Researcher Profiles

Camilla Nichol is the Chief Executive of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), based in Cambridge in the UK. UKAHT is a not-for-profit charity responsible for the preservation of historic sites on the Antarctic Peninsula and delivering a public programme to engage and inspire people with stories of human endeavour in Antarctica.  As Chief Executive she is responsible for running the charity, leading a team to deliver the Antarctic operations; a seasonal operation at Port Lockroy and the ongoing heritage conservation programme, to deliver a range of public-facing activities to reach more people with this heritage and to engage them with Antarctica more widely – these could be museum exhibitions, artist events, talks and lectures, theatre performances, the list is endless. Another important aspect of her role is in championing Antarctic heritage in the wider context of Antarctica, in the heritage and cultural sectors and in advising policy-makers on matters concerned with heritage in Antarctica. Originally Camilla trained as a geologist at the University of Edinburgh before then pursuing postgraduate study in Museum Studies, collecting qualifications in gemmology and museum studies along the way. 

Camilla is involved in the wider museums/heritage sector as a trustee of two other charities, external examiner for a museum studies Masters course and recently the Museums Accreditation Committee. She is interested in heritage policy, in how heritage can be an effective lens for wider engagement with science, history and the environment, and the positive impact understanding heritage can have on contemporary issues.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  As chief executive of UKAHT I am responsible for the smooth, effective and accountable running of the charity, I am answerable to a fully-engaged Board of Trustees and together we devise and I deliver our strategy to engage more people with Antarctica through the extraordinary stories of human endeavour on the continent. I lead a small core team but work in partnership with a range of other organisations and individuals to achieve our aims.  There are a lot of practical matters; financial responsibilities, charity governance, fundraising, communications, health and safety etc which underpin the bigger questions of heritage conservation, Antarctic operations, audience development, stakeholder engagement and policy making, but it is a good blend of responsibilities and stimulating in its interdisciplinary nature.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  At the time I was appointed through a head hunting/application process I had been working in museums and heritage for around 20 years – in local government, university and independent sectors. My previous role I was second in command of a large local authority museum service and had been involved in a major transformation of that organisation and was ready to take on a new challenge, maybe at the helm of an organisation. UKAHT was looking for someone with a blend of expertise – leadership, heritage, public engagement, strategy and operational awareness. The Antarctic sector, whilst it had always been a significant interest to me, was a new world, so I was stepping out of the familiar territory of museums, where I had a reputation and network into one where I needed to build one. The trustees evidently could see that my professional experience was a good fit, but also that my academic background and interests (geology) meant I could also offer a scientific perspective and a familiarity which would help when building relationships across the Antarctic sector.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  It seemed the best fit for my interests and personality. But during my degree I developed a passion for using my knowledge and expertise to communicate these wonderful things to as wide an audience as possible. I am inspired by science and how it can help all of us see the world differently and I felt that my passion and skills were more suited to that public engagement, in my case through museum collections and heritage, than in a research environment. I do have an affinity with university-based research and teaching and throughout my career have ensured close alignment between my work and workplace with the local universities; that may be collaborative projects, supervising PhD projects, guest lecturing, external examining or providing opportunities for student placements and projects. So academia has never been far from me.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  Throughout my career, striking a balance between developing specialist expertise along with keeping a general interest in broader issues and subjects has always been fundamental.  To be the Keeper of Geology at the Yorkshire Museum, for example, (the oldest such position in the world) had certain expectations of knowledge, expertise and authority which I needed to hone and project.  However, being curious and developing skills ranging from pickling body parts in an anatomy collection, technical skills – electrical work, carpentry, painting, to the finer points of the history of Scottish football, medieval jewellery, forensic science and contemporary art, has meant I can enter into meaningful dialogue with colleagues and partners, I can get a job done, I can understand others’ perspectives and ultimately earn respect and trust from those I work with and we can succeed together. I am naturally curious, have wide interests and love getting involved, meeting people and learning new skills. Turning this personality trait towards some of the more mundane aspects of work is important, so developing the same enthusiasm for the Chart of Accounts is critical, if perhaps less exciting. 

