The application period for the 2023-2024 APECS Executive Committee has closed and we are not accepting late applications. You can find all seven applicants listed below (in alphabetical order by last name):
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Anastasia Deyko - Peru
Bionote: Since my 5 years of research of Barents and Lapland, indigenous North changed my multicultural experience completely. Shortly, is “So close, yet so far”. “So close” means my observation: philosophy of life behind the polar circle, coexisting and conquering nature, fighting in eternal winter and taking the most of every moment during the short summer. Those are gentle uniting points of every one from the high North region. Those secret ancient knowledge that let natives to survive independently of language, borders and fast recent changes. It is my core interest - to involve culture, scientists and enthusiasts united. By “So far” I mean not only density of population, but also massive, from point to point, cross country territory, with bare inside transport connection. But mainly bureaucracy, economic and political borders, which destroyed the original net of centuries long human beings' values. Tracking international activity of the Barents region, I see a lot of affordance in the direction to become relatively closer and achieve synergy effect together with government institutions, self established scientists and volunteer initiatives. I will aim to blur the barriers and find more uniting points between culture, politic and social studies in Northern territories. Hopefully, build stronger “bridges” between established science institutions and emerging initiatives. I believe it is possible to detect weak points and develop new ways of cross studies and cultural international collaborations. As I mentioned, blurring borders in remote Northern territories is my priority interest in the present career level. It is my main focus, which I experienced recently promoting art, cultural exchange and early stage researchers in the Barents region, Siberia, Greenland. I believe that indigenous education, culture and funding promoted together can make Cold be Cool again for the future generations, for those whose hearts are melting together with the Polar ice. Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
By being part of the Executive Committee, I will aim to understand better the barriers and uniting points inside APECS. Hopefully, to build stronger bridges between National Committees and Project Groups. As well to make external connections tighter and so membership in APECS more attractive. I believe that even in one term of being involved in an Executive Committee it is possible to detect weak points and establish new ways of cross Committee, cross studies collaborations. As I mentioned in the bio, blurring borders is my priority interest in my career and life globally.
I really enjoyed leading the APECS Art project group and representing Social Media as part of the Council. I believe it was just the beginning of my career path inside APECS. My personal interest in joining the Executive Committee is the chance to research for the further possible strategy of cross studies international young, specifically indigenous initiatives.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
My experience of leadership started in university, when as a thesis experiment I decided to start my own design collaboration and later to grow it into a fashion brand. To organise production, quality control, photo sessions and promotion was a hard way to learn how to apply theoretical studies to real life. I spent 3 years as coordinator and co-producer of Mercedes Fashion weeks in Moscow with the need to polish knowledge and understand better inner business and team working processes. Later on I switched to be a part of a business incubator in Sweden, where every member expected to achieve personal milestones. But to consider the long term interests of the whole incubator was a must to do.
I devoted 10 years to be an entrepreneur in the area of art and design. Building 2 teams from scratch and achieving recognition on the markets taught me to balance trust and doubt, theoretical knowledge and international realty. I always asked myself “why?” before making decisions. And “why not” is never an answer.
As Council Executive in APECS and, earlier as PG leader, my responsibility was to collaborate with partner organizations and be responsible for APECS presentation in the networks. I maintained a network of polar researchers across disciplines and internationally to meet, share ideas and experiences, as well as develop new research directions and collaborations. I provided and distributed opportunities regarding career development in both traditional and emerging professions related to the polar regions, including promoting education and activities as integral components of polar research. I suggested new projects, directions, and ideas for the Executive Committees to be shared over Project Group. During the term of changes in APECS Directorate and complicated period for all Project groups, I was able to keep Social Media filled with relevant content, update news and provide necessary information by requests. This, I believe, was not only important to keep APECS represented actively on the global stage, but as well establish a solid base for future terms.
As APECS Art PG leader (term 2021-22) I was distributing tasks to PG members for tracking activities of international cultural institutions and art movements. We build bridges (online archives as a supporting guideline) to visualize climate change, independently of age, nationality, geographical position. Records of monthly seminars, contributions and posts to the newsletter can be found in the archives.Details
1) Notable active participation in conferences, summits and forums (Northern Forum, ASSW, AMASS Lapland, UArctic as the main priorities, but not limited to)
2) Seek further opportunities to represent APECS and this PG’s goals in conferences, academic symposia, through oral and poster presentations.
3) Participate in relevant events as an invitee with the aim of networking and digging useful links, resources.
4) Generate notable APECS ART media content biweekly and later daily (APECS Art blog, collaboration with Vlog PG, social media contributions, APECS newsletter)What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
General contributions:
Professionalism: As a multitasking person, I show no difficulties to generally cover administrative routine and information exchange between relevant stakeholders in the Polar region. Plus collecting basic sociology research data for future APECS use.
Appreciation: I will recognise the value of voluntary contributions and external partners.
Tolerance: I will seek to support APECS members to thrive in their professional endeavours regardless of age, appearance, career status, ethnicity, sex, nationality etc.
Passion: My personal interest in being Project Group Leader is the chance to research for the further possible strategies of Appearance of disappeared cross studies international initiative.
To contribute locally: Assist-Cooperate-Collaborate. Means to build closer relations institution to institution, scientist to scientist, contributor to contributor, member to member, according to the tasks of the Directorate. Shortly, to orient to in the field, as it is called in the marketing.
