Council 2016-2017

The following early career researchers served on the 2016-2017 Council. In addition, the members of the APECS Executive Committee 2016-2017 are also part of the Council: Alice Bradley, Josefine Lenz, Hanne Nielsen, Alexander Thornton and TJ Young, as well as Heather Mariash (ex-offio), Trista Vick-Majors (ex-officio) and Ruth Vingerhagen (ex-officio).

We would also like to recognize our past leaders as they continue to serve our organization as Ex-Officio members of the Council: Yulia Zaika (Russia).

• Lorna Thurston - United States - Council Co-Chair

  Northern Arizona University, United States

  Hello, my name is Lorna Louise Thurston. I am a physical geographer and my current research interests are cold climate fluvial geomorphology and hydrology. I am enjoying being part of the Arctic Glacial Lakes, Catchments and Climate Linkages Project titled: “Collaborative Research: Developing A System Model Of Arctic Glacial-Lacustrine Sedimentation For Investigating Past And Future Climate Change”, funded by the National Science Foundation. My role on the project involves working towards completing a sediment flux model for major tributaries to Lake Peters, Brooks Range, Alaska. Prior to this, I studied and worked within the environment sector in New Zealand for almost ten years. I completed my BSc (Honors) degree in 2009, and I subsequently worked as an environmental consultant, managing the planning of large-scale subdivision and development projects. Since leaving my consulting position, I have completed the Postgraduate Certificate of Antarctic Studies at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand; travelled throughout the Southwest Pacific to Japan with the Enderby Trust; worked for charities in Australia; participated in the Summer School on Geomorphology in Austria, funded by the Volkswagen Stiftung; relocated from New Zealand to Northern Arizona University in the USA; and participated in the Model Arctic Council , Fairbanks, Alaska 2016. I am grateful to have had so many interesting experiences and I look forward to many more during the upcoming APECS Council term!

• Gabriela Roldan - New Zealand - Council Co-Chair

  Gateway Antarctica / University of Canterbury, New Zealand

  I am from Ushuaia, Argentina, but I call New Zealand home now where I am finishing a PhD in Antarctic Studies at Gateway Antarctica (University of Canterbury). I am a Social Scientist with interests in Antarctic geopolitics and Polar community identity, particularly in the gateway cities. I am passionate about Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and I have an extensive experience in Antarctic tourism, education and outreach. Also, in my spare time I work for a small non-profit foundation for ecological restoration in remote islands, and I travel frequently to Antarctica working as a naturalist for ecotourism expeditions.

• Jilda Caccavo - Italy - National Committee Coordinator

  University of Padua, Italy

  Representing APECS Italy on the APECS Council

  My apartment in Italy is home to an Antarctic researcher plush toy my parents gave to me when I began my PhD at the University of Padua studying the population structure of the keystone species the Antarctic Silverfish. Attached to the toy is a note I found in one of my childhood drawers which reads: Name: Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Age: 9, Job: Future Marine Biologist. I am proud to say that 20 years later, I am fulfilling that dream, employing multidisciplinary techniques including genetics, otolith chemistry and trophic analyses to understand the health of Antarctic fish populations in order to gauge what impacts climate change and anthropogenic disturbances will have on them. Becoming involved in the Antarctic sphere during my PhD and recently attending my first SCAR meeting in 2016 have catapulted me into the realm of Polar science, and I’m eager to expand that interest by working with APECS to meet and support more like-minded, passionate, Polar scientists.

• Sara Strey - United States - National Committee Coordinator

  

  Northland College, United States

  I am an atmospheric scientist and instructor studying interactions between the Arctic and midlatitudes from the perspective of air sea interactions. I received my BS from Central Michigan University in 2009, and my MS in 2009 in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois. I’m currently the Meteorology Teaching Fellow at Northland College in Ashland, WI while finishing the final stages of my PhD work remotely with the University of Illinois. My current areas of research interest include arctic-midlatitude interactions, excellence in undergraduate education, and air sea interaction from both the atmospheric and oceanic perspectives.

• Inhye Ahn - South Korea

  Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), South Korea

  Hello. I am Inhye Ahn. I am studying polar animal genomics and evolution in my MS and I am going to have PhD project from next semester in same field. I got BS in biology, geological science, and biotechnology. I am so interested in studying animals how they have been evolved in extreme environments(in polar, deep sea, on alpine so on).

• Sara Aparício - Italy / Portugal

  European Space Agency, Italy

  Representing APECS Portugal on the APECS Council 

  I have a master on environmental engineering with an incurable passion for polar – and space – science fields. I am currently at European Space Agency doing an internship and my field of interest comprises Remote Sensing systems for Earth Observation, with a special focus on data processing for improving and monitoring biogeochemical and dynamical processes that could ultimately prevent natural disasters and/or benefit policy-making decisions on climate adaption.

  In the past I conducted research on Biomass productivity, geophysics and governance issues in the Arctic and I also co-funded a Start-up related to STEM education. I have been engaged in education and outreach activities in Portugal, Brasil and Norway since I joined APECS in and APECS Portugal (in 2012). Currently I am the president of the Portuguese Committee of APECS (APECS Portugal).

• Devsamridhi Arora - India

  University of Delhi, India

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

  I am a PhD student at Department of Geology, University of Delhi, India. My research work has two major components. One is participation in ICECAP-2 (International Collaborative Exploration of Central East Antarctica through Airborne geophysical Profiling), which is a large international (USA-UK-INDIA-CHINA) consortium on the continued characterization of the unexplored regions of the East Antarctic subglacial environment, begun by the ICECAP program in 2008. The overall scientific plan of the project included the survey of a large, unexplored area of Princess Elizabeth Land (PEL) with radar sounding, laser altimetry, gravity, and magnetics. The second component of my work is geological studies of PEL with a motivation of connecting geophysics to geology. I am also checking PEL's affinity with Indian craton in my Ph.D. work. I did Bachelors and Masters in Geology from Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India. As a part of my doctoral research work, I participated in 35th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica and collected field data and rock samples from Larsemann hills, PEL. I am a Petrology-lover and thus love to learn and talk about minerals and rocks! Larsemann hills are one of the mineral treasures in Antarctica and hold some of the rarest varieties of Boron and Phosphorous rich minerals which make this place even more aesthetic for a geologist!