  So, whilst a PhD might have been hugely beneficial in many regards, and rewarding, I believe that my mixed portfolio of experience has benefitted me in the long run.

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  Yes, in fact some do. If someone comes to us with a PhD in their background it tells me things about them - tenacity, work ethic, commitment, knowledge, communication skills, the ability to promote a cause or position, writing skills.  These are all great skills and essential in the workplace. You don’t have to have one to work for us but having one is no hindrance.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  As I have perhaps alluded in the previous sections – striking that balance between being expert is something along with a strong base of other skills and knowledge will enable to you to get the job done – sometimes it is down to you to get that display painted! Key to all of this, of course, is building for yourself a good network of collaborators, colleagues, mentors and sounding boards. If you don’t have the answer, give yourself access to those who might – learning from your peers is where some of the most valuable learning can be found and you also take these people with you through your entire career, which in itself provides support, inspiration and the occasional therapeutic beer!

Renuka Badhe currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the European Polar Board (EPB), based in the Netherlands, where her role is to guide and implement the EPB’s vision and objectives, oversee communications, and represent EPB at international fora. She holds a PhD on Southern Ocean phytoplankton physiology, and other degrees in environmental sciences, economics and public policy. Renuka has previously worked with organisations such as the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the University of Cambridge. She is an advocate for diversity (both gender and geographical) in academia. She is interested in promoting polar research to wide audiences using a variety of traditional and non-traditional communication tools. Renuka has experience with various aspects of polar science, policy and strategy development and the interfaces between them form her principle area of interest. She has been awarded the 2017 APECS International Mentorship Award.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  I am currently (May 2019) working as the Executive Secretary of the European Polar Board. As the Executive Secretary of the EPB, I provide overall strategic guidance and management, develop and implement an annual work programme, best meeting the combined needs of all EPB Members. I have a direct responsibility to the EPB for running the Secretariat and coordinating its activities, providing Secretariat support to both EPB Plenary meetings as well as its Action Groups. In addition to being tasked with raising external funding, I am also responsible for the management and oversight of the EPB finances and to ensure national financial regulations where the Secretariat is based, are followed. I have also coordinated the development of the EPB Strategy and its implementation plan. I have oversight and a shared responsibility with my colleague for the communications activities that the EPB carries out, including particular examples like the EPB – APECS webinar series.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  Short answer: It was open for applications, and I applied, was interviewed and got the job!

  The job advert asked for proven experience in national / international polar programmes/organisations or polar infrastructures; administrative experience; and financial management experience. I showcased a wide ranging experience from my previous jobs, both paid and volunteering opportunities. My previous work experience at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, as their Executive Officer, was quite valuable, as was my internship with the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The position provided a great opportunity for me to increase my involvement with the Arctic research and policy world. This position with the EPB also provided quite a unique, and rare, opportunity for me in that as the Executive Secretary, I was the coordinator for development of the administrative and legal structures of the EPB as a newly registered Dutch legal entity.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  I was equally interested in pursuing either career, but was interested in aspects of academia/research and policy advice. In fact, I had decided that whatever stream of work I ended up in, I would try my best to involve the “other” stream – if I had an academic career, I would ensure that I kept involved in the policy advice aspect. If I took up a career in management and policy advice, I would try to remain informed of, and participate in, the science happening in the polar regions.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  I would have done exactly the same as I have been doing – I try to grab every opportunity to increase my networks, knowledge and experience, even if it seems quite far fetched!

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  In my organisation – the Executive Secretary position becomes available periodically, and there might be some specific vacancies if the EPB have any projects being funded. However, like many other similar organisations, it is a small Secretariat, and such full time job opportunities are few and far between. While these are not specifically for PhDs, the EPB do have frequent opportunities for rapporteurs that we advertise via APECS.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  Do not consider “networking” as a dirty word – it is you increasing your group of friends and colleagues. My primary goal in networking is never selfish – I want to help connect people who are in need of a specific skill to those who have that skill! In doing so, I have developed this amazing network all round the world - It helps when you know people who work in diverse fields around the globe, and also then others know you! Grab all the opportunities you can – speak to Mentors; attend webinars, and courses, workshops; find opportunities to work with science-policy advice organisations like EPB, IASC, SCAR; utilise the power of social media to ensure you stay up to date with all the science and policy developments in the polar regions.