To contribute globally: Develop-Present-Promote. Which is to assist early career researchers, specifically from remote Arctic territories, in promotion. Put special attention to Polar Weeks and important Polar related events. My multicultural experience and multilingualism, I hope will provide the synergy effect of instructions from Directorate and to APECS members.What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
Key priorities being part of the Executive Committee, based on personal experience and deep involvement in daily APECS routine: Catalyze the simplify the process of structural modifications, which are still noticeable after change of host institution, directorate and office Advice and monitor re-branding of APECS, which is unavoidable due to web page reconstruction Review and reorganize Project Groups: merge or delete inactive and invent new. Review and reorganize National Committees: merge and delete inactive, invent new. Invent, promote and develop ties and collaborations between National Committees and Project groups. Make Project Group and National Committees activities more public and visible. Stimulate campaigns and promotions in Social Media. Make membership in APECS more beneficial and attractive.
-by generating an unique database of Polar related jobs and opportunities, which at the best can be proposed as new Polar opportunities Project Group.
-by generating an unique database of Polar related publications, literature, images and videos, where early career professionals and established researchers can share their materials for discussions, correction or as global science input. EG New Polar Archive Project group.What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
As Projet Group Leader and later Council Member, I had have such a experience inside APECS: To understand SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of the Project Group situation. To coordinate a strategy path to the aim and detail how to make tactic steps. To accept and delegate adequately responsibilities. Put fair professional expectations from myself, colleagues and external participants. To learn over personal and team mistakes and to teach over team and personal achievements. To generate spirit of the regular little achievements for PG members was done by: Give importance to feedback. Give a right for initiatives and improvisation. Consider long term educational and international exchange. Establish external relations.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
No.
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Hugo Guímaro - Portugal
Bionote: Olá from Portugal! I'm Hugo Guímaro and I am a PhD student at the University of Coimbra based at the Marine and Environmental Science Centre (MARE, Coimbra- Portugal) and at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS, Cambridge- United Kingdom). I focus on Antarctic marine animal ecology with a particular interest in the ecological interactions with climate change of the iconic Emperor Penguin species. By applying satellite imagery technology, my ambition is to help conservation actions effectiveness, while contributing to carbon-neutral solutions as a future research priority of polar science. My life naturally led me to choose a background in Biology with a specialization in Ecology, but social sciences are also present in my life. I'm highly involved in education and outreach activities related to polar science, raising awareness for environmental issues. Photography is another part of my life that I use as an escape and a way of perpetuating memories in time. My experience with APECS began in 2017, and since then this adventure of being part of the early polar community has given me numerous opportunities that help me with my personal development. Through these years, I had the chance to help others. Having these opportunities with such responsibilities (i.e., National Committee Coordinator, Council Chair or even APECS Portugal Representative) makes me feel passionate about helping others. I believe collaboration and kindness are the best way to a better community and a better world, and I hope to continue sharing it with everyone in APECS through new challenges.Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
For me APECS is an amazing community that gave me so much help and space to grow as person. I wish to give it back to the others and at the same time help APECS. Since 2018, I became a member and so far, has been very rewarding, not only in terms of career development but also in terms of personal development as I already mention. There are a lot of reasons that I could state why I enjoyed this journey so much until now, but I will try to summarize it briefly. Probably the great characteristic that made me be very active and interested in APECS was the fact that APECS is an international organization full of opportunities for people from such different cultures and backgrounds to work together towards a common goal: a better polar science for a better world. Those opportunities range from career development to encouragement of occupying leadership positions to full support our personal grow.
I had the opportunity to help several working groups through time, leading my way to be a Council Co-Chair to deep my understand of APECS council. Afterwards, for the last two years, I had the chance to work closely with the National Committees and with their Representatives. Without a doubt, helping other colleagues with the dream of form a polar community in their own country was so enriching that could give me a lot of insights on how the NCs work in so different ways to achieve the same goal: help young polar enthusiastic communities on their own countries.
I feel that now it is natural to go a step further and join the Executive Committee. Being part of the ExCom will give me the opportunity to continue developing as a person by providing me multiple opportunities to connect with the wider polar community.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
My involvement through APECS Leadership began back right in the beginning of my relationship with the polar regions, in 2017. First, I became a member and right after I applied to APECS Portugal ExCom, where I’m staying until now as an advising member, helping the current President and Vice-President through the daily life of APECS Portugal. But I had the opportunity to be Vice-President for a term and President for two consecutively years, where I had the responsibility with my fellow colleagues to understand and how to react to a changing world during the pandemic of COVID-19, at the same time maintain the support of APECS Portugal to the Portuguese community.
I became more active in APECS Council when I became one of the Representatives of APECS Portugal. That gave me the insights that I needed to understand the value that an organization as APECS could have in my life (and I continue to be the Rep. along with other good friends). Afterwards, I began to be involved in several working groups but the group that was responsible to review the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports by early career scientists, was the one that I can say gave me the click for be more ambitious. So, during that time, between 2019 and 2021, I had the chance to be a sub-chair of the group that reviewed the Second Order Draft (SOD) of WGII contributions to the IPCC AR6. Here, I helped coordinate the Polar Chapter by selecting the participants and sorting the participants’ comments, as well as other things.
Afterwards, I moved to have a broader vision of APECS Council through the Council Co-Chair leadership position, with other two colleagues, being one of the connection links within the Council. Also, during the last term and at the current, I had the opportunity to be one of the National Committee Coordinators. So far, this position is the hardest but the most enriching one that gave me a lot of insights into how the National Committees work to achieve the same goal. I hope to put into practice all this information and experience to the well-being of the APECS community being an ExCom member.