• Mia Bennett - United States

  UCLA Geography, United States

  Representing the United States APECS (USAPECS) on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD Candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the UCLA Department of Geography. I am a political geographer with geospatial skills interested in transportation infrastructure and natural resource development in northern frontiers, namely the Arctic and Russian Far East. As news headlines declare the Arctic newly opened by climate change despite five centuries of extraction, I ask who is really benefiting from major development projects occurring in the region today. I’ve done fieldwork on bridges both real and imagined in the Russian Far East and on a new highway to the Arctic Ocean in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and atop the melting Greenland Ice Sheet and inside air-conditioned offices in Singapore. Since 2009, I have blogged about the Arctic, most recently on a site I founded called Cryopolitics. I can be followed on Twitter @miageografia.

• Ted Bibby - United States

  University of North Dakota, United States

  I am a geomorphologist interested in processes that shape landforms and landscapes around us, especially in Antarctica. My research has applied cosmogenic nuclides to interpret ages, erosion rates, and sublimation rates of glacial landforms in the Central Transantarctic Mountains. I'm passionate about science outreach, ancient ice, Antarctica, polar processes, coding, GIS, Arduinos, labwork, fieldwork, as well as camping, hiking, paddling, and bicycling. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to talk science.

• Bruce Boles - United States

  University of Tennessee, United States

  I am an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I became interested in Antarctica and the Polar Regions in secondary school after writing a research paper about the influences of early polar explorers on Amundsen and Scott. I am currently studying chemistry and plan to continue deeper into this field of study as my university career continues. Also, I am assisting Dr. Jill Mikucki, a professor at my university, with her research on microbial life in extreme environments, specifically Antarctica. I am interested in this science because the study of this microbial life found in this extremely harsh environment will help us further determine if life could be present in other extreme places such as Mars.

• Gesche Blume-Werry - Sweden

  Umeå University, Sweden

  I studied Landscape Ecology (BSc) and Global Change Ecology (MSc) in Germany, but then moved to northern Scandinavia for my PhD. Since five years, I have now been living north of the Arctic Circle and am enjoying it thoroughly! I have just started a PostDoc in which, similar to my PhD work, I am working on tundra plants. Most of the plant biomass in arctic tundra is located belowground, and plant roots are key players in many ecosystem processes. Nevertheless, we know surprisingly little about them which is why my research focuses on belowground plant processes in subarctic and arctic areas.

• Liz Bowman - United States

  Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), United States

  Greetings from Fairbanks, Alaska. I am an early career student/professional hybrid with a background in International Relations focused on Arctic Policy. I have a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Idaho and am pursuing a Master’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Arctic and Northern Studies. Over the past several years, I have worked on a variety of initiatives and programs to advance the understanding of the Arctic. Nowadays, I am located at the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., where I work on a projects focused on connecting the Arctic science community. Outside of my professional life, I like to spend time with my family, travel, and meet new people.

• Julie Bull - Canada

  

  University of Victoria, Canada

  I am an award winning researcher of mixed Inuit descent with 15 years of experience working in research involving Indigenous people (in Arctic and non-Arctic contexts). My own research focuses on the governance of research/research ethics for research involving Indigenous people using community-based participatory-action approaches and Indigenous methodologies. I also work in a variety of projects at the intersection of research, policy, and Indigenous community development. I currently teach in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria and in the Indigenous Studies Department at the University of Toronto and am an invited lecturer and speaker at many events around the world. I also facilitate training sessions at the Canada School of Public Service and am a mentor in the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership at the Coady International Institute at St. Frances Xavier University. I am dedicated to ensuring more Indigenous content, education, engagement, and collaboration between Indigenous people in the Arctic, researchers, and policy makers.

• François Burgay - 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.

• Marta Bystrowska - Poland

  Univeristy of Silesia, Poland

  Representing APECS Poland on the APECS Council 

  In my phd research I deal with expedition cruise tourism development in the Arctic and investigate impact of various stakeholders and their interactions in adaptation to climate change influencing cruising activities. I have an academic background in human geography and regional development. Issues of local and economic development in the Arctic, as well as tourism space development are my main research interests. I apply qualitative methods and social network analysis to better understand human impact on space and natural environment of the Arctic.

• Adam J Campbell - New Zealand

  University of Otago, New Zealand

  I am presently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Otago in New Zealand researching thickness changes on the Ross Ice Shelf. In June of 2015, I completed my Ph.D in Earth and Space Sciences from the University of Washington. My dissertation focused on understanding environments that could serve as refugia for photosynthetic life during the Snowball Earth Events of the Neoproterozoic. While attending the University of Washington I served at manager for Engage Science, a science storytelling organization, from 2013-­‐2015. I completed a Masters degree in Geology at Portland State University in 2009, where I modeled the reaction of Crane Glacier to the disintegration of the Larsen B ice shelf. I have Bachelors degrees in Geology and Physics from Portland State University and Oregon State University, respectively.

• Elizabeth Ceperley - United States

  University of Wisconsin- Madison, United States

  I am a PhD student in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, focusing on glacial geology and Quaternary (the past 2.6 million years) paleoclimate. My current research is using 10Be exposure dating put numbers on past retreat of the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland in order to help constrain future retreat. I have had the opportunity to conduct geological fieldwork in the Arctic five times in the past 5 years, and hooked on studying the glaciers in such pristine and beautiful environments. Although growing up in flat Illinois, I was always drawn to the mountains as a place of interest, recreation, and beauty. Once I started taking geology courses in undergrad and started studying mountains and landscapes, I was hooked forever. I earned at BS in Geology from Beloit College, with an undergrad research project in Svalbard about fjord sedimentation in Kongsfjorden. I earned an MS in geology from the University at Buffalo, studying the glacial history of a valley in the Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska. In my free time I like to play ultimate frisbee, soccer, and volunteer.

• Henrik Christiansen - Belgium

  KU Leuven, Belgium

  Representing APECS Belgium on the APECS Council

  Henrik Christiansen is a marine biologist working as a PhD student in Leuven, Belgium. As part of a national Antarctic research program he investigates the connectivity and adaptation of Southern Ocean fish. After working and studying with(in) subtropical to temperate ecosystems, he is now excited to focus on the high latitudes. Being trained at the Universities of Hamburg, Bremen, Bergen, and Gothenburg he has a broad scientific background and a collaborative international approach to science. His current project relies heavily on molecular and bioinformatics work to elucidate genomic variability within populations. Several research cruises are part of his field experience, the latest one heading towards the Antarctic Continent and the Weddell Sea. In his free time Henrik enjoys almost any sport and/or water related activity.