Gwénaëlle Hamon is the Executive Officer of the World Climate Research Programme’s (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC), hosted at the Norwegian Polar Institute (www.npolar.no/en/) in Tromsø, Norway. She has more than eight years of experience in environmental project management and holds a Master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Studies from the University Paris-Sud XI in France. Her first experience working on international environmental projects was through a marine bio-prospecting internship at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 2007. From 2009 to 2014, she worked as a project officer at the Global Ocean Forum, a non-governmental organization, based at the Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy of the University of Delaware in the USA, where she coordinated activities related to ocean governance. After her first visit to Tromsø in early 2014, Gwen knew that she would be back in the Arctic eventually!

In September 2014, she joined the CliC office in Tromsø to work with the team on the Arctic Freshwater Synthesis project as well as other CliC activities. She became the CliC Executive Officer in January 2015.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  One of my main responsibilities is the coordination of CliC activities and groups. CliC has about twenty projects, and I support the activity/group leads with the logistics and implementation of their work. I plan and prepare roughly 20 workshops per year. My other tasks include budgeting, financial reporting to WCRP, website management, communications and liaising with the CliC leadership and WCRP, reporting (e.g. preparation of the annual report), and outreach (e.g. social media).

• 2. How did you get this position?

  I started working at the CliC International Project Office as a project assistant for the CliC/AMAP/IASC Arctic Freshwater Synthesis project, on a three-month contract. The Executive Officer position was advertised shortly after and I decided to apply.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  After receiving my Master ’s degree, I wanted to get a more diverse professional experience. I had already worked in an international organization, in the private sector, and in research labs but I still wanted to explore more to see what opportunities were available. I also wanted to work abroad, which I had never done before. Going to the US on a 6-month fellowship to work at a university for a non-governmental organization looked like the perfect opportunity to challenge myself and broaden my horizons. It worked so well that I ended up staying four and a half years! After that, the CliC opportunity came up and it seemed like a good fit; I could keep working in international environmental management, but with a more scientific focus.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  Although having a PhD is not directly applicable to the work I do, it would allow me to access higher positions earlier in my career. Also, I think that getting an official certification in project management would nicely complement the organizational skills that I have developed through my work experience. But it is never too late!
  While I was studying, I did multiple internships on a broad range of topics, even when it wasn’t required or paid. One of those internships, at UNESCO, led to a job in the US two years later. So I think that doing more than the basic curriculum was a successful choice. Going abroad and challenging myself was another one, both professionally and personally.

• 5. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  I think that non-academic jobs in research don’t open on a regular basis, especially permanent ones. As a result, one needs to be very geographically flexible, open-minded, and adventurous.

Clive Tesar is an educator and contractor in Arctic communications and policy. He worked for more than a decade as a journalist, starting in print, then working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a reporter, host, and editor mostly in the Canadian north.

After journalism, he worked as a contractor, mostly specializing in Arctic and Indigenous issues. During this time, Clive worked for the Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat of the Arctic Council, Canadian federal and territorial governments and NGOs. He delivered research and designed strategies and communications products that produced measurable benefits for his clients, improving public education on issues, and achieving changes in policy.

This left Clive with a good understanding of Arctic issues, and the perspectives of national and regional governments, the NGO sector, and Indigenous peoples’ organizations. For nine years, Clive was the Head of Communications and External Relations for WWF’s Global Arctic Programme.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  I am responsible for coordinating WWF’s communications on Arctic issues – this includes devising an agreed set of messaging on Arctic issues to be used across the network, creating an annual communications strategy, and editing “the Circle” magazine. I also help create and maintain relationships with stakeholders and governments around the Arctic, with a particular focus on Arctic Indigenous peoples. Lastly, I lead WWF’s “Last Ice Area” project.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  I applied for it after a friend forwarded me the job advertisement.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  I had never intended to pursue an academic career – while I believe strongly in better integration between the needs of policy and advocacy, and the insights of academia.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  Two things are key to my current position, having well-honed communication skills, and being a generalist. My background in print, radio, television and graphic design have given me a broad understanding of communication skills, and having been a journalist has meant proficiency at becoming an instant expert on a broad range of issues. This means you develop research skills that rely more on speed than on comprehensiveness – there is a great pressure to be accurate and correct, but also a great pressure to deliver a product quickly. Having a broad and general understanding of issues allows me to make connections and see patterns that are not as visible to people with specialized knowledge.