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
I hope I can help APECS grow as an organisation by contributing with new ideas and with my perspective when needed. I want to help keep the tasks to be running smoothly and helping new APECS members to have a safe and inclusive environment capable of fulfilling everyone's professional and personal potential. Everyone knows this term was a little atypical due to APECS International Directorate moving to another host institution. Still, I would like to help to continue to establish a clear and fluid communication channel between the ExCom and all APECS Council.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
For this ExCom term, I would like to focus as the main priority to be helping to continue reestablishing a clear and fluid communication channel between the ExCom and all APECS Council, as I think that is the fundamental pilar of APECS as a networking organization of young scientists. Also, there other priorities that I think that it should give attention and support, as for instance:
Project Groups – ensure that all members of the project groups understand their role, learn from it, being active and feel integrated in their group. I think the PGs are one essential part of APECS Community as most of APECS members have their contact only through them, so it is very important to them to be running smoothly.
National Committees – from my experience as a National Committee Coordinator, I feel there is a need to provide capacity-building resources to NCs so that they can sustainably grow, as there is a lot of interest from new members to form new NCs for their own country.
Social Gatherings – with the new changes to the council structure some years ago, the contact of some APECS members became a little restricted to their own Project Groups, so making social gatherings would be essential to build a healthy and cohesive APECS community.What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
I already have some experience as seen above through my experience in the Council by being Council Co-Chair or a National Committee Coordinator where I can advise other National Committees. Also, I already was President and Vice-President of APECS Portugal and now I serve more as an advising member. I was in charge of different activities and organizational committees of conferences of polar sciences in Portugal and overseas, as well as, back in my city, I had the opportunity too to be the President of the Journalism Section of the Academic Association of Coimbra for several years, where I advised and write for the Science and Technology section of the Academic Journal of Coimbra.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
Yes, during the month of November 2023. I will have my first fieldwork experience for my PhD project. Super excited for it!
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William Harcourt - United Kingdom
Bionote: I am an Interdisciplinary Fellow at the University of Aberdeen where I use remote sensing and artificial intelligence techniques to study glaciers and ice sheets. I am currently leading the development of a Greenland Ice Sheet digital twin which will aim to understand the drivers of recent mass loss from the ice sheet. Previously, I studied for a BSc in Geography at the University of Exeter before obtaining an MSc in Geographical Information Science (GIS) from the University of Edinburgh. In 2022, I completed a PhD in Physics at the University of St Andrews where I developed millimetre-wave radar for mapping and monitoring glaciers. I have been involved in APECS since 2020 through co-leadership of the Polar Earth Observation database project group and loved every minute of it! Beyond this, I also contribute to other Arctic consortia such as the Remote Sensing Working Group (RSWG) of the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS). Through these roles, I aim to speak up for and enhance the voices of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) working within Polar science from across the world.Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
I have significantly benefitted from APECS activities over a number of years and want to continue to help APECS widen participation in Polar science from our the diverse ECR Polar community. From the IPCC Group Review to thematic webinars, APECS has enabled me to widen my academic network within the Polar sciences and explore new insights into the complex environments found at the Poles. Because of the very positive impact APECS has had on my career so far, I believe it is my duty to ensure newcomers to the field can similarly exploit everything that APECS has to offer. On this basis, I would like to use my position on the APECS Executive Committee (ExCom) to harness the voice of ECRs, the future leaders of Polar science, so that we can establish a welcoming research environment and progress as a scientific community. Further, a position on the APECS ExCom is a great opportunity for me to express my passion for Polar science, develop an international outlook on Polar research and focus on ensuring the voices of ECRs are heard in an ever-changing modern world.
I am particularly keen to build upon my successful role as co-leader of the Polar Earth Observation project group. Not only has this been a rewarding experience in terms of developing leadership, organisation and teamwork skills, I fully believe that the resource we are developing in the project group will help the wider Polar community better understand the complicated world of remote sensing. Further, the team that we have assembled has worked magnificently well, with lots of participation from PG members which has led to a welcoming community for everyone to contribute to. I am proud of the work that we have completed in this project group, and I am eager to use this very positive experience to further advance APECS activities across the network through the position on ExCom. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the wider APECS community, playing a part in the development of the organisation and having a say in key aspects of the organisation’s growth.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
Since 2020 I have been co-leader of the Polar Earth Observation Database Project Group. I initiated this project group from the very start and have overseen its growth over the 3 years since its inception. The idea for the project was borne from my own experience of struggling to access suitable remote sensing data sets for my own research and so I wanted to build a digital resource to improve the accessibility of Earth Observation science to ECRs. After 3 years’ of co-leading this project group, I am pleased to say that we will reach our goal of creating an online database and user-friendly, searchable interface for ECRs to use. The success of the project group was a direct result of the heavy engagement from all project group members and the strong sense of community that we developed. During this period, I also completed my PhD and changed jobs twice, yet I am still as motivated as I was at the start of my role as PG co-leader to develop APECS as an international hub for Polar ECRs. My role as co-leader of this project group and initial development of the concept has been very successful and I am looking forward to continuing this into the ExCom position.