• Caroline Coch - Germany

  Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Germany

  Representing APECS Germany and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD candidate at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam. My research is focused on hydrology and nutrient dynamics of small Arctic catchments. I am working with remote sensing data as well as in situ data from the Western Canadian Arctic in order to estimate sediment fluxes of small basins across the Arctic.

  I got bitten by the Polar bug’ during my time as an exchange student in Iceland in 2011/12. After finishing my Bachelor degree in Geography at Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena, I got a Master’s degree in ’Glaciology and Polar Environments’ at Stockholm University, Sweden. I have been very fortunate to visit both polar regions and I love to share my experiences. Coming from a broad academic background , I am excited to support the interdisciplinary work of APECS!

• Jennifer Cooper - United States

  California State University Los Angeles/University of California Irvine, United States

  I am currently a Msc Physics student at CSULA/UCI working on identifying the earliest galaxies in the universe with the Hubble Space Telescope and investigating the relations between dark matter distribution and galaxies. I completed my undergraduate degree in geophysics and astrophysics at Cornell University, where I studied volcanic activity all around the world, including those in Antarctica. I love to be engaged with all disciplines of science, which is probably why my favorite topic is astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth. During my first year on the Council (2016) I really enjoyed getting to know the other members and hearing about all of their research! I am also an Early Career Researcher for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research: Astronomy & Astrophysics Division (SCAR AAA). When I'm not heavily engaged in science, I enjoy competitive swimming, gymnastics and surfing along the Southern California coast.

• Adrian Dahood - United States

  George Mason University, United States

  I am a PhD student in the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University. My dissertation research focuses on using food web modelling to help design a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Western Antarctic Peninsula region. Prior to enrolling in a PhD program, I worked for the National Science Foundation doing environmental policy for the United States Antarctic Program. I truly enjoy working at the nexus of environmental science and policy. My policy work gave me insight into how environmental managers and policy makers use research to inform their decisions. It also highlighted some data gaps that need to be filled in order to progress with scientifically sound management of the Antarctic. With my graduate research, I am actively trying to provide managers some of the data they need to design the best possible MPA. I have been fortunate to both go to sea to collect some of the data used in my models and to attend CCAMLR Working Group meetings where Antarctic MPA planning is progressed.

• Archana Dayal - United Kingdom

  University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

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

  I have a Master's in Climate Science & Policy from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University, New Delhi and Bachelors in Biological Sciences from the University of Delhi (India). A summer internship and Master’s dissertation at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa on the study of organic carbon and dust in Antarctic snow sparked my interest in the field of polar sciences. Further, I was selected as a student researcher for the 33rd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica to study the biogeochemistry of blue ice and cryoconite holes. Needless to say, I fell in love with Antarctica! Thus I decided to pursue a PhD in polar research.

  I am now in my 2nd year of PhD at the University of Sheffield (UK), funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship. I spent a good part of this summer in Svalbard, the High Arctic (4 months) carrying out my field work on the seasonal ecology of snow. Contrary to popular belief, glacier and ice ecosystems are teeming with microbial life and have an extremely important role to play in the Earth’s climate system. I am having an amazing time studying these pristine environments and through UKPN, I would really like to share my enthusiasm and excitement for polar research!

• Meagan Dewar - Australia

  Deakin University, Australia

  Representing APECS Oceania and International Penguin Early Career Scientists (IPECS) on the APECS Council

  I am an early career scientist specialising in the microbial ecology of marine wildlife in both polar and temperate regions. My research focuses on describing the residential microbial community and looking at the potential functional role that the microbes play in vertebrate metabolism. I the co-founder of APECS Oceania and the International Penguin Early Career Scientists (IPECS) group and have organised 2 international ECR workshops for the penguin community under the banners of IPECS and APECS. I am also a member of the SCAR Expert group for birds and marine mammals, and of the Health monitoring of birds and marine mammals working group.

• Onur Sabri Durak - Turkey

  Istanbul Technical University, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  Since I have grown up nearby Mediterranean Sea, I have always liked the view of ships sailing through. This led me to enter into Navy High School. The Navy High School had great influence on me to understand the significance and prosperousness of seas. After graduating from Law School (Marmara University), I had a chance to combine my naval skills with my legal education. During my master degree studies at Istanbul University Social Sciences Institute, I focused on Maritime Law and Transportation Law. Later, during my Ph.D. studies I specialized in Maritime Transportation and Maritime Law. In 2009, when I was participating for Xiamen Academy of International Law Summer Program in China, Prof. David Caron’s words (King’s College Dean of the Dickson Poon School of Law) had strong influence on me for Polar Law, as he stated :“[F]riends, as lawyers we may not have a chance to go to space, but we have a chance to go to Antarctica”. After I was back to Turkey for teaching at Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty, I started to work as a legal advisor for “ITU Polar Research Center” (the only academic institution in Turkey) since 2015. During this period, I had chances to serve for representing my country at international meetings, conferences and academic events. My research publications include governance of Polar Regions, Polar Law and Law of the Sea. I do intend to develop awareness for Polar Regions nationally and internationally through my legal researches.

• Tamara Fletcher - United States

  University of Montana, United States

  I am a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Conservation Sciences, at the University of Montana, USA. My research here is in palaeoclimatology and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction to test potential terrestrial feedback mechanisms to polar amplification of temperature during global warm periods. As part of the international research group POLAR-FIT (Pliocene Landscapes and Remains Frozen In Time) I am focusing on the Early to mid-Pliocene – the last time that atmospheric carbon dioxide was as high as today - through several sites in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

  I am originally from Brisbane, Australia, where I studied at the University of Queensland. I volunteered in the Vertebrate Palaeontology and Biomechanics Laboratory from my second year in undergraduate science, and have pursued it since, with brief forays into science communication and philosophy of science. I see the past as a deep time laboratory that allows us to explore ecosystems over timescales and through global changes that are not possible in modern ecology.

• Friederike Gehrmann - Finland

  University of Helsinki, Finland

  Representing APECS Finland on the APECS Council

  I grew up in Germany and after finishing school in 2008 I moved to London, England for three years where I studied biochemistry for my Bachelor’s degree. In 2011, I moved to Finland and completed a Master’s degree in Plant and Forest Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki. I enjoyed living in the North so I decided to stay in Finland for my PhD in Plant Ecology which I started in 2014. My research concerns the adaptation of Nordic plants to natural small-scale environmental variations. I spend every summer in Kilpisjärvi, Finnish Lapland, where I do my fieldwork on mount Saana. In my free time I volunteer with the Helsinki Deaconess Institute, go running and spend time outdoors as well as meet my friends and learn Finnish.