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  Yes there are, several of my colleagues have PhDs, but I would say that in most cases, a PhD is not an essential qualification for the work.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  As suggested in my response to Q #4, I would suggest developing broad-based communication skills (and demonstrate them in real world environments, outside of academic publications), and broadening to a more generalist perspective if you do not already possess that.

Vicki Sahanatien has lived and worked in the Arctic since the mid-1990s when she moved to Inuvik, Northwest Territories to work in Ivvavik National Park and be the first female Chief Park Warden in Canada. Since that time, she worked in the environmental and wildlife research fields from the Alaska border to Baffin Island and north to Ellesmere Island.

Her most recentresearch effort was completing her Ph.D. (2015, University of Alberta) on the Polar Bears of Foxe Basin, Nunavut, Canada, where she studied polar bear sea ice habitat, space use and movements. As part of her doctoral research, she also interviewed Inuit elders and hunters about polar bear behaviour, distribution and habitat use. Throughout her career, Vicki has worked with indigenous people incorporating their traditional knowledge in land management, monitoring and research programs.

Vicki is the Director of Wildlife Management of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (NWMB). The NWMB is an independent tribunal established by the Nunavut Agreement and is the main instrument of wildlife management and regulator of access to wildlife in the Nunavut Settlement Area. It makes decisions on total allowable harvest, quotas, non-quota limitations, basic needs levels, and habitat protection for terrestrial and marine wildlife species. The NWMB also provides advice on marine management the offshore areas adjacent the Nunavut Settlement Area. The NWMB vision is “conserving wildlife through application of Inuit Qauimajatuqangit and scientific knowledge.”

Vicki is a member of the Range States Human-Polar Bear Conflict Working Group, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS-Canada), and City of Iqaluit Recreation Committee. Vicki has been based in Iqaluit since 2000. She loves the arctic wilderness and particularly enjoys the 7 month ski season on Baffin Island where she lives.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  I oversee the work of the wildlife management division (5 wildlife management biologists) that supports the work of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. My group conducts research and analyses to establish or modify total allowable harvests and non-quota limitations for fish and wildlife populations in Nunavut Territory, Canada. In addition, my division is responsible for three research funds, conservation education, public consultation (hearings) on wildlife decisions, and community based monitoring projects

• 2. How did you get this position?

  Submitted an application, was notified that I was selected for an interview, completed a pre-interview written assignment, studied hard, and completed a 3.5 hour interview that included 2 presentations. My work experience in wildlife conservation and research, my Ph.D., and my life experience in the Canadian Arctic all played roles in me being selected for this job.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  Yes, as I have always enjoyed applying science in conservation work. The work to bring scientific evidence to bear in land use and wildlife conservation decisions can be challenging but is always interesting.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  Perhaps completed my Ph.D. earlier in my career. But it is never too late! In the past taking on new work, challenges have almost always been beneficial. For much of my work career I was the first or only woman in a division, while sometimes this situation was uncomfortable it definitely made me develop self confidence and learn how to stand up for myself!

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  There are opportunities with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. The section I supervise is comprised of 5 science professionals (terrestrial and marine disciplines). In addition, there are special projects that would be appropriate as post-doctoral projects in wildlife conservation and co-management with indigenous people.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  There are many fantastic opportunities in the Canada Arctic for post-doctoral students and early career scientists. Many you can create by making contact with the right person in an organization that is within your discipline. Don’t be afraid to move to a small Arctic community, it will be very rewarding.

Evan Richardson is a Polar Bear Research Biologist with the Wildlife Research Division in the Science and Technology Branch of Environment Canada. Evan is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba where he completed his undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Manitoba. He began working in western Hudson Bay as an undergraduate student doing research on arctic and red fox den site selection. Evan began working on polar bears in 2001 for his MSc. and continued studying polar bears for his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta. He has been involved in polar bear research in several of Canada’s polar bear subpopulations including the western Hudson Bay, southern Beaufort Sea, northern Beaufort and Viscount Melville polar bear populations.