Beyond this, I have also played an active role within the APECS Council and acted as an ambassador for Polar ECRs. Having been involved with APECS since 2020, I have seen APECS evolve its structure and adapt to new challenges, all of which has since the organisation flourish into a global network of Polar ECRs. By engaging with the council meetings and the council tasks (e.g. revisions of the council handbook), I have been able to contribute to the current status and shape of the APECS organisation. Where possible, I have acted as the voice of the Polar Earth Observation project group and voted on the groups’ behalf, promoting democracy over the individual. Further, I have actively engaged with the current ExCom and developed a very good working relationship with them, therefore I believe that I will be able to quickly transition to a position on the 2023/24 ExCom. Finally, I have acted as an ambassador for APECS over the course of my tenure and have sought to increase the opportunities for ECRs to engage in Polar science, socialise, and gain leadership. I look forward to bringing these experiences through with me to the ExCom.
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
As a member of the APECS ExCom, I will work tirelessly to ensure the voices of ECRs are heard. I will do this through tried and trusted mechanisms such as social media call-outs, providing support to project groups, and by finding new opportunities for Polar ECRs to develop new skills. I am also eager to develop new ways to support ECRs and to improve the accessibility of Polar sciences across the world. For example, I work across different consortia such as SIOS and am currently exploring new opportunities with the Greenland Ice Sheet Observing System (GISO) and the Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean interactions (GRISO). I am eager to see how we can develop new links with these organisations and develop exciting opportunities for Polar ECRs to develop their network and also be exposed to cutting edge science. Superseding all of this, I want to make APECS a welcoming home to anyone with an interest in polar science and will utilise the experience I have gained leading the Polar Earth Observation database project group to do this.
Beyond these specific contributions, I will continue to work hard for APECS to further the cause of Polar science and its importance in the context of climate change. I am a passionate believe in the fundamental role of ECRs in pushing the boundaries of science and I am committed to ensuring Polar ECRs can gain as much from APECS as I have been able to. I will ensure that anyone from across the APECS communities feels comfortable contacting with me issues and will strive to provide guidance and mentorship to all members as they navigate the new APECS Council term. Finally, I will participate in the activities of ExCom and contribute to tasks where appropriate, whilst also bringing along new ideas on how to develop, improve and evolve the organisation to ensure its longevity.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
I have four key priorities I would focus on during my term on ExCom alongside any other tasks that accompany the role:
1) The most common problem faced by APECS project groups is lack of engagement and non-active members. I also struggled with this during my role as co-leader of the Polar Earth Observation project group. I would focus on developing new ways in which to tackle this issue. This may involve membership updates throughout the term, limiting the size of project groups, or tracking activity by project group members. I will draw upon my successful experience of building a core group of project group members that actively engage and use this to develop mitigation strategies.
2) I have an interest in website development and maintenance and would be eager to contribute towards the development of the APECS website update that is currently ongoing. Whilst the current website provides lots of useful information, it can be confusing to navigate and so I would also like to focus on helping the directorate with content updates and technical support where appropriate.
3) I am also eager to explore new avenues to create opportunities for ECRs through my own network and new organisations such as SIOS, GIOS and GRISO. By developing new links, I hope to expand the reach of APECS and open up new possibilities for ECRs to engage with the wider scientific community. I would also like to explore possible opportunities outside of academia and through different industries (e.g. space agencies) and explore links between the two.
4) On a personal note, I am eager to ensure that the Polar Earth Observation project group is able to thrive into the future and develop new initiatives beyond that which we have developed during my time as co-leader. I am therefore personally motivated to ensure the longevity of this project group and will provide support during the transition period to a new set of co-leaders.What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
In my role as an Interdisciplinary Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, I am supervising students at BSc, MSc and PhD level. I am primary supervising one PhD student and co-supervising another, through which I am gaining hands-on experience of managing, mentoring and advising individuals. I have also supervised students at BSc and MSc level in my previous roles at the University of St Andrews and Edinburgh Napier University, specifically providing hands-on guidance on using technical software such as Matlab and ArcGIS. I have therefore gained significant experience in managing individual people and ensuring their individual projects are completed successfully and on time.
Being co-leader of the Polar Earth Observation project group for 3 years, my role has transitioned into not only leading the group but also the mentoring of new group members and nurturing of the group in general as it evolves. In particular, over the last year we have had an influx of new members and I have attempted to integrate the old and new members by splitting the group into sub-groups in order to enable the new members to understand the inner workings of our project group. In addition, I also work within the Remote Sensing Working Group (RSWG) of the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) where I have acted as the ECR voice for Svalbard researchers who study the Svalbard environment. Through this role I have helped manage ECR events and provide guidance to ECR Svalbard researchers through webinars, online conferences and training courses. Through these roles I have gained lots of experiences supervising, managing and mentoring individuals and will take this forward into the role on ExCom.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
I might be conducting fieldwork in summer 2024, but this is dependent on funding. Exact times / length / dates are to be confirmed. I will take holidays sporadically throughout the year but will update on exact timings.
