine and Environmental Science Centre, Portugal

  My name is José Queirós and I’m an Ecologist. My main research focus is in Polar Deep-Sea Ecology, mainly in terms of predator-prey interaction, but also I am interested in auto-ecology, i.e. the ecology of the species per se, particularly in terms of reproduction. I finished my masters where I worked with the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) and the Cephalopod Fauna of the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. Out of the lab and the field, Education and Outreach is also something that really interests me since I believe we should share our and with this in mind I participate in some activities like talks in schools and science fairs.

• Arthi Ramachandran - Canada

  Concordia University, Canada

  I am a PhD student at Concordia University (QC, Canada) interested in how climate change is affecting the diversity and metabolism of bacteria in the Arctic Ocean. I am working mainly in the western and central Arctic regions of Canada. My research focuses on how increasing freshwater and terrestrial organic matter input is shaping bacterial community dynamics using genomics and meta-omics approaches.

  Fieldwork in the Beaufort Sea has shown me how special and important the Arctic environment is and inspired me to share this through an award-winning picture in the 2017 NSERC ScienceExposed competition. The Arctic is special because it brings together the surrounding countries to work together and collaborate on research, making it an ideal system for science diplomacy. As a volunteer with the Montreal-based group Science and Policy Exchange, we hosted a 2-day event where students had an immersive learning experience on the role of young scientists in science diplomacy, through a workshop, a public forum, and panel discussions.

• Kabir Rasouli - Canada

  University of Calgary, Canada

  I am a post doctoral fellow (PDF) at the University of Calgary, Canada. In my NSERC PDF, I am trying to quantify and possibly reduce the uncertainty in surface water and groundwater interactions and recharge estimation in the alpine Cryosphere based on fine-scale atmospheric dynamical downscaling and physically based hydrological modelling approaches. My main research interest is to contribute to our limited knowledge of extreme events under climate non-stationarity in cold regions, where observation and simulation of atmospheric mechanisms are very uncertain and vapour/ice/snow/water fluxes aboveground and belowground are very heterogeneous.

• Jessica Rohde - United States

  Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, United States

  I am the Web Manager and Communications Officer of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), where I connect researchers from different disciplines and sectors in order to form collaborations and accelerate the pace of Arctic research. I'm passionate about science communication and have taught a course at the University of Washington that trains graduate students in science communication through storytelling, audience consideration, and public speaking.

• Paul Rosenbaum - Sweden

  Uppsala University, Sweden

  I grew up in Florida, USA and earned my first degree at the University of California at Berkeley. Since then, I've spent most of my life in France where I attended INSEAD’s MBA program and the University of Paris-Saclay for MSc in Environmental Sciences, eventually writing my Masters thesis at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam. I'm now earning my PhD at Uppsala University. My work aims to influence business practices by informing decision makers about scientific research, and support those companies to initiate better practices. There is certainly lot of work to do on this topic, and I look forward to doing some of it within APECS.

• José Seco - Portugal / United Kingdom

  University of Aveiro & University of St. Andrews, Portugal / United Kingdom

  I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Aveiro and University of St. Andrews. My research looks at the distribution of trace metals in the Southern Ocean trophic web. My thesis goals are to assess the pathways of these contaminants along the trophic web, to evaluate which tissues the pollutants are accumulated in and if different Southern Ocean regions have different distributions of trace metals. My interest in polar science started during my undergraduate studies in Biology where I had the first contact with a Southern Ocean ecology research group, that drove me through a masters degree in ecology. During my graduate studies I joined a research program that led me to do field work in Antarctica, where we studied interspecific competition between two penguin species. During the Antarctic expedition the moment came where for the first time I was sure about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: be a polar scientist.

• Sarah Shakil - Canada

  University of Alberta, Canada

  As a PhD candidate in Dr. Suzanne Tank’s Aquatic Ecology and Biogeochemistry lab at the University of Alberta, I conduct field and laboratory research on the release of organic carbon, primarily in particulate form, from collapsing permafrost on the Peel Plateau, NWT, Canada. My research is part of an ongoing investigation on the influence of permafrost thaw on carbon dynamics within stream ecosystems of the Peel Plateau. I have always been fascinated by water and as an undergraduate Environmental Science student at York University, I grew to be fascinated by its ability to not only link biochemical and geochemical processes but also terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric environments. I became involved in research concerning the functioning of northern aquatic systems since early on in my undergraduate career and fell in love with the north while studying lakes in the Mackenzie Delta near Inuvik, NWT, Canada. Over the years I’ve spent in the north, I’ve especially enjoyed being taught about the land and how to navigate it from local community members and meeting the diverse group of researchers that work at the research centre in Inuvik as well as researchers that work and travel through there from all over the world. Outside of my PhD research I’ve enjoyed participating in planning workshops, social events, and the general organization of the northern student association at the U of A and participating in outreach activities teaching chemistry and water ecology to local elementary and high school students.