• Caroline Geisert - France

  ENSTA Bretagne, France

  I am currently an MSc student in hydrography and marine geophysics. After a BSc in physics (2014), I decided to specialize in oceanography and hydrography as I have always had a passion for the ocean. I truly enjoy working in the field and on various scientific projects. In the summer of 2016, I worked for 2 months at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany on the circulation of freshwater in the Arctic. This project gave me an overview of the work in a polar institute and a first approach to people working in that field. This internship confirmed my passion for oceanography and broadened my interest and knowledge about polar regions. Besides my academic life, I am a sailing instructor and a first aid volunteer ; these challenging activities have always given me new opportunities and strong friendships.

• Vikram Goel - Norway

  

  Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway

  I am a second-year PhD candidate in Antarctic Glaciology working at Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway and enrolled at the University of Oslo, Norway. Broadly, my research interests are in the domains of glaciology, ground penetrating radar and cryospheric modeling. My research work focuses on studying the current status and evolution of ice rises in Dronning Maud Land Antarctica. It includes using field collected GPS, firn cores and GPR data to calculate the mass balance of the ice rise and modeling its deep internal radar reflectors to study its evolution over the past several millennia. Previously, I did my masters in Earth System Science & Technology from IIT Kharagpur (India) in 2013 and a bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from UPES Dehradun (India) in 2011. During my masters i was awarded the DAAD scholarship under which I carried out my Master’s thesis work at the Leibnitz University Hannover, Germany. As a part of the research, I participated in the field expedition at the Fimbulisen ice shelf, DML, Antarctica in 2014.

• Claire Griffin - United States

  University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, United States

  I am a postdoc in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. My research addresses the fate of terrestrial materials, such as organic matter and nutrients, in aquatic and estuarine environments. As an undergraduate at Clark University (2010), I had the opportunity to travel to northeast Siberia as part of the Polaris Project (2009). My interest in arctic river chemistry was solidified by this experience, and I began graduate studies at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute to continue pursuing this research. My PhD (2016) focused on using satellite imagery from the past thirty years to estimate dissolved organic matter (DOM) in major Arctic rivers across Alaska, Canada, and Russia. More broadly, I continue to pursue research on how different biomarkers – ranging from optical measurements of fluorescence to lignin concentrations – can be used to trace the sources and transformation of terrestrially-derived material in lakes, rivers, and the coastal ocean. Particularly in the Arctic, where surface waters abound and the carbon cycle teeters on the precipice of climate-driven change, improving our understanding of systems on a watershed scale could prove essential.

• Maxim Gutenev - Russia

  South Ural State University, Russia

  Hello, my name is Maxim Gutenev. I graduated from South Ural state University in Chelyabinsk. In 2013 I received sub-doctoral degree and now I'm an associate Professor in the Department of sociology and political science in the South Ural state University. My research focuses on the Arctic in General, problems of sustainable development of the Arctic region and development of the Northern sea route. I will be glad to have new contacts and cooperate with my international colleagues and friends all over the word.

• Christel Hansen - South Africa

  Rhodes University, South Africa

  Representing APECS South Africa on the APECS Council

  I am an geomorphologist, 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 received my BSc in Geoinformatics from the University of Pretoria in 2009. This was followed by a BSc(Hons) in Environmental Analysis and Management from the University of Pretoria in 2010 and a MSc, specializing in periglacial studies, from Rhodes University in 2012. I an currently putting the final touches on my PhD and have taught (and am currently teaching) courses at both the University of Pretoria and Rhodes University. 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).

• Laura Hobbs - United Kingdom

  University of Strathclyde / Scottish Association for Marine Science, United States

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

  I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Strathclyde working on a zooplankton model to describe the effects of environmental changes on Arctic zooplankton populations. I have recently finished my PhD at the Scottish Association for Marine Science where I used a network of acoustic data to look at the vertical migratory behaviour of zooplankton during the Polar Night. My current role is a collaboration project between the UK institutes of the University of Strathclyde and the Scottish Association for Marine Science, and also working with Norwegian institutes such as UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Most of my fieldwork has taken place in and around Svalbard, but I also visited Arctic Canada (Baffin Island) in 2010 as part of an expedition. I have been involved with the UK Polar Network since 2010, and have held the roles of Education and Outreach Officer, President, and Vice-President since then. As part of this, I have organised and run several Outreach events across the UK, and also training workshops for early career scientists.

• Jean Holloway - Canada

  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 BSc (Environmental Geology) and 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. My current research is focused on determining the impacts of forest fires on discontinuous permafrost in the south-western Northwest Territories, Canada. My research goal is to examine changes following forest fire with the purpose of improving predictive models. Forest fire is rarely taken into account in predictive models of the impacts of climate change on permafrost, even though the frequency and magnitude of fires is increasing. The significance of this project is that it will elucidate how forest fire may combine with climate warming to influence permafrost loss in the discontinuous zones, while helping to verify the existence of positive-feedbacks in this region, and quantify their impacts, notably the release of carbon as permafrost thaws.

• Christopher Horvat - United States

  Harvard University, United States

  I'm a 5th-year PhD student at Harvard, working mainly on linkages between small and large-scale processes in Earth's climate system. Specifically, I small-scale properties of the Earth’s sea ice cover and high-latitude ocean circulation, and model their influence on large-scale and long-range features of the climate system, like the seasonal retreat of the sea ice edge or the initiation of phytoplankton blooms in the ocean. In the long term, my research interests are directed towards uncovering new ways of understanding the variety of scales in the Earth’s climate system, improving climate forecasting, and navigation in the polar seas.

• Luis Huckstadt - United States

  University of California Santa Cruz, United States

  I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of California Santa Cruz. My research is motivated by my interest in understanding the role that large predators, particularly marine mammals, play in marine ecosystems, especially in those areas more susceptible to human-induced climatic change, such as high latitude and polar marine systems. To help answering these questions, I use Biologging technologies and Stable Isotope Analyses, in order to understand the at-sea behavior of marine top predators.

• Bruno Ibañez - Peru

  Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru

  Representing APECS Peru on the APECS Council

  I am a versatile Bachelor in Biology and Master in Marine Sciences with experience ranging from biochemistry and ecotoxicology of fish to biogeography and numerical ecological analyses. I have been working on elucidating the benthic community biogeographic patterns of the Southeast Pacific and their correlation with abiotic variables. Currently I am seeking to get experience in Antarctic research in order to assess how the changes will affect the polar communities and to fulfill my dream of exploring such latitudes.