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Doğaç Baybars Işıler - Türkiye
Bionote: Hello everyone from Istanbul/Türkiye! I am an Oceangoing Watchkeeping Officer (OOW) with more than two years of experience working on ships. I have worked in the Polar Research area since 2015. I have participated in the yearly National Polar Expeditions of Türkiye as a participant and member of the ground support team using logistics and the legalization. I am now a Ph.D. student and working at the Polar Research Institute (PRI) as responsible for logistics operations. Prof. Dr. Burcu ÖZSOY, who is also the founder of the Polar Research Institute (PRI), gave me the chance to meet with Polar Researches and enlighten my road. Therefore, in addition to the Arctic and Antarctic operations, I have also been concentrating on education and outreach initiatives since it is as vital to pass along the information gained to future generations as it is to operate in the Polar Regions. I assumed the initiative in the formation of the Turkish Students' Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) based on this concept. PolSTeam is run by university students and promotes awareness among instructors before pupils within the context of age-appropriate courses. I now serve as the ex-chair of the PolSTeam advisory group. I also represent Türkiye in international meetings like The Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS), and The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP). Based on 9 polar expedition’s experience, I have given countless speeches on maritime safety, and Polar Regions, in addition to writing a chapter for polar studies. I have also participated in the planning and executive committees for polar science workshops, polar festivals, and European Union (EU) projects. Besides all professional backgrounds and topics, even though I can’t find time to do as a professional one, I also like to skate, dance, take acting courses, watch theater, and continue to read the newspaper (and yes still printed ones :D).Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
I applied to APECS ExCom for the period 2022 - 2023 to contribute these gained experiences to new research areas outside the national borders within the scope of APECS, while getting valuable experience and information from other researchers who are competent in the field of international cooperation and management.
Thanks to your votes I have been elected to ExCom last year. Since then to keep my word, I represent not only my country in international meetings but also APECS as an ExCom member. During this period I found the chance to widen the APECS circle in The Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS), The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), and The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Action Meetings. In this way, I already contact with national representatives of Thailand and Malaysia who wants to have their National Committee of APECS in their countries. Moreover, I found the chance to support the foundation process of APECS Korea.
Aside from one-by-one meetings about, in order to represent and explain international studies of APECS in festivals and European Union projects that I contributed to execute, I supported the opening of booths under the name of APECS Türkiye to reach 50,000 participants (https://educate-night.org/).
Besides making contributions in national and international areas to APECS, I am currently taking a role in-house to prepare the revised strategy plan of APECS, based on my 9 years of engaged experience with more than 105 organizations, 1100 presentations, and 200000 participants in education and outreach initiatives. I have been on the planning and executive committee of events such as polar festivals, exhibits, and street interviews, in addition to setting up training in schools and scientific centers under the name of APECS Türkiye while releasing all of these with documentaries in both Turkish and English for the general public.
For the next term, I would like to finish what I started just 8 months ago. I would like to make a contribution to reaching as many people as possible by planning collaborative workshops with APECS, and other national committees of APECS.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
I am currently an ExCom member of APECS. I'm in my first year on this duty. During this period I was involved in some project groups such as APECS Podcast (Polar Times), Mental Health Resources, and Overcoming Barriers to Indigenous ECRs.
Before being an ExCom member, I have been a National Committee representative (NC rep) of APECS Türkiye during the seasons of 2018-2019, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022. As an NC rep, I found a chance to get knowledge about other countries' studies, and also to be a participant in the project groups. Art, and Science & Diplomacy Project Groups where I have been involved in. During the 2021-2022 season, as of Science & Diplomacy Project Group, we organized APECS Workshop Session with the help of Nicholas Parlato and Susana Hancock in Arctic Science Summit Week 2022. I also had a very precious chance to make a presentation during the session.
Each year, we organize an art competition in Türkiye along with National Polar Scientific Expeditions. There are approximately 400 students sending their artworks and the chosen ones (it is always all of them since we do not want to discourage the young generation :) are carried to the White Continent. Also, the winners get gifts unlike from rest of the participants. With this motivation, we both promote all students’ contributions and award them to encourage them. For last year's competition, the winners got their awards on the stage of the concert which was held for the EU project in front of 10000 participants (https://educate-night.org/galeri).
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
I would like to keep contributing to APECS in the international area while having represents all studies of it. As an ExCom member, I would like to continue the bilateral cooperation that I started negotiations with and transfer the solid communication foundations that will be established through these meetings to APECS.
Also, I would like to support the strategy of APECS, which we have started to revise, with the experience I have gained in the polar field since 2015 when the first institutional structure was established in Türkiye.
Moreover, I would like to share my knowledge with other members of APECS ExCom members while learning about their experiences in both Polar Research and studies.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
My priority will be to focus on new relations between APECS and other international organizations on not only polar studies but also other related ones.
Also, since collaborative activities that include multi-national joining can be so productive to regular national activities and promote the students, multi-national researchers can make huge contributions while they are expanding their horizons. Therefore, having a close relationship with Polar-focused international organizations is one of the most effective keys to reaching this aim.
What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
I have experience as an NC rep for three years including with a Letter of Endorsement (LoE). Also, I have experience in Polar Research for almost 9 years including logistics, purchasing, budget, organizations, law, training, safety issues, education & outreach, and national delegation of Türkiye in international meetings.
In the light of the expertise mentioned, I joined 9 National Polar Scientific Expeditions as both an organizing committee and member, 6 National Polar Science Workshops, 2 Polar Festivals, 3 seasons of APECS NC rep, 1 EU project as a member of the executive committee and founding president and current advisor of PolSTeam. After all these experiences, I have been elected as an ExCom member.
Besides my official job, I voluntarily worked as an assistant at the Social Cultural Center at Istanbul Technical University, which was established to facilitate the adaptation of students who came from other provinces to a huge city like Istanbul, until graduated. We contributed to the adaptation of students by organizing theater events, museum and exhibition tours, tournaments, and dance and hobby courses.
Also, during my university years, I took part as a supervisor in meetings, concerts, and events with thousands of participants for 5 years.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
Based on the duty sharing in our Institute, there might be field work on the the 3rd Turkish Arctic Scientific Expedition (TASE – III) for 4 weeks between June – July 2023, 8th Turkish Antarctic Expedition (TAE – VIII) for 4 weeks between January – February 2024, and the 4th Turkish Arctic Scientific Expedition (TASE – IV) for 4 weeks between June – July 2024.