Evan’s research interests are broad and include understanding the evolutionary ecology of polar bears, their mating systems, population genetics, habitat selection and the influence of stressors (e.g. contaminants, climate, industrial development) on polar bear populations. Evan also works with aboriginal organizations to try help integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into polar bear management. He has been a member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group since 2013.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  I conduct polar bear research across Canada on a variety of topics including demography, health, movements and habitat use, genetics and diet. I also provide science advice to several federal departments as needed.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  I did a M.Sc. with Dr. Ian Stirling who was Environment and Climate Change Canada’s polar bear research scientist for 37 years. After completing my M.Sc. I was hired a term biologist for the Mackenzie Gas Project with the Canadian Wildlife Service. While in this position I started my Ph.D. at the Universirty of Alberta on polar bear genetics. Following the completion of my Ph.D. I was re-classified to a research scientist position that I now occupy.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  Yes. The primary benefit of being a non-academic is that you are engaged in the conservation and management of species through federal legislation and have a greater opportunity to make sure science is front and centre when management decisions are being made.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  I don’t think I would have done anything differently other than having a better work life balance. I think one of the keys to success to a career in science is seizing opportunities to gain experience in your relevant field and networking as much as you can. It is not just what you know but also who you know when it comes to be aware of opportunities to further your career.

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  Opportunities in my organization for Ph.D.’s typically come through advertised job competitions for research scientists.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  Work hard, get relevant experience, publish or perish, and network as much as you can.

Laura Forsström is a Science Adviser in the Biosciences and Environment Research Unit at the Academy of Finland. She has a Ph.D. in hydrobiology from the University of Helsinki (2007) and worked as a post-doctoral researcher during 2007-2013, focusing on carbon flux and the role of organic matter in arctic freshwater ecosystems. Her field work covered Finnish Lapland, Komi Region in Russia, NE Greenland and Northern Quebec, Canada. She has also worked as a Senior Officer at Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Uusimaa, Finland, and as a Conservation Officer at WWF.

Laura is a member of the Freshwater Expert Network of CAFF’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme and has been a visiting teacher at Arctic Winter Limnology field course in Svalbard, The University Centre in Svalbard, for several years.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  As a Science Adviser at the Academy of Finland (www.aka.fi/en), my main task is to prepare, present and execute funding decisions made by the Research Council for Biosciences and Environment. Specifically, I take care of the applications for Postdoctoral Researcher posts together with my colleagues. Science Advisers give guidance to applicants, check the eligibility of each applicant/application, organize the international evaluation panels where the applications are rated, work together with the Research Council and communicate with researchers in all kinds of practical matters during their funding period. I am also involved with one of the Joint Programming Initiatives launched by the European Commission and nationally coordinated by the Academy of Finland, namely Water JPI, “Water challenges for a changing world” (http://www.waterjpi.eu/ ). As part of the Water JPI activities we are now for example planning an international conference to be held in Helsinki in June 2018. Additionally, my days are filled with all kinds of general tasks related to science policy, reporting, planning and stakeholder activities.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  Technically the process was very traditional: I applied for the open position, was invited for the interview and was the lucky one who got the job. If I think of the skills and experience I have that led to the decision, a PhD degree from a relevant field was the first requirement. In addition, I have 7-years of experience as a post-doctoral researcher and have both applied and received funding from the Academy of Finland, so I knew both the organization and the application process beforehand. During my previous position as Conservation Officer at WWF Finland I had coordinated a large and demanding application process for EU Life Climate funding, showing not only that I have experience from EU-level funding instruments, but also that I am capable of running complex tasks that involve several partners and have a strict deadline. I was also never “just” a researcher, but tried to be active in e.g. teaching and several positions of trust.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  I enjoyed doing research and was passionate about working with arctic lakes and doing field work in the Arctic, so I was hoping to be able to keep going and become an established scientist. However, I was not able to get funding after my post-docs and no relevant positions were opening as Universities were merely cutting down their personnel in Finland as well as internationally. Unfortunately, there are very few possibilities to pursue research after postdoc, which was why I started to actively develop a plan B. In my current position, I get a chance to follow science and science policy very closely and find it extremely interesting and rewarding.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  I don’t believe in second-guessing and don’t want to point out anything that I should have done differently, as all the choices I made seemed best possible at that time. It is not easy for a biologist to find a relevant job outside research, so a choice not to give up rises as one of the very important ones. Having a mentor might have been good, but I got a lot of support from my peers who were in the same situation.