• Grace Shephard - Norway

  University of Oslo, Norway

  I am a researcher in Earth Sciences at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, Norway. My research focuses on understanding how the Arctic Ocean, Pacific and North Atlantic formed over geological timescales. The opening and closing of oceanic basins, massive volcanic eruptions, mountain building events, changes in sea-level, and shifts in climate are largely underpinned by geological processes. Building Earth models that cover hundreds of millions of years requires integrating several geological and geophysical datasets, including information from the surface and the deep interior (1000's km deep) of the Earth. I am also a lecturer/administrator for the University of Oslo’s International Summer School course “A Changing Arctic”, and I am also interested in interdisciplinary and outreach aspects of polar research.

• Maud van Soest - United Kingdom

  Loughborough University, United Kingdom

  After finishing my BSc and MSc in Environmental and Soil Sciences at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, I moved to Loughborough in the UK for my PhD. The aim of my project is to understand how aeolian dust deposits are influencing the active layer of permafrost soils in South West Greenland. It is however impossible to study this without having some understanding of the other landscape forms and ecosystem links. I had the opportunity to go to my field sites in April, June and August covering three of the Arctic seasons. The study area Kangerlussuaq is a research hub for many institutions over the world and a perfect place to network.

  The UK Arctic conference will be held in Loughborough in 2019 and we are currently starting with the organisation for this event.

• Philip Sontag - United States

  Rutgers University, United States

  My story starts in small town Wisconsin where I later attended Lakeland University for my undergraduate degree in Biology along the coast of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, WI. Here is where I developed my love for all things mercury and phytoplankton driven by an outstanding ecology/biology professor in our biology department. I was encouraged to pursue graduate studies at Rutgers University studying mercury accumulation and biomagnification in the food web. At Rutgers, my advisor proposed a Ph.D. project that involved field sampling along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) alongside the crew of the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecology Research (PAL LTER) project aboard the small, but mighty Lawrence M. Gould.

  Since graduation in May 2018, I have been conducting outreach with a teacher and a group of students from Newark while seeking opportunities to continue a career in Antarctic research and connect with other polar scientists. My current research focuses on mercury dynamics along the WAP including bioaccumulation, but recent interests have turned towards sourcing of mercury to the WAP and interactions of surface seawater with the marine boundary later.

  Alexandra, mi esposa, and Evelyn, mi hija, are always at the heart of my research efforts. We enjoy biking, hiking, bird watching, and eating delicious food.

• Florian Vidal - France

  Paris Descartes University, France

  Florian Vidal is a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Law, Political Science and Economics, Paris Descartes University, France. His working thesis is entitled, “Norway-Russia relations in the Arctic: Perspective and analysis of a regional dynamic in the Anthropocene era”. Previously, he served for the French cultural delegation in Russia (2008-2010) before to spend some time in South America (NGO activities). Between 2013 and 2017, he worked as a Senior Business Analyst for strategic investments in value chain industry and emerging technologies (transportation, energy and communication) both in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Nowadays he leads a digital project at the EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) and manages the research project The Global Arctic (www.globalarctic.org).

• Maximillian Samuel Van Wyk de Vries - United States

  University of Minnesota, United States

  I am currently starting a PhD at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) working on the South Patagonian Icefield. I study the interaction between ice sheets and their surroundings, particularly ice sheet-solid earth process linkages. I started my research looking into volcanic processes and volcano-ice interactions, and have since worked on volcanic hazard assessments- notably of the recently active Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. The highlight of my research so far was the discovery of nearly 100 subglacial volcanoes in West Antarctica, making it one of the largest volcanic systems in the world. The upcoming PhD project is going to focus on the linkages between a retreating ice cap (SPI) and the complex subduction zone underlying it through the use of seismic tomography, lake coring and integrated numerical models.

Representatives from APECS National Committees and Partner Organisations

• Sebastián Marinsek - APECS Argentina

  Instituto Antártico Argetnino, Argentina

  Representing APECS Argentina on the APECS Council

  I am working in glaciology at Instituto Antártico Argentino. My main research interest is Glacier Mass Balance, Dynamic and Relation to Clima. With the institute we work mainly in the northern part of Antarctic Peninsula, doing field campaigns every Austral Summers!