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Lina Madaj - Netherlands
Bionote: I am originally from Bremen, northern Germany, where I also did my PhD on the topic of past ice-sheet dynamics in western Greenland based on isotope geochemistry. I analysed radiogenic isotopes in marine sediments in order to trace detrital sediment fluxes through meltwater discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet into Baffin Bay. After my PhD I added some organic geochemistry to my inorganic geochemistry expertise by doing a postdoc at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Here I am working on the fate and transport of organic carbon into the Arctic Ocean from thawing permafrost, mainly in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. As so many of us I also couldn't help falling in love with the beautiful and unique environment of the Arctic which happened for me during a research cruise that I attended while doing my master degree in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since that summer in 2015 I wanted to contribute my part to polar research and science communication to help protect and raise awareness about the delicate and rapidly changing Arctic realm. During the past years I have been involved in different outreach and science communication projects, including being part of the APECS social media team - because communicating the science is, to me, as important as the science itself. Besides being involved in APECS for the past four terms in different roles (project group leader, social media coordinator, ExCom member) I am also actively part of the European Geoscience Union (EGU) early career network within the cryosphere division by currently holding the position of one of the chief-editors of the EGU cryosphere blog.Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
The simple answer would be: I currently am and I do not feel like I am ready to let go but would like to finish what I started. I have been actively involved in the APECS Council for the past four years, including one year within the ExCom. I have met and worked with a variety of great people and learned the intense value of APECS as a network. During this past term within the ExCom I gained even more insights into how this organisation is functioning and how important the work and voices of early career researchers are. Even though this term started off on a rocky road with a not so smooth directorate transition I enjoyed my time at ExCom very much and took on a few projects/priorities that I would like to further work on during the coming term - one of it being the improvement of internal communications within APECS to being an even better advocate and communicator for the APECS member's needs and wishes within the organisation.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
I have been actively involved in the APECS Council and leadership for the past four years, starting of as a project group leader (two terms), continuing as a social media coordinator (two terms) and as part of ExCom (one term).
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
Having had multiple different leadership and member roles within APECS I feel like having a great overview of the different positions and needs of APECS members. Combining this with a number of years actively involved within the organisation and also one term within ExCom I am familiar with the main processes but also possible weak spots. While I am aware that this is a really time consuming role I still feel like I managed to not only see the "big" and "important" issues but also the smaller ones that sometimes get buried under tasks that seem more urgent. All in all, I can contribute my experience within the APECS leadership but also as a general member, my sense of fairness and justice and track-keeper for the seemingly minor issues that are usually the real important once.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
As mentioned above already I would focus on improving communications between APECS (Council) members and Leadership/ExCom/Directorate, not limited to general exchange between project groups. Communication is a really powerful tool in any kind of way, between people, but also through an organisation, all APECS members should feel like they have functioning ways of communication within both directions - to and from the leadership - to assure every member has equal opportunities in accessing everything APECS has to offer as an early career network. The network is the core of APECS but so are the project groups and those were unfortunately the most affected by the slow directorate transition during this term. I would also like to focus on supporting project groups more in their every-day work with regards to achieving their goals and keeping their members throughout the term but also foster collaborations between different project groups. Last but not least there have been discussions about more general meetings between APECS (project group) members such as social gatherings and networking events and I would like to support pushing this forward for everyone to see more faces and "real" connections within APECS.
What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
I have a broad scope of mentoring/advising/leadership experience, within APECS as a project group leader, but also as social media coordinator and ExCom member. I have been a representative for my PhD grad school and for another youth organisation in my home town and lately gathered some experience in supervising student projects at my current university. I have recently joined a mentoring programme as a mentor during a scientific conference and also just took over the role of one of the chief-editors on the EGU cryosphere blog.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
I might be planning some fieldwork, but so far there are no plans yet and it would probably be three weeks maximum.
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Ryan O'Hara - USA
Bionote: My name is Ryan O’Hara, and I am an undergraduate studying computer science, mathematics, and environmental physics at California’s Harvey Mudd College. My primary research focus is on the ways that robotic systems can support failing ecosystems and mitigate the consequences and root causes of climate change. This research has taken me from NASA’s Kennedy and Ames Space Centers, where I worked on the development of an algae-based life support and water purification system for extraterrestrial habitats and water-starved regions on Earth and helped develop AI models to better capture the emissions of air and spacecraft, to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where I took part in a research expedition to study the effects of climate change on both myctophid populations and the wider marine ecosystem. During my tenure with APECS, I have served as the founder of the UNFCCC project group, a project group leader for the podcast project group, represented APECS as part of our organization’s group review of the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report, and was a council co-chair during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 terms. Outside of academia, I am very involved in green electoral politics, grassroots environmental organizing, and advocating for equitable and sustainable environmental policies.Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
I’ve always held the belief that science should be used to improve the world. What’s the point, after all, if our work doesn’t solve problems and make peoples’ lives better? I hope to use my life to make a positive impact on the world around me, and I was first drawn to APECS because I believe it embodies many of the same values. APECS emphasizes community engagement and works to bring together the many disciplines and diverse populations under the polar work umbrella for the good of the wider world. I hope to continue working with APECS in order to further develop those goals and benefit from the wide range of professional growth opportunities that this organization offers.
