Council 2017-2018

The following early career researchers served on the 2017-2018 Council. In addition, the members of the APECS Executive Committee 2017-2018 are also part of the Council: Hanne Nielsen (President), Jilda Caccavo, Jean Holloway, Gabriela Roldan and Alexander Thornton, as well as Alice Bradley (ex-offio), Ruth Vingerhagen (ex-officio).

We would also like to recognize our past leaders as they continue to serve our organization as Ex-Officio members of the Council: Yulia Zaika (Russia), Tristy Vick-Majors (United States), Scott Zolkos (Canada), TJ Young (United Kingdom / Taiwan).

• Jennifer Cooper - United States - Council Co-Chair

  University of Kansas, United States

  I am currently a Self Graduate Fellow at the University of Kansas in the Department of Physics and Astronomy pursuing a PhD. I study the evolution of galaxy clusters using the Hubble Space Telescope and the detection of cosmic neutrinos from Antarctica with the ARA and ANITA groups. I recently received a Msc in Physics from Cal State Los Angeles (2017) and I completed my undergraduate degree (2014) in Geophysics, Astrophysics, and Archaeology at Cornell University where I studied volcanoes around the world, including those in Antarctica. I'm also the APECS representative to SCAR Astronomy & Astrophysics (AAA) and SCAR Antarctic Volcanism (AntVolc).

• Clare Eayrs - United Arab Emirates - Council Co-Chair

  New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  I am working as a Research Scientist in the Center for Global Sea Level Change at New York University Abu Dhabi, where my main interests lie in Antarctic Sea Ice, how it is modelled and its variability and effects on global climate. This is a new area of research for me that I am excited to be involved in. I recently had the opportunity to join the S A Agulhas II Winter 2017 voyage to the marginal ice zone in the Atlantic-Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean to look at the structure and composition of winter marginal ice and how it is related to metocean conditions. It was an amazing experience and great to be able to collaborate with so many scientists from all over the world. Our group deployed instruments to measure waves in the marginal ice zone and we are now developing a larger program to look at how waves behave under different ice conditions.

• Alevtina Evgrafova - Germany / Switzerland - National Committee Coordinator

  University of Bern, Switzerland / University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany

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

  As a PhD Candidate in Soil Science, I am currently involved in a project focused on the spatial analysis of permafrost-affected soils in northern Siberia. The project aims are to study the influence of permafrost thawing on the spatial patterns of soil organic carbon stocks and availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) as the nutrients for plants. The spatial relationship between pedogenic and environmental parameters as well as changes in above- and belowground biomass inputs in permafrost soils are studied using geostatistics and biomarker analysis. I have been an APECS member since 2013, IASC Fellow since 2017 and PYRN ExCom 2016-2018 member, precisely the National Representatives’ coordinator.

• Jose Seco - Portugal / United Kingdom - National Committee Coordinator

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

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

• Neelu Singh - India - National Committee Coordinator

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India

  I am Neelu Singh from National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), India. I have nearly 7 years and 4 months of R&D experience in the field of environmental chemistry in Polar Regions. During my research career as a Ph.D. student at NCAOR, I have gained extensive working experience on the study of Trace Metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Polar Regions. These research work experiences confer me a command over the topics and global climate issues related to the environmental subject. Instead of locked behind fence my job responsibilities provided me unequaled opportunities to participate in scientific expeditions and platform to interact with the student to scientists from various backgrounds and ethnicities. I participated in several national expeditions those were carried out at different global hot spot study locations like Antarctica (Indian Antarctic Expedition 2008-09), Arctic (Indian Arctic expedition-Summer period 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and Indian Ocean Sector of Southern Ocean (Indian Southern Ocean Expedition 2010). I have undergone training cum course work on "Arctic Environmental Pollution: Atmospheric Processes and Distribution" at the University of Svalbard, Norway during 2014. Consequently, I participated in the Arctic Frontiers Ph.D. workshop in 2015.