• Valentina Savaglia - APECS Belgium

  University of Liège | University of Ghent, Belgium

  Representing APECS Belgium on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD candidate working on the diversity, biogeography and function of cyanobacteria in the Sør Rondane Mountains (East Antarctica). During the Austral summer, I am often participating in Antarctic field campaigns to collect samples, which I analyse during the rest of the year, back in Belgium at the Universities of Ghent and Liège. I consider outreach a powerful tool for raising awareness of environmental issues and polar research among the broad audiences, including the general public. Contributing to these activities was one of my main motivations to be part of the APECS Belgium NC. Prior to my PhD, I was trained in oceanography at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie, and completed my master’s thesis at the Alfred Wegner Institute (AWI) on the impact of global warming on two endemic species of macroalgae. Work on my thesis gave me my first opportunity to participate in an Antarctic campaign, completing three months of field work. Since then, I have loved everything concerning the polar regions and polar research.

• Elisa Seyboth - APECS Brazil

  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Brazil

  Representing APECS Brazil on the APECS Council

  I am an Oceanographer, about to finish my PhD studies (in August 2018) in Biological Oceanography at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil. The focus of my research is on the ecology of cetaceans in Antarctic Peninsula region. Since 2011 I am dedicated to cetacean studies, when I began my Masters degree focused on the habitat use and reproductive success of southern right whales. I have always been fascinated by the ocean and have Antarctica as the study area of my research is the realization of a dream. For me, to be at sea is like being at home, and I have a considerable experience in oceanographic research cruises, including seven expeditions in Brazilian waters and five in the Antarctic region. After participating on the SCAR Conference in 2016 and getting in touch with young researchers from APECS, I got the desire to actively contribute to the activities of the institution and then joined the Council.

• Nadya Yanakieva - APECS Bulgaria

  Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Bulgaria

  Representing APECS Bulgaria on the APECS Council

  I am a geologist and finished my master degree in Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria. I am interested in polar science and also working as ECRs rep. in SCAR group SERCE. Participating in a research program of Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and Portuguese university of Evora about studing the permafrost on Livingston island, Antarctica. This year finished a remote sensing course leading by ESA in Svalbard, Arctic and participated in the conference of POLAR 2018 in Davos, Swidzerland. It's time to prepare for the next polar season.

• Martine Lizotte - APECS Canada

  Université Laval, Canada

  Representing APECS Canada on the APECS Council

  I hold a PhD in Oceanography from Université Laval focused on the dynamics of dimethylsulfide (DMS), a marine gas of biogenic origin involved in the regulation of the Earth’s climate. I currently work at U. Laval as a research associate for the CRC on Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate. I am also the coordinator of BOND (Beacons Of Northern Dynamics), a transdisciplinary project that combines photonics, chemistry and oceanography to monitor climate-active gases in the Arctic. Along with APECS, I have ties to several Polar-related programs such as Québec-Océan, Takuvik, ArcticNet, NETCARE, SOLAS, and Sentinel North. My passion for the ocean has led me to participate in 18 expeditions across the globe, several involving international cooperation, notably SEEDS II (Japan) and SOAP (New-Zealand). I am engaged in the mentorship of students, in the field (ArcticNet Schools on Board, Sentinel North International PhD School), in the lab, and in the classroom. Together we explore marine microbial life, the “bug hub”, its sensitivity to environmental stressors (acidification, sea ice decline, etc), and its role in climate control at high latitudes, chiefly in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

• Claudia Maturana - APECS Chile

  Universidad de Chile, Chile

  Representing APECS Chile on the APECS Council

  I am biologist currently studying for my PhD in a joint project on Antarctic freshwater crustacean phylogeography between the University of Chile and the British Antarctic Survey. I have a Master’s degree in Biological Science from the same University, in which I developed my research on reproductive strategies in a brooding sea urchin from the Southern Ocean. As part of this project I carried out research at Fildes Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands). After finishing my Master’s degree I decided to change the focus of my research from marine processes to freshwater ecosystems, but still addressing the core questions relating to evolutionary processes and biogeographical patterns in the Antarctica fauna. My PhD research supervision is shared by Dr. Elie Poulin (University of Chile), and Prof. Peter Convey (British Antarctic Survey, also linked with Cambridge University).

• Minghu Ding - APECS China

  Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China

  Representing APECS China on the APECS Council

  As a research scientist at Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, I am interested in various topics including ice-air interaction, aerosol transport and related observational technologies. I have geology, geography, Cryosphere and meteorology background from bachelor, master, Phd and Post-doctor periods. Since 2016, I have been IASC Fellow. Recently I am funded by an project related to Greenland sea ice and an project related to Winter Olympics.

• Lei Geng - APECS China

  University of Science and Technology of China, China

  Representing APECS China on the APECS Council

  I am now a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China. Before that I was a Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellow in LGGE-CNRS, and before moved to France, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. I started my science career in polar research 12 years ago when I was a graduate student, and my first project was measuring major ion species of the brittle ice of the WAIS Divide ice core. Form that I knew I am at least good at cutting ice. My primary research interest is using unique isotope proxies combined with ice core records to study the interactions between atmospheric chemistry and climate. I am also interested in the effects of sea ice surface emissions on atmospheric chemistry and climate. After moving back China, I now also start to work on snow and ice cores from the Third Pole, i.e., the Tibetan Plateau, aiming to understand the exchange of ozone and pollutants between the stratosphere and troposphere at present and in the past.