My three years with APECS have proven these initial assumptions true. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I’m constantly impressed and inspired by the work that my fellow APECS members are involved in. My favorite part of being involved in this organization is meeting other young researchers and learning about their projects and work, and I wish to continue serving on APECS' leadership team so that I may both remain an active part of the APECS community and help APECS continue to empower early career polar and climate professionals, particularly those from underrepresented communities. I want APECS to keep positively influencing the polar sphere long after I’ve moved on, and I believe the best way to accomplish this goal is to shape APECS policy as a part of ExCom.
My primary motivation for joining ExCom, as I discuss in more detail below, is to shape APECS into an organization that uplifts all early career polar researchers by connecting them with meaningful career opportunities and providing a diverse community. I believe that my several years of experience on APECS' Council have given me the skills necessary to serve as an effective and meaningful member of ExCom and to continue the many projects - from connecting APECS with the IPCC and UN, to improving the community of APECS' council, to incorporating the concerns and needs of APECS' members into my decisions and actions - that I've started during these past few years. APECS has provided me with great mentors and career opportunities, and I hope to work to give those same benefits to the next generation of APECS members.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
I have been involved with APECS' leadership for the past three years. During the 2020-2021 term, I was one of the PGLs for the APECS Podcast group; during this period, my co-lead and I produced around a dozen interviews with a diverse range of polar scientists and thinkers and dramatically increased the average number of listeners per episode. I was also involved in the APECS IPCC review; I helped select reviewers (and reviewed several chapters myself) for the IPCC's landmark 6th Assessment Report.
During the 2021-2022 term, I served as one of APECS' council co-chairs. This position taught me the ins and outs of APECS leadership and ExCom work: I learned how to organize and run council meetings, communicate the Council's needs to ExCom, create the biannual council reports, and generally how ExCom work functions. I also used this position to install the rotating timezone schedule for council meetings (which allows for better inclusion from APECS' diverse membership by making sure that every timezone will be given a meeting time that doesn't fall in the middle of the night).
During the current term, I founded the UNFCCC project group and am again serving as a council co-chair. Despite the late start to the term, I've worked to improve council meetings (largely by making the meetings more conversational, allowing for more in-depth discussion about problems NCs and PGs are dealing with), increase the interactivity of the council (by organizing a large APECS town hall, to be held at the end of the term, and hosting guest APECS speakers at the start of Council meetings), and work with ExCom to overhaul and rework the APECS handbook. The UNFCCC PG, meanwhile, aims to send a delegation of APECS members to the UN's annual COP climate summits, giving APECS members the chance to interact with the global environmental community and sit in on climate policy meetings.
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
I would hope to contribute my experience, new ideas, and commitment to listening to our organization's members to APECS and ExCom. As outlined above, I've been involved with APECS leadership for quite some time (and, therefore, have a fairly strong idea of how the organization functions) and have always tried to push new projects and ideas to better engage APECS' membership, improve lines of communication between the broader Council and Council leadership, and give our organization's members the chance to apply their skills and knowledge to the real world (e.g. through the UNFCCC project group). I would bring these same strengths to ExCom, but would particularly focus on staying in-touch with the Council and membership. I believe an organization functions best when it takes and incorporates feedback from everyone; after all, what's the point if your organization isn't serving all of its members? Through my years of experience with APECS' leadership, I've tried to incorporate the feedback our organization receives during meetings and through council reports into actionable, organizational change (e.g. I've started organizing Council meetings via Google Calendar after several members expressed an interest in that, I've started several interactive Council events after hearing Council members express a desire for a stronger APECS community, I started the UNFCCC project group to bring APECS members from underserved communities to UN conferences free of charge to improve the diversity and inclusion of environmental spaces) and would work hard to maintain and grow this work if selected to join ExCom.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
My priorities would fall in line with my previous APECS work and the contributions outlined above:
1) I would continue looking for ways to connect APECS membership with intergovernmental organizations, such as the UN and IPCC. I believe that APECS has the potential to serve as a vehicle to allow early career and underrepresented researchers the chance to jumpstart their careers by making strong connections with established environmental and polar entities. While on ExCom, I would work to connect APECS members with external organizations and increase our organization's involvement in the global polar and environmental sphere.
2) On a similar note to my first priority, I would connect with APECS' sister early career polar organizations (e.g. SCAR, IASC) to provide APECS members with more opportunities to work on projects with other organizations. Some of my best APECS memories involve working with other polar organizations - such as taking part in the joint IPCC review or speaking at COP27 on behalf of APECS with several other ECR polar groups - and I would work hard to make those same opportunities possible for all of APECS' members.
3) I would keep working to connect underrepresented groups with APECS. I believe APECS' DEI PG and recent ExCom teams have done great work to connect with underpresented communities, and commit to prioritizing the continuation of that work while serving on ExCom. Much of this comes down to making myself accessible, listening to APECS membership, and building organizational connections with broader polar networks for marginalized communities (e.g. Pride in Polar Research, Polar Impact, etc.).What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
As outlined above, I've helped lead various project groups and/or the APECS Council for the past three years. Through these roles, I've spent a significant amount of time organizing and leading various projects and initiatives, mentoring and supporting new members, and providing advice and mentorship when appropriate.
Outside of APECS, as mentioned above, I am deeply involved in electoral politics (often providing technical environmental advice to the group or candidate I'm working with to help them build stronger policies), have significant experience leading research groups through my various academic ventures, and have taken part in global environmental policy construction by speaking at UN conferences.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
No.