• Shridhar Jawak - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India

  Shridhar D. Jawak is currently working as a "Project Scientist B" at the Polar Remote Sensing Division (Polar Sciences Group) of Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) ─ National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, under a long term project "Satellite-based Digital Elevation Model for monitoring Antarctic Ice topography, with special focus on Glaciers". He is a co-principal investigator of 2 major polar research projects peer-reviewed by national referees. He has also co-chaired/chaired 3 scientific sessions (focusing on geospatial science in polar regions) in major international conferences e.g. SCAR Open Science Conference (OSC) 2012, SCAR OSC-2014, and ISAES-2015. He has conducted 3 major field expeditions to Antarctica and 1 field campaign to Arctic during 2011-2016. He has trained/co-guided more than 70 Indian students for completion of their summer training and master's thesis projects in the field of polar remote sensing at NCAOR.

• Lynn Kaluzienski - United States

  University of Maine, United States

  I am a PhD student at both the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. I received my Bachelor's of Science in Physics and Astronomy at Emory University in 2014. Since then I have strived to apply my background in physics to problems within the Cryosphere. I currently research the dynamics of the McMurdo Shear Zone, a highly crevassed margin between the Mcmurdo and Ross Ice Shelves. Through a combination of GPS and GPR fieldwork and numerical modeling techniques I'm currently investigating the sensitivity of the Ross Ice Shelf to a weakening shear margin. I am also passionate about outreach efforts focused on inspiring the next generation of polar scientists. I'm currently a researcher in the PolarTREC program for an upcoming Antarctic field season where we will bring a middle school science teacher into the field. I am also participating in UMaine's Follow a Researcher Program where I will be connected to middled school and high school science classes during my Antarctic field season.

• Hanna Maria Kauko - Norway

  Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway

  I am a PhD student at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø, northern Norway. I did my Bachelor's and Master's degree (marine biology) at the University of Helsinki, Finland. I work in the field of bio-optics, that is, everything about light and algae is close to my heart. So far I have concentrated on ice algae and light transmission in sea ice. I work with data from an Arctic drift expedition (N-ICE2015) and other campaigns around Svalbard and Fram Strait. I am interested in the vast Polar Regions because of the high actuality, the lack of data and the beauty in them. In the free time I enjoy the great nature around Tromsø and all the outdoor possibilities it offers.

• Minkyoung Kim - South Korea

  Seoul National University, South Korea

  I am studying sinking and sedimentary organic carbon in the Amundsen Sea, Canada Basin, and East/Japan Sea. My major tool is the radiocarbon. I received my BS from Chonnam National University in Science Education, and my MS in chemical oceanography from POSTECH. I have recently been awarded the national scholarship for a PhD students from Korean NSF during my PhD on the chemical oceanography. My PhD project includes biomarkers and paleoceanography on the Amundsen Shelf. I've been to several field trips including two times of the Amundsen cruise with KOPRI team, Korea-Russia joint cruise in East/Japan Sea.

• Nikita Kuprikov - Russia

  

  Russian Polar Initiative, Russia

  Representing the Russian Polar Initiative on the APECS Council

  I’m a science researcher at Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (St.Peterburg, Russia) since 2014 and Associate Professor at Department 101 «Airplane design» of Moscow aviation institute (National Research University) (Moscow, Russia). My research focuses on aircraft design, polar exploration, ocean-atmosphere interaction and remote sensing. I have graduated from Moscow aviation institute (National Research University) as Engineer for Aeronautical design and Specialist for Linguistics in 2011. I did my masters 2011-2013 at MGIMO University (Moscow state institute for foreign affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation). I have done my Ph.D. on aeronautical design at Moscow aviation institute (National Research University). My thesis focuses on analysis of economical and technical characteristics of regional airplanes for the Arctic region. I am a current member of Russian Geographical society and Russian Association of polar explorers.

• Olivia Lee - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  I am a Research Assistant Professor at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My research interests include walrus and ice seal sea ice habitat use and integration of indigenous community observations and remote sensing data to track ice habitat changes. I am also interested in the use of scenarios as a framework to prioritize Arctic observing and monitoring efforts.

• Lydie Lescarmontier - France

  Australian National University

  Representing APECS France on the APECS Council

  I'm passionate about the environment and the polar regions! I started my studies focusing on the environment, and the impact of humans on its quality. And I actually found out that the most impacted part of the earth are the polar regions and that's why I decided to work on the evolution of glaciers in Antarctica. I followed a master degree in oceanography and climatology and started a Doctorate degree in glaciology. I worked with the french national research center on the interaction between the Antarctic ice-sheet and the ocean, using the example of the Mertz Glacier in Adelie Land (East Antarctica). In this context, I participated to four seasons in Antarctica with the french polar institute onboard the Astrolabe, a french ice breaker, to put in place a network of GPS stations on the glacier and follow its evolution.

  After my doctorate, I left to Australia to work at the Australian National University of the mass balance of East Antarctica. A part of my job in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division was to set up a network of autonomous GPS beacons in different part of the continent to get accurate estimates of the quantity of ice in that region.

  My work in the Arctic is more recent as I started in 2014 working as a guide in Svalbard and Greenland. And because I think that the best way to protect polar regions is to talk about them, I'm also vice-president of APECS-France.

• Douwe Maat - Netherlands

  Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Netherlands

  Representing APECS Netherlands on the APECS Council

  Hello, my name is Douwe Maat. I am a microbial ecologist, specialized in marine viral ecology and polar marine microbiology. My first encounter with the Arctic was in 2008 during my master evolutionary biology, where I did an internship on the effects of glacier melting on marine phytoplankton and bacteria. Since then I have furthered my interests in microbial ecology. I did my PhD on the effects of global climate change on virus-phytoplankton host interactions. In other words: how our changing environment affects the specific modes of phytoplankton mortality and subsequently marine food-web dynamics and the cycling of carbon and other elements in the water column. In 2014 I went back to the Arctic for a Post-doc on the effects of glacier-derived suspended sediments (rock-flour) on marine microbial interactions, i.e. how is grazing and viral lysis of microbes affected by these inorganic particles. I have been joining the APECS Netherlands meetings since that year with great interest and since 2015 I am chair of the APECS Netherlands committee (NC representative). We have several meetings/ activities each year and are working on expanding our network with more members and also have closer contact with other NCs.

• Sebastián Marinsek - 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!