• Qinghua Yang - APECS China

  Sun Yat-sen University, China

  Representing APECS China on the APECS Council

  I am a Professor and mainly work on sea ice-ocean data assimilation and prediction, atmosphere-sea ice-ocean interaction, polar weather and climate. I am also a Steering Group Member of the WMO’s Polar Prediction Project since October 2014. I have a rich Arctic/Antarctic scientific expedition experience and have worked in the Arctic and Antarctica for more than 32 months.

• Gwenaëlle Gremion - APECS France

  Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada

  Representing APECS France on the APECS Council

  I am currently a PhD student in Physical and biological Oceanography, at the Institut des Sciences de la mer at the ,Université du Québec à Rimouski.

  The aim of my phD project is to understand how primary production, and pelago-benthic coupling will respond to environmental changes (retreating sea ice) in the the North Water Polynya, in the Arctic. In this project I developp a 1-D and 3-D coupled biophysical model in order to predict ecosystem dynamic, especially primary production,sedimentation rate and benthic production, under climate change conditions expected for the NOW region.

  Despite growing up in the tropcial island of Guadeloupe (French West indies), my interest in the polar landscape originated from an offered trip with my grand-mother when I was only 8 to Spitzbergen and in the Arctic Ocean. Since then, I mainly focus my academic background in marine science, and as much as possible on polar theme. I focused my master degree on the modelisation of the planktonic ecosystem of the Long-Term Ecological Research of Palmer Station (Antarctica,USA), and I had the chance to traveledduring my PhD to Carlini base (Antarctica,Argentina) in order to study in microcosms the combined impacts of diminution of salinity and increase of temperature on local planktonic ecosystem. I also had the change to participate to the PhD summer school of Sentinel north that allow me to study the impacts of light on the marine ecosystem of Baffin Bay (Nunavut, Canada).

  I am active with ArcticNet as President of the Student association at the national level since two years, as well as a student representative of Quebec Ocean at the regional level.

• Cynthia Sassenroth - APECS Germany

  Saint Petersburg State University, Russia / Germany

  Representing APECS Germany on the APECS Council

  I am a master student of Polar and Marine Science (POMOR) at Saint Petersburg State University. My research interest is focused on Marine Geology in the region of the Arctic Ocean. I am passionate about to understand how this region developed in space and time and to understand the function and interaction of fast-changing polar marine environments in terms of sea-ice coverage and palaeo-oceancirculation.

  I finished my Bachelor's degree at Freie University Berlin in physical Geography and worked on projects led by the Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM), Ulster University and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).Contributing to these projects allowed me to work in chemical and sedimentological labs and gave me experience in the analysis and interpretation of water and soil samples. In Northern Ireland I supported my supervisor at the Ulster University as a teaching assistant in the in English taught course “Atmospheres and Oceans” and explained experimental setups and physical calculations to undergraduate students. This prepared me to start working at the German Aerospace Center at the Institute of Planetary Research. I developed a Geographic Information System and analyzed spatial parameters of frost patterned ground in Antarctic hyper-arid polar deserts. I also evaluated a statistical method to correlate the geomorphometry of polygons to environmental parameters of the study site.

  I am happy to support APECS Germany in future as a National Committee Representative.

• Francois Burgay - APECS Italy

  Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy

  Representing APECS Italy on the APECS Council

  I have a master in Environmental Chemistry and since my Master thesis I have a real passion for the Polar environments. I started with sea sediment cores, and now I’m doing a PhD in Science and Management of Climate Change at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice focused on the ice core analysis with a special interest in the biogeochemical cycles. I love writing about science and I’m managing a website whose name’s amolachimica.it where I write about chemistry and climate change.

• Linde van Bets - APECS Netherlands

  Wing cosultancy, Netherlands

  Representing APECS Netherlands on the APECS Council

  Linde Van Bets was trained in Environmental Studies at Wageningen University. In her Bachelor she specialized in Environmental Policy and Management. In her Master she choose for the specialisation of 'Governance of Coastal and Marine Systems'. After graduation Linde worked in Brussels on European marine policy for the NGOs Seas at Risk and Surfrider Foundation Europe. Afterwards she worked as project officer for the study Integrated Coastal Zone Management at the university of Applied Sciences of Van Hall Larenstein. In 2013 she returned back to Wageningen University as PhD candidate at the Environmental Policy Group. Her PhD research on Sustainable Ecosystem Management and Use by Marine Communities in two exemplary regions consists of a comparative analysis of adaptation to ecosystem changes of socio-political communities on oil & gas and cruise tourism on four islands: Spitsbergen, Melkoya/Hammerfest, Bonaire and Sint Eustatius. After her PhD graduation Linde started working as consultant at Wing.