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José Queirós - Portugal
Bionote: I’m a PhD student at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and I focus my research in the Southern Ocean deep-sea, being interested in the ecological interactions (mainly predator-prey), species autoecology and resources management. For my PhD, I’m studying the deep-sea food webs related with the Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish fisheries in the Southern Ocean, to understand how these are structured and how climate and anthropogenic stressors can affect it. My primarily work in polar ecosystems was during my degree when I studied the habitat and trophic ecology of Antarctic squids. It was during my master that I turned my research to Southern Ocean fisheries and studied the diet and trace elements concentrations in Antarctic toothfish from the Ross Sea region. During all these periods I had the luck to spend several months in the Southern Ocean, as by collecting samples for my research onboard fishing vessels, as by spending some time in scientific stations analysing them. Besides my academic research, I’m interested in Education and Outreach activities, given talks in schools and museums, but also participating in science fairs and other events. Conferences, coffee breaks and engage with friends after work are among my favourite things to do. I became an APECS member in 2014 as a member of the Executive Committee of the Portuguese National Committee which I chaired during the 2018 term. In 2016 I joined the APECS Council and since then I participated in several different project groups, being a Project Group Leader of some of them, had the chance of being a council co-chair for two terms and a member of the Executive Committee for one term.Why are you interested in APECS and joining our Executive Committee?
APECS is part of my career as an early career researcher because it gave me the opportunity to meet other enthusiastic ECR and closely work with them increasing my network, both in Portugal and abroad. During this period, I also learn skills that have being highly useful for me as a scientist but also as a person. Being part of the ExCom for the past term showed me that I still have a lot to learn, as by improving some skill that I gained in the past as by learning new ones, and the ExCom is a major place to do it. Furthermore, being part of the ExCom is an excellent opportunity to help other ECRs, not only directly, e.g. chatting with them to reply to a direct question, but also indirectly, e.g. by working on collaborations we are able to improve the representativity of ECRs in the major Polar organisations, benefiting the entire ECR community.
Please describe in more detail how you have been previously involved in the APECS leadership (e.g. Executive Committee, Council, NC leadership)?
I joined APECS in 2014. Between 2014 and 2019 I’ve been an ExCom member of the Portuguese National Committee. In the 2018 term, I was the chair/president of the Portuguese National Committee. Since 2016, I’m a member of the APECS Council. In the council I was the Project Group Leader of the Mentor Award in the 2017/18 term and of the APECS Development Program in the 2018/19 term. In both 2020/21 and 2021/22 (current term) I was one of the three council co-chairs. Besides these positions, in the 2019/20 term I had a temporary ExCom position for 2 to 3 months. During the current term, i.e. 2022/2023, I’m a member of the Executive Committee.
What do you hope to contribute to APECS as an Executive Committee member?
As an ExCom member for the following term, I expect to contribute to the daily needs of APECS (e.g. running of Project Groups), but also contribute with new ideas or new goals for APECS. Furthermore, I wish to be able to continue to contribute to some ongoing collaborations that will continue during the next term. From a personal perspective I would like to see a higher engagement of countries from underrepresented areas of the world (e.g. Africa, Southeast Asia,…), but also from some scientific areas (e.g. social sciences are underrepresented in APECS Council). In addition, using experiences from previous years to help new PGL/council chairs/national committees to solve any issue that appear and/or any other help they need.
What priorities (e.g. projects, activities) would you focus on during your term on the ExCom?
During the next ExCom term, I would like to focus on the recruitment and engagement of new members, especially from underrepresented areas in APECS This relates with nationalities/countries of residence, as well as scientific disciplines. Promote equal opportunities to ECRs independent of the region of the globe, scientific background, gender identification, sexual orientation, culture, needs to be a priority of APECS. During the current term we were able to identify some areas that are currently underrepresented in APECS and, in particular, at the Council. After delivering an ATCM (Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting) paper where this was identified and increase representativity stated as a major goal, I believe in this term ExCom can start working in how to do this, i.e. find strategies to motivate and attract people, which sometimes they think they don’t have these opportunities to engage with other ECRs.
I would also like to work with APECS Council Chairs, National Committee Coordinators, and some related projects groups to engage the entire APECS membership to council activities through social meetings, project groups open presentations. This also applies to social virtual gatherings that improve the network among council members and project group members. During the current term, this was an objective in the ExCom and we are currently working the council chairs and the APECS Development Program PG to be able to deliver at least one social event until the end of this term. Having the chance of promoting one event during this term, I would that, in the next year, we would be able to do more cultural events that allow ECRs to meet and use APECS as a major platform to increase their network.
Lastly, one of the things that I would like to happen next year is to return to the normal functioning of APECS. During the current year we faced some delays due to the change of host institution and having the Executive Director alone in the office managing all the work in APECS. These delays could be worse if not by the great effort it was made by the directorate (over the last weeks already with help) to keep things running. One of the priorities, in my opinion, for ExCom on the next year is helping the directorate to have the council running at 100% from the beginning of the term so everyone, PG leaders, PG members, NC representatives, have the opportunity to reach their goals, doing the tasks they want and engage the highest number of Polar ECRs with APECS. This is a work that already start with the current ExCom when drawing the applications (for APECS Leadership, PGL and PG members) calendar and should continue for the future.
What experience do you have mentoring and advising committees, Project Groups or individuals?
Besides the activities related with APECS council, I was in the organization of several workshops, activities and events during my time in the university, I mentored degree students, lead working groups in some international conferences and was part of committees to develop strategic plans.
Are you expecting any longer away periods (3+ weeks e.g. for intense study periods, fieldwork) during the 2023 - 2024 term?
No.