• Kelsey Aho - United States

  U.S.EPA; University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  As a hydrographer with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I adapt national studies to the available data and conditions in Alaska. During my time at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and as a Resilience and Adaptation Fellow, I researched U.S.-Russia co-management of marine mammals and found a high correlation between the effectiveness of the management agreements and food security. In 2014, I received an International Law certificate from the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in 2013, a B.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

  Outside of work, I am an adviser for the International Balkans Peace Park and harvester of berries, herbs, and fish.

• Stefano Ambroso - Spain

  Institut de Ciencies del Mar (CSIC), Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

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

• Atreya Basu - Canada

  University of Manitoba, Canada

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

• Liz Bowman - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  I am an early career student/professional hybrid with a background in International Relations focused on Arctic Policy. I have a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Idaho and am pursuing a Master’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Arctic and Northern Studies. Over the past several years, I have worked on a variety of initiatives and programs to advance the understanding of the Arctic. Nowadays, I finalizing my thesis on non-Arctic state involvement in Arctic International Relations. Outside of my professional experiences, I like to spend time with my family, travel, and meet new people.

• Julie Bull - Canada

  

  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health / University of New Brunswick / University of Toronto, Canada

  I am a Southern Inuk researcher and educator from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador and a member of NunatuKavut, with more than 15 years of experience in community-based research and education involving Indigenous communities (in Arctic and non-Arctic contexts). I am a Research Methods Specialist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, I teach in the Indigenous Studies Department at the University of Toronto, and I am a doctoral student at the University of New Brunswick. My research interests are at the intersection of research, policy, and Indigenous governance where I examine the ethics of research involving Indigenous Peoples or lands. My research focuses on the governance of research/research ethics for research involving Indigenous Peoples by using community-based participatory-action approaches and Indigenous methodologies. I am active in both academic and grassroots research ethics initiatives such as a committee member for education and outreach with the Panel on Responsible Conduct of Research and a member of the NunatuKavut Community Council Research Review Committee. I am passionate about, and dedicated to, ensuring more Indigenous content, education, engagement, and collaboration exists between researchers and policy makers who are involved in working in Arctic Territories.

• François Burgay - Italy

  Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

  Representing APECS Italy on the APECS Council

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

• Mathieu Casado - France

  LSCE, France

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

  I'm now moving to AWI to do a post-doc on isotopy-proxies in Antarctica but also in the Himalayas and the Arctic. I'm currently the Early Career representative on the SCAR Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics Research Program steering committee.

• Emily Choy - Canada

  University of Manitoba, Canada

  Emily completed her PhD in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, supervised by Dr. James Roth and Dr. Lisa Loseto (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). Her PhD thesis focuses on the effects of climate change on the diet (using fatty acids signatures and stable isotope ratios), body condition, and physiology of Beaufort Sea beluga whales as sentinel species of environmental changes within the Beaufort Sea ecosystem. Her research is part of a collaborative community-based monitoring project in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories. Her research is supported by a W. Garfield Weston PhD Award for Northern Research, NSERC PhD Scholarship, and the 2012 L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science PhD Scholarship. Emily was a member of the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition and is a recipient of the Erebus Medal. She completed her MSc with a specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Dr. Jules Blais, studying biovector transport of marine contaminants (mercury and organochlorines) to High Arctic food webs on Devon Island, Nunavut. Emily is currently a Scientific Advisor for the Northern Committee of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and a 2014 Fellow for the International Arctic Science Committee.

• Nicolas Champollion - Germany

  International Space Science Institute, Switzerland / University of Bremen, Germany

  Representing APECS Switzerland on the APECS Council

  I'm a physical geographer and my research interests cover the cryosphere evolution and its link to sea level. I made my Ph.D. at the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et de Géophysique de l'Environnement (LGGE) in Grenoble, France, where I studied the snow surface evolution in the East Antarctica Plateau, combining in-situ observation and inverse modeling of satellite remote sensing observations. I had the chance to participate to a summer field campaign at Dome C, Antarctica. Then, I continued my research career in the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland, where I conducted research on sea level budget and its components whith a focus on land water and glacier evolution, using space gravimetry observation, altimetry measurements and literrature assessment. I was involved in the organisation of many international workshops and teams. Recently, I started a new project at Bremen University in Bremen, Germany, on the simulation of glacier evolution during the coming century in a 1.5 degree warmer world. The simulation will be made with the Open Global Glacier Model. With this project, I will start a collaboration between LGGE and Bremen university with a focus specific Alps glacier where lot of observations are available and continue a collaboration between ISSI and Bremen university on sea level projections in a 1.5 degree warmer world. Finally, I'll be glad to be the Swiss APECS National Committee representative and would like to organize a APECS workshop at the Polar 2018 meeting in Davos next year.