• Erin Kunisch - APECS Norway

  UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway

  Representing APECS Norway on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD candidate at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway located in Tromsø. I study the biological links within Arctic sea ice food webs, primarily using a stable isotope approach. Prior to my PhD, I worked in marine mammal science, with the majority of my research conducted in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. For my dissertation, I am focusing on how much sea ice algae contributes to Arctic food web members, including marine mammal species. I have also worked in marine science communication for the U.S. National Park Service in Alaska, and am interested in developing ways scientists can effectively communicate research to the public. When I am not working in the lab or behind my desk, you can find me surfing.

• Jasmine Lee - APECS Oceania

  University of Queensland, Australia

  Representing APECS Oceania on the APECS Council

  Hi, I'm Jasmine. I am passionate about using science to help conserve biodiversity in the face of climate change, I am a conservation biologist and spatial ecologist. I have nearly completed my PhD at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, and the Australian Antarctic Division. My research focuses on better understanding the impacts on Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity and how to best conserve it in the face of these multiple threats.

• Nathaniel Young - APECS Oceania

  University of Tasmania, Australia

  Representing APECS Oceania on the APECS Council

  Nathaniel is a current Master of Applied Science (Environmental Management and Spatial Science) student at the University of Tasmania, Hobart in Tasmania, with a particular focus on Remote Sensing and Geodesy. He is gaining experience in using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), which he hopes to apply to solid-earth kinematics and dynamics in the Antarctic region. He also has an interest in ice sheet dynamics and tides within the earth systems. Previously, he has studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physiology and a Master of Applied Linguistics both at the University of New England, Armidale in New South Wales. Because of this, he is also interested in contributing to Antarctic animal physiology studies and cross-cultural communication studies during expeditions in the Antarctic. He also has a good degree of competence in Danish and German, with some command of Italian and Norwegian, while having an interest in learning Russian and Spanish. Keeping in mind his primary interest and focus is in Geodesy and the Earth Systems.

• Mateusz Waligóra - APECS Poland

  University of Silesia, Poland

  Representing APECS Poland on the APECS Council

  My name is Mateusz and I am an Master's student of political science (specialization: International Relations) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. My main interests are international relations in the Arctic region, foreign and domestic policy of Nordic and Arctic states, especially the Kingdom of Norway. I recently became interested in growing presence of the People’s Republic of China in the Arctic. The topic of my bachelor thesis was “Russian Federation in Foreign Policy of the Kingdom of Norway in XX and XXI century”. I was an intern in the Secretariat of the Polish Polar Consortium (July – September 2017), and now I would like to represent APECS Poland in the APECS Council.

• Hugo Guímaro - APECS Portugal

  University of Coimbra, Portugal

  Representing APECS Portugal on the APECS Council

  My name is Hugo Guímaro and I made a degree in Biology at the University of Coimbra. Nowadays I am a MSc student in Ecology at the University of Coimbra, collaborating with MARE-UC. My research interests are in polar ecology and climate change.

  I am studying the predator-prey interactions of Southern Ocean penguins and cephalopods and their responses to the impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities. I have not yet participated in any scientific expeditions, but actively participating in polar science is one of my major objectives.

  Besides my scientific work, I enjoy using the power of media like photography and video to inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature, while promoting the preservation of wild places everywhere. I also enjoy participating in polar science outreach activities in schools and universities.

• Ricardo Matias - APECS Portugal

  MARE-UC, Portugal

  Representing APECS Portugal on the APECS Council

  Ricardo Matias is a MSc student of Ecology in the University of Coimbra and MARE-UC. Currently, his work focuses on morphological adaptations and trophic ecology of benthic octopods in the South Georgia region. ​Despite not having participated in polar expeditions yet, polar ecology is one of his main interests and contribute actively some of his goals.

• Maria Korneykova - APECS Russia

  Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems – Subdivision of the Federal Research Centre “Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Science", Russia

  Representing APECS Russia on the APECS Council

  I was born in Kirovsk, Murmansk region of NW Russia on April 29, 1981. I completed my studies at Petrozavodsk State University as Ecologist (2003) and defended my PhD thesis at Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Saint Petersburg (2006). My research areas are ecology of microorganisms, air and soil mycology, cleaning of the environment from pollutants (heavy metal, fluorine compounds, oil products et al.) with microorganisms. My work is devoted to the study of qualitative and quantitative indicators of microorganism communities in background and polluted areas of the Kola Peninsula, as well as the study of physiological and biochemical properties of microorganisms under changing environmental conditions (reveal of microorganisms-bioindicators of pollution, microorganisms-destructors of pollutants etc.).