• Claudia Maturana - Chile

  

  Universidad de Chile, Chile

  Representing APECS Chile on the APECS Council

  I have always lived in the north part of Chile, where the desert becomes dominant. From this point of view, Antarctica always seems very far away and unknown for me; eventually this place becomes very intriguing and fascinating. At school I was interested in biology and evolutionary trends in organisms, especially in extreme environments. It was only until many years later that I found my place at the Molecular Ecology Laboratory, where I could combine this childhood motivation with scientific knowledge. During my master study, I developed laboratory skills using molecular tools in marine invertebrates focus on the genetic consequences of a particular mode of development in Antarctica. Now, I am on the first year of my PhD, when I am going to test two biogeography hypotheses regarding of the evolutionary history of this group in Antarctica using a phylogeographic approach. Through all this years I traveled and met a lot of interesting people all over the world because of the network that I was able to make thanks to APECS. Now I am very excited and I want to make more things with you.

• Kyle Mayers - United Kingdom

  National Oceanography Centre Southampton & University of Southampton, United Kingdom

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

  I am currently a PhD student in Southampton, UK studying factors affecting growth and mortality rates of a phytoplankton group known as the coccolithophores. My interest in polar environments comes from a 5 week course on Arctic Microbiology at UNIS in Svalbard and Arctic climate change at the University of Gothenburg. I am also the current president of the UK Polar Network and am interested in polar outreach activites. In the past I completed an undergraduate degree in Biology at Warwick University and then spent 2 years working for a water company while studying an oceanography module with the Open University.

• Bernabé Moreno - Peru

  

  Científica del Sur University, Peru

  Representing APECS Peru on the APECS Council

  Call me Bernabé Moreno, Peruvian Marine Biologist passionate about the ocean. I obtained my BSc Diploma at the Cientifica del Sur University (Lima, Peru) on 2013. Early that year I made it to visit –for my first time– the Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer. I was sent as a scientist member of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cientifica del Sur University, to survey the macrobenthic communities of the Mackellar Inlet, King George Island. Since that expedition I’ve been involved with the Antarctic project of my institution, sharing some of my results on symposia and open science conferences like the last XXXIII SCAR (Auckland, 2014). On the science field I develop I’ve tilted my interests towards the marine ecology of polar and subtropical ecosystems, in order to look for contrasts both in faunistic composition and physical drivers. In my country, Peru, with its sea sustaining plethora of diversity and richness, I’ve been performing as a consultant for the zoning plan of Marine Protected Areas of certain offshore islands for which I’ve steered and executed SCUBA Scientific Diving Protocols assessed with Underwater Photography. I’m looking forward to implementing these techniques for the next Antarctic Expedition on 2016.

• Swati Nagar - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India

  Currently, I am working with National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa (a nodal institute for Polar research in India) in the capacity of ‘Project Scientist-B’ in Outreach activities. In ESSO-NCAOR, as part of outreach activities, organized an open day for school and college students.

• Karolina Paquin - Norway / Svalbard

  Freelancing, Norway / Svalbard

  Karolina Paquin is a Polar enthusiast living in Longyearbyen, with a broad knowledge base of multiple disciplines from Polar areas. She spent a year living in Finnish Lapland to take the Arctic Studies Program, and went on to complete a Master in Northern Populations and Ecosystems at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. As a person with both interest in knowledge and adventure, she pursued opportunities in Tromsø with APECS as project officer, then sailed to Svalbard to work at a remote station, as a snowmobile and ski expedition guide, helped build a small science communication company to fuse tourism and research on Svalbard, and is now freelancing for both sectors.

• Igor Stelmach Pessi - Belgium

  
  University of Liège, Belgium

  I have been fascinated with the Polar Regions since I was an undergraduate student in Brazil. I started working with Antarctic microbial communities during my master’s studies. During this period, I became more and more interested in polar research. I was surprised by how little we know about the microbial communities thriving in cold environments, especially if we acknowledge the vital contribution of psychrophilic microorganisms to global energy cycles and climate maintenance. After obtaining my master’s degree, I decided to continue my studies abroad. I am currently a PhD student at the University of Liège (Belgium), working with the diversity, ecology and (meta)genomics of polar cyanobacteria. After a couple of years working with material that had been collected beforehand, I finally had the opportunity to experience a polar environment. During four months, I carried out research and fieldwork in Svalbard. This unique experience was life changing for me; to fulfill a personal dream of going to a polar region, to finally experience the environment that I had been studying for many years, and to witness the beauty and fragility of the Arctic.

• José Queirós - Portugal

  University of Coimbra, Portugal

  My name is José Queirós and I finished my degree in Biology this summer. I am very interested in Polar ecology, especially the predator-prey interaction, but also I am interested in auto-ecology, i.e. the ecology of the species per si, particularly in terms of reproduction. During the last year I started doing research in Antarctic ecology studying habitat and trophic ecology of Antarctic squid from the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean. My goal is to establish as a Marine researcher and for that I will follow my studies in University of Coimbra doing an MSc in Ecology. To my master thesis I will continue to work in Antarctic ecology and with the cephalopod fauna but going further South to the Ross Sea. Education and Outreach is something that really interests me since I believe we should share our and with this in mind I already participate in some activities like talks in schools and science fairs.

• Pablo Rodríguez Ros - Spain

  Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Spain

  I already have more than 5 years of professional and academic international experience in Earth Sciences research. thus, I have participated in research projects, during 6 years, in Global Change, Polar Regions and Marine Sciences in different national and international institutions:
  - Institute of Marine Sciences, ICM-CSIC (Barcelona, Spain). 09/2014 - Present.
  - Takuvik (Université Laval + CNRS) joint laboratory studying the Arctic ecosystems (Quebec, Canada). 01/2016 - 04/2016 (3 months).
  - OceanLab, University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK). 07/2013 - 09/2013 (3 months).
  - Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, IMEDEA-CSIC (Balearic Islands, Spain). 09/2013 - 09/2014.
  - Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, ICMAN-CSIC (Cadiz, Spain). 07/2011 - 09/2011 (3 months).
  - Dept. Ecology, University of Murcia (2 Years); and Dept. Atmospheric Modelling in the Dept. of Earth Physics, Univ. of Murcia (1 Year).