• 5. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  Even if you receive funding through a PhD grant or a project run by others, ask to be involved in preparing applications for research funding and get yourself familiar with both national and international funding organizations and calls. Attend workshops, briefings, conferences and other types of events held outside universities: e.g. ministries, NGOs, companies and institutes organize interesting, and often free, events. Once you’re there, talk to people: ask about their career, ask about their organization and prospects on their field. Be open to possibilities outside the academia and consider also an internship if such positions are available. If doing research was your dream, give yourself time to process the disappointment of not being able to continue, you need genuine motivation for your plan B to actually work! If you wish to work in a NGO, all activities towards popularization of science, outreach and public engagement are useful. Volunteer-experience is an advantage as it tells about your values and helps in networking. Good communication skills are essential, as you should be able to handle tv and radio interviews and public events. Blogging is a very good way of showcasing your skills and interests. Finally, re-write your CV as the academic CV format doesn’t get you very far.

Lawrence Hislop is from Montreal, Canada and has more than ten years of international experience leading UN and EU funded projects, and has produced many environmental assessments and related communications products. From 2009-2014, Lawrence led the Polar and Cryosphere programme at GRID-Arendal in Norway and collaborated on projects with the Arctic Council, University of the Arctic and UNEP-linked activities in Polar and mountain regions. He was also on the management team of the Himalayan Climate Adaptation Programme (HICAP) from 2011 - 2014 and initiated long-term research on environmental impacts in Nepal, India, Pakistan and China.

In addition to his research work, Lawrence also produces documentary photography, films and infographics.

• 1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?

  As director of CliC (http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/) my job requires a mix of skills related to science management, organizational management, administration, finance, and communications. CliC has a scientific steering group that develops a science plan, and I administer the secretariat office which runs projects that achieve the science plan goals. I mainly do project planning and budgeting for different types of funded activities and follow up on correspondence from potential new partners. I manage the CliC network of researchers and look for fundraising opportunities to support projects that have few resources.

• 2. How did you get this position?

  Before working at CliC I had a few years of research management experience working on Arctic and high mountain environmental projects. I managed longterm projects with UNEP, and Arctic Council, EU and Indigenous Peoples organizations and mainly did communications and outreach related to environmental assessments. I also led communications work for the Himalayan Climate Adaptation Project (HICAP) with a biennial budget and staff responsibility (5-7 experts). A mixed environmental research background and recent management experience led to CliC contract.

• 3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?

  Yes, I knew I would go a non-academic route myself, but I hoped to work on the periphery of academia and environmental research with a wide community. My current and previous jobs have allowed me to link directly with academics and support projects, workshops and events related to polar research.

• 4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?

  I think most of my career decisions have benefitted year after year and have led to more responsibility and a diverse portfolio of activities. Taking on small managerial tasks and collaborating with 1-2 others in teams helped boost opportunities for later managing bigger groups. The only thing I would have done differently is get more education/training on project management and making presentations.

• 5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?

  Yes, there are opportunities although CliC itself is only a two-person secretariat office. A CliC staff position may come up every 4-5 years. But generally, in this industry there are 4-8 good entry to mid-level research/management jobs that come up every year. A PhD in some kind of cryospheric research would be a strong benefit for anyone wanting to work at the CliC project office.

• 6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?

  I found it a good experience to work in an organisation of 30 or more people when I started and this let me get an overview of different positions and personalities. I have also mainly worked on international projects and this has been a benefit in organisational learning and in developing an extended global network. I am trying to keep active in on-line media and follow technical trends where possible.