  I am Vice Chair of Biotechnological Centre of Federal Research Centre “Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences”.

  I am consultant and coordinator for ecological and biological education with schoolchildren, students in Murmansk region, as well as supervisor of research works of bachelors, masters and postgraduate students. I have work experience on Russian and international science projects as well as contractual work with industrial enterprises in Murmansk region.

• Christel Hansen - APECS South Africa

  University of Pretoria, South Africa

  Representing APECS South Africa on the APECS Council

  I am an geomorphologist and GIS specialist, focusing on periglacial environments in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, as well as the high-altitude areas of mainland South Africa. My studies have taken me to the South African research station (SANAE IV) in the Antarctic on a number occasions, as well as the South African research station on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. I recently received my PhD, specialising in periglacial geomorpholgy, from Rhodes University in South Africa and am currently lecturing GIS at the University of Pretori, also in South Africa. My current areas of research interest include climatic geomorphology, periglacial processes and landforms, active layer and permafrost dynamics, thermal-moisture dynamics of seasonally frozen ground, using remote sensing and GIS in cold climates, as well as arid climate studies (both hot and cold deserts).

• Marius Rossouw - APECS South Africa

  Stellenbosch University, South Africa

  Representing APECS South Africa on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD student from University Stellenbosch, where I am researching how ferns on Marion Island react to environmental factors. I have spent the last nine years researching various aspects of sub-Antarctic Marion Island, trying to understand how spatial and nutrient variation, as well as abiotic stress influence plant form and function. My current interest is using modern tools, like gas exchange measurements, close distance remote sensing and nutrient composition, and combining it with Species Distribution and climate models. This will give us a great insight into how ferns in the southern Ocean will react as we move further into the Anthropocene.

• Elizabeth Rudolph - APECS South Africa

  University of the Free State, South Africa

  Representing APECS South Africa on the APECS Council

  Lecturer at UFS in geomorphology, currently busy with a PhD in understanding the glacial history of Sub-Antarctic Marion Island through cosmogenic nuclide dating.

  Research interests: Cold climate Geomorphology and to a lesser extent Biogeomorphology, landscape-climate interactions and monitoring climate change through landscape processes.

  I am fascinated by cold and mountainous places, and have work in environments like the Marion Island, Antarctica and South African high mountains.

• Stefano Ambroso - APECS Spain

  Institut de Ciencies del Mar Barcelona, Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

  I started my scientific carreer in 2009 at ICM-CSIC. My research activity is related to the ecology and the spatial distribution patterns of benthic communities. I have been envolved in many marine research projects (MAPUCHE, BENTOLARV, LIFE-INDEMARES, ECOSAFIMED) related with the conservation and management of Mediterranean coastal areas. During this period of time I have been learning how to identify macrobenthic species based on video analysis, I estimated abundance patterns using specialized video software, and I applied methods of spatial statistics for ecological data. Actually I’m carrying out my PhD at ICM-CSIC under the supervision of Josep Maria Gili and Nuria Teixidó Ullod. My PhD project aims to understand the structure and dynamics of the Antarctic macrobenthic communities dominated by long-lived species of the Weddell Sea.

• Paula de Castro-Fernández - APECS Spain

  University of Barcelona, Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

  My research focuses on marine benthic ecology, particularly on the ecological interactions mediated by chemical compounds and on the symbiotic relationships happening in benthic communities. I am currently carrying out a PhD in the University of Barcelona, under the supervision of Conxita Avila and Cristina García-Aljaro. My PhD project aims to compare the variability of bioactive substances (e.g. chemical compounds used for defence) in benthic invertebrates at different places of the world, including Antarctica. Moreover, we are also interested in the microbial community associated to some of these invertebrates. Concerned by the global change impacts on species survival, we want to assess the effect that factors such as increasing sea water temperature or strong predation pressure would have on the chemical and microbial diversity of these organisms.

  Other research interests I have are trophic ecology and trace metal pollution in the Antarctic marine ecosystem, but I am passionate about everything Antarctic, even more since I could travel there to do fieldwork in 2018.

• Greta C. Vega - APECS Spain

  Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

  My research focuses on the use of computer tools to understand and visualize species distribution patterns at large scale by means of spatial/statistical and phylogenetic modelling using species range size, teledetection and environmental data. My goal is to contribute to biodiversity conservation in the current scenario of climate change. I am currently carrying out my PhD Thesis project at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos under the supervision of Dr Miguel Ángel Olalla Tárraga and Dr Javier Benayas (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), about the prospects of establishment of invader species in the Antarctica in a context of climate change.

• Corinna Röver - APECS Sweden

  KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

  Representing APECS Sweden on the APECS Council

  PhD student at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with a focus on the history of reindeer husbandry in Swedish Sápmi.