  During my BSc in Environmental Sciences and my MSc in Global Change, obtained the highest marks of my promotions in. So that, I was awarded with the "Outstanding Award in Environmental Sciences" from the University of Murcia and, also, with the "Excellence Fellowship for Postgraduate Students" from the Menedez Pelayo International University. Presently, as the biggest achievement of my academic career, I hold one of ''la Caixa Foundation 4-years PhD Studentship'' the most prestigious and competitive grants (just 25 for the whole country) to develop a PhD in Spain. With a strong social media repercussion for Polar Sciences in Spain.

  My current career objective, as a PhD student in the Marine Sciences Institute (ICM-CSIC), is to achieve experience in biogeochemistry and ocean colour science over the Polar Regions; in order to apply this knowledge to understand the role that marine trace gases play as aerosol precursors in the global climate. I strongly believe that future developments and discoveries in Polar Science will radically change the way we do Earth Sciences, in general, and marine sciences, in particular.

  During the first year of my PhD, I participated in the spanish-funded research project ''PEGASO'' (Plankton-derived Emission of Gases and Aerosols in the Southern Ocean), leaded by Dr. Rafel Simo (ICM-CSIC), where I was in charge of the underway bio-optical measurements. We performed two different cruises in the Spanish Research Vessel ''Hesperides'': (1) Trans-PEGASO (6 weeks), from Cartagena (Spain) to Punta Arenas (Chile) and (2) PEGASO (8 weeks); Antarctic Ocean, Oarkney Islands, South Georgia Islands & Weddell Sea. Also, our research group have been selected to participate in the next international oceanographic cruise expedition called ACE (“Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition”), from november 2016 to march 2017. The project we will develop in the mentioned expedition will be "SORPASSO" (Surveying Organic Reactive gases and Particles Across the Surface Southern Ocean).

  I have recently performed a doctoral research stay in Takuvik joint U.Laval / CNRS laboratory program (Quebec, Canada) under the supervision of Dr. Marcel Babin & Dr. Martí Galí (January-April, 2016). There, I have learnned work in the assessment of the impact of ongoing climatic and anthropogenic changes on Arctic marine ecosystems.

• Corinna Röver - Sweden

  KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

  Representing APECS Sweden on the APECS Council

  I am a doctoral student at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment at KTH Royal Institute of Technology since 2015. I hold an Erasmus Mundus M.A. in Global Studies and before joining KTH, I was a Visiting Fellow at the International Polar Foundation in Brussels.

  My doctoral project ”Governing Reindeer Husbandry – economy, colonisation, and Sami mobilization” is part of the Mistra-funded project ”Mistra Arctic Sustainable Development (MASD)”.

  The purpose of my project is to examine how land use changes and the legacies of colonization have impacted and changed reindeer-herding Sami communities in 20th-century Swedish Sápmi, and how these communities have responded to such developments. I am particularly interested in the conceptualizations of reindeer and reindeer husbandry as resources, and focus among others things on the rationalization efforts during the 1950s through 1970s to see how and why reindeer husbandry has been defined through economic considerations during that period.

• Vicki Sahanatien - Canada

  Representing APECS Canada on the APECS Council

  I have been an Arctic-o-phile since the mid-1990s when I moved to Inuvik to work on the Yukon North Slope in Ivvavik National Park. Since then I have lived in NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut, working on environmental research and monitoring projects from 66°N-83°N (Ward Hunt Island). My most recent research project was for my Ph.D. at the University of Alberta, which I defended on September 8th, 2015! I studied the sea ice habitat, space use and movements of polar bears in Foxe Basin, Nunavut. I have been a member of APECS since 2010 and an APECS-Canada board member since 2012. As an Iqalummuit (resident of Iqaluit) I would like to raise awareness locally and in Nunavut about APECS and current polar research through special events (e.g. Polar Week), radio and public presentations. One of the reasons I love the Arctic is because the ski season begins in November and lasts until June.

• Vincent Schulze - Germany

  Global and European Studies Institute Leipzig, Germany

  I am first year PhD student in Political Science at the University of Leipzig, Germany. I am interested in the evolution of an Arctic Governance Regime and the role of the Small States in the Arctic. My main focus areas are Northern Europe with a special emphasis on the Westnordic Region and Finland. I got hooked on the Arctic when I spend my Erasmus in Tampere, Finland. I am originally from Berlin, Germany but I completed my BA (Cultural Studies/Political Science) at Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena and MA (European Studies) at the University of Leipzig. For another semester abroad I went to Reykjavík, Iceland to complete a postgraduate diploma in Small State Studies. I took part in the “Legal, Economic and Political Governance of the Resource Exploitation in the Arctic” Summer School at Aarhus University and worked as a Research Assistant for a project about the Arctic dimension of the Icelandic and Finnish European Policies at the Centre of Area Studies in Leipzig. In my leisure time I love to spend my day outdoors trail running but I am also learning Icelandic and travel as much as I can.

• José Seco - Portugal

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

  Representing APECS Portugal on the APECS Council

  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.

• Elisa Seyboth - Brazil

  Federal University of Rio Grande (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG), Brazil

  I am an Oceanographer that currently is a PhD student (CNPq fellow) 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 that dealt with 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 three in Antarctic region. After participating on the SCAR Conference in 2016 and getting in touch with young researchers from APECS, I had great desire to actively contribute to the activities of the institution, what I hope to achieve soon.

• Evgeniia Sidorova - Canada / Russia

  University of Calgary, Canada / Russia

  I am a doctoral student in Political Science at the University of Calgary. Originally from Yakutsk, Russia, I moved to Alaska to do my Master's degree in Arctic and Northern Studies (Global environmental policy) and then decided to continue my studies in Canada.

  Right now I am interested in the policy of Arctic offshore oil and gas extraction and its effects on the well-being of Indigenous communities and environment. My research will compare the Arctic regions of Russia, Canada and the United States (Alaska) to identify the best way of dealing with negative externalities of petroleum extraction in these particular regions. I also consider the possibility of international cooperation between the Arctic regions and indigenous organizations in these selected countries.

• Neelu Singh - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India

  I have 7 years of working experience in the field of environmental chemistry and geochemistry. During my career as a Research Fellow, I have gained extensive working experience on the study of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Heavy Metals in the Polar Region. This research work experience gives me a command over the topics and global issues related to the environmental subject.

  Being associated with the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) the premier polar institute of the India, I got an opportunity to be a part of several national expeditions those were carried out at different global hot spot study locations like Antarctica (28th Indian Antarctic Expedition 2008-09), Indian Ocean Sector of Southern Ocean (4th Indian Southern Ocean Expedition 2010) and Arctic (Indian Arctic expedition-Summer period 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) . Each of these regions is unique for its characteristic environmental features and during these expeditions I got to know these areas personally being there and by collecting samples from target stations.