• Rebecca Gugerli - APECS Switzerland

  University of Fribourg, Switzerland

  Representing APECS Switzerland on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD student in the group of physical geography at the University of Fribourg . My research interests lie in the fields of applied meteorology and glaciology. More specifically, I am interested in continuous and autonomous measurements of the snow water equivalent on Alpine glaciers during the winter season. Part of my project is to test an instrument for snow water equivalent measurements on a Swiss glacier. These measurements are then compared to remote measurements conducted with operational weather radars. Thus, we can quantify their suitability for spatial estimations of solid precipitation.

• Carla Pérez Mon - APECS Switzerland

  Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Switzerland

  Representing APECS Switzerland on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD student with the mission to shed light on the characteristics of the permafrost microbiome and its behavior under climate change conditions. I carry out my research mainly in the Arctic and the Swiss Alps, where I am collecting samples in summer and performing soil warming experiments. I love nature and mountains. I am interested in all kind of topics in ecology, from conservation to evolution, modelling and even Astrobiology.

• Özgün Oktar - APECS Turkey

  Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  As a maritime graduate, I'm working for Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC). My main research interest is sea ice remote sensing. Also as the Advisor of PolSTeam I'm involved in education and outreach.

• Deniz Vural - APECS Turkey

  Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  I am a master student in Geological Engineering at Istanbul Technical University. I completed my undergraduate degree (2017) in Marine Engineering at ITU Maritime Faculty. Prior to be graduated, I started to study with Dr. Burcu Ozsoy as my advisor who is director of ITU PolReC and had different researches on Antarctica as a scientist for many years. During this period, I have started researches on Global Climate Change, effects on Antarctica and the results of Global Warming on community and environment. The fieldwork of my thesis has shown me how unique and important the Antarctic environment is on this cycle of Earth. Then, I became volunteer at Turkish Student's Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) which holds education and outreach part under Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC), in 2015. As a team leader of PolSTeam, we would like to raise awareness on the people about polar regions. Regarding Climate Change and Global Warming, we prepare presentations to both primary-middle and high schools. The aim of trying to explain every incoming questions from East to West of country, we want to show our responsibility to the nature. For 3 years, we have reached more than 4000 people via only presentations we gave. Not only presentations, but also we do different outreach activities as preparing art contest, interviewing with Turkish scientists who have been in Antarctica, coordinating seminars between middle schools on polar regions and so on. As long as keep learning and research, I believe that we will put new ideas to address effecting a better envionment for the next generations.

• Sinan Yirmibesoglu - APECS Turkey

  ITU Polar Research Center, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  I’m a ocean-going watchkeeping officer who raised in Black Sea region and educated to become a captain in all seas at the Karadeniz Technical University. I started my carrier at Beykoz Anatolian Maritime High School, then graduated from Sürmene Marine Sciences Faculty (KTU) and become an exchange student for Academia Morska W Gdyni in Poland. I started Master of Science at Maritime Faculty in Istanbul Technical University in 2016 to study "sea ice in polar areas". In here, Dr. Burcu Ozsoy who worked long years in Polar areas as a polar scientist became my advisor while I started to work in Polar Research Center in Turkey. Then, I had been chosen as a member of first Turkish Antarctic Expediton in 2017. Also, I’m working with the Turkish Students’ Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) to educate people about global change and polar awareness in Turkey. I'm happy to help to raise new generation with Polar knowledge.

• Kyle Mayers - UK Polar Network (UKPN)

  Uni Research Miljø, United Kingdom

  Representing the UK Polar Network (UKPN) on the APECS Council

  My research focuses on marine microbial food webs, and the interactions between different components, from viruses to zooplankton. I am particularly interested in how these interactions impact biogeochemical cycling.

  I have been actively involved with the UK Polar Network and APECS since 2015.

• Mariama Dryak - USAPECS

  University of Maine, United States

  Representing USAPECS on the APECS Council

  I am a MSc student studying in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, planning on progressing to a PhD. My research focuses on measuring iceberg meltwater fluxes and melt rates and studying ice-ocean interactions around the Antarctic Peninsula. My research interests and experiences range from my current field of study in glaciology, to glacial geomorphology and the cryospheric interactions with the wider climate system. Before moving to Maine I completed my B.A. at the Durham University in the UK, where I studied physical geography and archaeology, specifically focusing on the response of a small outlet glacier to climatic and non-climatic factors in southern Iceland. Outside of academia I can be found ultra-running or orienteering, hanging out with dogs and engaging in public science communication.

• John Read - USAPECS

  George Mason University, United States

  Representing USAPECS on the APECS Council

  I have just completed my MSc at George Mason University studying Antarctic Tourism. My MSc research focused on tourists’ intention to comply with the General Guidelines for Visitors to the Antarctic and actual behaviors performed. I will be starting my PhD in September exploring the intersection of Arctic Tourism and Indigenous Communities. My research interest include: tourism, ethics, and compliance in polar environments. I previously worked for two years as a Park Ranger with the US National Park Service and for nine years as a Firefighter where I had the opportunity to work at McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott stations.