  Apart from this, I have also undergone several international training programs and workshop at University of Svalbard (UNIS) and University of Tromsø to upgrade my knowledge in global scenario of environmental issues.

• Runa A. Skarbø - Norway

  The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway

  I am a PhD candidate working in the field of Arctic marine technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). I am Norwegian, originally from Oslo but now live in Trondheim. I have a Masters of Science in marine engineering and naval architecture (2014).

  My interest in the Arctic began when I did my master's thesis on shipping along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). In this work, I compared different technologies ships can use to reduce their emissions from the exhaust, and if using this route would still be an economically viable option given the installation of these expensive technologies. During this work, I was fascinated by the many technological challenges of ships operating in the Arctic, such as remoteness, darkness, low temperatures and the presence of sea ice. My primary research interest during my PhD is mitigating the impact sea ice has on ships, and combining different sensor technologies to gain information about the ice conditions around the ship. My work is related to two Centres for Research-Based Innovation funded by the Norwegian Research Council; SAMCoT (Sustainable Arctic Marine and Coastal Technology, hosted by NTNU) and CIRFA (Centre for Integrated Remote Sensing and Forecasting for Arctic Operations, hosted by the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø).

  I recently participated in the six-week research cruise Arctic Ocean 2016, where I got the opportunity to gather data for my research and to visit the North Pole!

• Merran Smith - Canada

  Yukon Government, Canada

  Merran hails from Whitehorse, Yukon. Her upbringing in the subarctic has provided her with a love for the north, its peoples, communities, mountains and rivers. After several summers working at a remote wilderness lodge (Dechen'La) in the Mackenzie Mountains, she was sure of wanting to work with First Nations and in an environmental field. She subsequently completed a B.A in Environmental Studies/Geography with a minor in Indigenous Studies at Bishops University in the eastern townships of Quebec. This involved writing a thesis on the integration of Yukon First Nations and traditional knowledge into resource management and land-use planning in Yukon. Over the last five years, Merran has worked in the climate change field as a Researcher for the Yukon College and Memorial University and as the Adaptation and Outreach Coordinator and the Research and Administrative Assistant for the Climate Change Secretariat of Yukon Government (current). She plans to continue her interdisciplinary studies in the near future researching an issue that connects water and/or the cryosphere and Indigenous peoples.

• Andrea Spolaor - Italy

  Ca Foscari University of Venice, Italy

  I am the Italian APECS coordinator and I am involved in several outreach program and international polar association such as PAGES, IASC, ICYS. My main research is ice core studies and paleoclimate with particular attention to ocean iron fertilization process in past and the changes in sea ice detect from ice archives, Arctic and Antarctic. I am strongly involved in snow monitoring research in Arctic (Svalbard and Greenland) and to the post depositional process affecting the annual snow cover with particular attention to the photochemical process.

• Alison Thieffry - Canada

  Laval University, Canada

  After earning a bachelor degree in Political Sciences at Saint-Louis University in Brussels, I pursued my academic journey in Québec, where I graduated with a master degree in Political Geography. This focus allowed me to add an environmental dimension to my political knowledge. My interest for the circumpolar world grew stronger as I specialized in the geopolitics of the Arctic. In the course of my research, I had the chance to travel to Nunavik (Northern Québec), as part of a course on northern environments and their transformation in response to climate and human impact. This experience enabled me to interact directly with northern communities and to familiarize with the Arctic realities in a concrete manner. I also had the opportunity to participate in various seminars and conferences, both national and international, which offered me a thorough understanding of international issues surrounding the Arctic Ocean. With these issues in mind, I'm always mindful of the interaction between humans and their environment.

• Katya Uryupova - United Kingdom / Russia

  University of Salford (Manchester, UK) + Contributor at www.arctic.ru and intern at the Sekretariat of the Antarctic Treaty (Fall 2016)

• Gary Wesche - United States

  Representing Polar Educators International (PEI) on the APECS Council

  I am a polar educator that resides near the geographic center of the USA in landlocked Kansas City, Missouri. I have a Masters of Science in Education (2015) and have taught students in elementary school (1985-1989), science in middle school (2006-12), and physics at Rockhurst University (2012-14). I participated as a PolarTREC teacher with an Antarctic expedition to Byrd Surface Camp (2009-10) with the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CRESIS). This experience changed the trajectory of my focus in education, and I served on the first executive committee of Polar Educators International, PEI (2011) helping to launch this new organization that grew from the IPY. I just completed two terms as president (2014-2016). Most recently I was the Penguin Education Coordinator for the Kansas City Zoo (2013-16) through the creation of the education and outreach programs for their new penguin exhibit. Currently, I am focusing on working with educators and schools in understanding their role in conserving and protecting the polar regions of our planet by providing collaborative connections with researchers and educators.

• Nadya Yanakieva - Bulgaria

  Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria

  Representing APECS Bulgaria on the APECS Council

  Hello, my name is Nadya Yanakieva. I am a geologist and I have a Master degree in Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". I am interested in polar science. In the begining of the next year I will be joined in a research program with Bulgarian Antarctic Institute that led me to do field work in Antarctica. I will work with a portugese collegue to evaluate the evolution of permafrost in time and to correlate it with climate change. This will be my first Antarctic expedition but I am sure about that - I want to be a polar scientist. I hope will have many interesting experiences during the upcoming APECS Council term!

• Scott Zolkos - Canada

  

  University of Alberta, Canada

  I am a PhD Student in the biological sciences program at the University of Alberta. My graduate focus in ecology stems from my longstanding fascination with the impact of climate change on Earth systems. After completing my B.A. in environmental science at Middlebury College (2011), I joined the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) as a Research Assistant. For 2.5 years at WHRC, I was part of research teams investigating the impacts of climate change and land disturbance on river chemistry and land-ocean linkages (Global Rivers Observatory), with much focus on the Arctic. My participation as a team member on the international Polaris Project expedition (2012) to the Siberian Arctic inspired me to pursue graduate studies in arctic science. As a graduate student in Dr. Suzanne Tank's lab, I am studying the influence of massive permafrost degradation on carbon cycle dynamics and aquatic ecosystems in the Peel River watershed (Northwest Territories, Canada). I find this research rewarding and fascinating because I work with a fantastic group of international researchers and Northern communities to understand the impacts of climate change on arctic ecosystems.

• Yulia Zaika - Russia - ex-offico

  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 Vice President 2012-2013

  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.