• Marcos Tassano - APECS Uruguay

  Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Uruguay

  Representing APECS Uruguay on the APECS Council

  I dedicate myself in my Bachelor's and Master's degree to applied nanotechnology in biomedicine, as well as to the radioactive labeling of peptides and antibodies for diagnostic purposes and cancer therapy. I am a PhD candidate in the subject. Also, since 2010 I am involved in projects IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on issues related to the environment through nuclear techniques, especially in soil. In this sense, I was 2 times at the Artigas Base (Uruguay) in Antarctica, studying and characterizing soils and lakes with nuclear techniques.

• Samuel Weber - Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN)

  University of Zurich, Switzerland

  Representing Permafrost Young Researcher Network (PYRN) on the APECS Council

  Samuel's research interest concerns heterogeneous environments and climate change, especially process understanding and quantification of phenomena in mountain permafrost related to climate. His vision is to investigate fracture kinematics, to improve the understanding of processes in mountain permafrost using geophysical methods, to detect rupture processes in instable rock masses, assess rupture imminence and to design an early warning system for rock instabilities. For this, the combination of geo-science and engineering is very useful and enables field measurements at locations in hardly accessible environments. He greatly enjoys doing field work in alpine environments and being able to combine his knowledge as well as my experience with my alpine skills.

Past Council Members

• Past Council Members

  Several Council members stepped down during the 2018-2019 term:

  • Mehnaz Alam - Bangladesh University of Professionals, Bangladesh
  • Doğaç Baybars Işıler - ITU Polar Research Center, Turkey
  • Matteo Contu - Aru cambridge, United Kingdom
  • Kaushik Gupta - University of Manitoba, Canada
  • Charlie Hewitt - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
  • Bernabé Moreno - APECS Peru - Científica del Sur University, Peru
  • K M Vishnu Namboodiri - Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla, India

Several past leaders of APECS continue to serve our organization as ex-officio members of the Council to advise the Council members and their activities.

• Alice Bradely - United States

  Williams College, United States

  APECS President 2016-2017

  APECS Executive Committee Member 2015-2017

  Bio to be added soon.

• Meagan Dewar - Australia

  Federation University, Deakin University, Australia

  APECS Council Member 2016 - 2018

  Bio to be added soon.

• Jean Holloway - Canada

  University of Ottawa, Canada

  APECS Executive Committee Member 2017-2018

  I am a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa, Canada. My research interests are focused around determining how permafrost is responding to climate change in the Canadian Arctic. After completing my MSc (Geography) at Queen’s University, I joined the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa. At Queen’s, I worked in the Canadian High Arctic looking at features related to permafrost thaw, and during this time I fell in love with the North!

  My current research is focused on determining the impacts of forest fires on discontinuous permafrost in the south-western Northwest Territories, Canada. Little work has been done to quantify the impacts of fire on permafrost in this region, even though the increasing frequency and magnitude of fires has the potential to accelerate permafrost loss.

  Working on large multi-disciplinary projects in northern communities has made me realize that science communication is a vital part of conducting research, and I strive to make this an important part of my projects moving forward.

• Tristy Vick-Majors - United States

  University of Montana, United States

  APECS Executive Committee Member 2014-2016

  Bio to be added soon.

• Ruth Vingerhagen - Norway

  APECS President 2015-2016

  APECS Executive Committee Member 2014-2016

  My research aimed to understand biogeochemical processes in polar/alpine environments with the main focus on constraining how chemical weathering is affected by glaciation. I am currently studying PPU (teacher training) at the University of Southeastern Norway (USN).

• Yulia Zaika - Russia

  Research Assistant at Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

  APECS President 2011-2012

  APECS Executive Committee Member 2011-2013

  I was born in Murmansk region of NW Russia on May 14, 1984. I completed my studies at Petrozavodsk State University as Ecologist and Interpreter in 2006. Currently I am a Research Assistant at Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University. My research focuses on observations of climate data, snow cover and avalanches as natural hazardous processes in highly industrialized Russian Arctic regions. Since 2007 I was involved in IPY PPS Arctic project as a member of Benefits Russian Team (“Natural and Social Science Research Cooperation in Northern Russia and Norway for Mutual Benefits across National and Scientific Borders”) and coordinator for socially oriented observations on quality of life of people in Murmansk region. At the moment I am involved as Khibiny base representative in EU 7 Framework Programme project INTERACT (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic) with a numerous of circumarctic field station partners from 18 countries.

• Scott Zolkos - Canada

  APECS Council Member 2014 - 2017

  Bio to be added soon.