• Henrik Christiansen - Belgium

  KU Leuven, Belgium

  Representing APECS Belgium on the APECS Council

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

• Casey Clark - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

  I am a doctoral student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working with the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and the Water and Environmental Research Center. My research focuses on better understanding how Pacific walruses responded to previous changes in Arctic sea ice conditions with the goal of generating predictions about how current and future Arctic warming will affect this species. To accomplish this, I am measuring stable isotope ratios of walrus bones collagen and trace element concentrations of walrus teeth from present day Alaska Native subsistence harvests, historical museum collections, and archaeological assemblages. Before moving to Alaska, I completed my B.S. at the University of California Santa Cruz and earned my M.S. at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where I studied pregnancy rates and migratory movements of humpback whales.

• Matteo Luciano Contu - United Kingdom

  ARU Cambridge, United Kingdom

  I have a degree on Maritime Science (Italy) and Marine Biology (UK), I am an undergraduate student at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge in Marine Biology with Biodiversity & Conservation.

  I am an intern at British Virgin Islands Embassy in London, working on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Sustainability and Blue Economy.

  I am extremely passionate on Evolution and Biodiversity as one of my module at Uni and polar and space science. I planning my Msc in Cambridge at Polar Scott Institute and progress my career in Astrobiology and Polar Science.

  The passion for the ocean the planet and the entire science drives me to achieve the best and to contribute as well in this fantastic field.

• Jim Crowell - United States

  Arizona State University, United States

  Representing USAPECS on the APECS Council

  I am pursuing my PhD in Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. During my undergraduate, I worked at the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, researching lunar geomorphology. Upon graduation, I worked in NASA JPL's Robotic Vehicles Group, developing and deploying instrumentation and robotic systems to explore Earth-based extreme environments. My PhD research involves human-machine interactions for planetary surface exploration, with a particular interest in Arctic, Antarctic, and lunar exploration.

• Adrian Dahood - United States

  George Mason University, United States

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

• Archana Dayal - United Kingdom

  University of Sheffield/University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), United Kingdom

  I am now in my 3rd year of PhD at the University of Sheffield (Dept of Geography), funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship. I spent a good part of the 2016 summer in Svalbard (4 months) carrying out my field work on the seasonal ecology of snow and also attended 2 amazing courses at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). Contrary to popular belief, snow and ice are “ecosystems” in their own right as they are teeming with microbial life and have an extremely important role to play in the Earth’s cryosphere.

  I have served as Treasurer and Secretary on the UKPN Committee and currently hold the position of President. I also represent UKPN on the Antarctic Science Ltd and UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership Committees (2017-18).

  In addition, I was also an APECS Council member from 2013-17 and the Vice-President at IPRN (Indian Polar Research Network, 2014-16).

• Donovan Dennis - United States

  Boston University, United States

  Originally from Great Falls, Mont., I attended Occidental College as an undergraduate and initially sought a degree in history. Following a particularly riveting introductory to geology course (not a joke—really!), I decided to pursue a career in Earth science. A junior-year summer of fieldwork on the Juneau Icefield in Alaska/BC cemented my newfound path.

  I am currently a Ph.D. student at Boston University where I investigate multi-proxy records of Miocene and Pleistocene paleoclimate in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. I am additionally interested in snow and ice stable isotope hydrology, particularly as it relates to the potential for preservation of the meteoric stable water isotope signal. Alongside my research, I help facilitate the B.U. Research, Education, and Communication of Science program—an undergraduate co-curricular program that encourages cross-discipline collaboration on climate change-related issues.

  Outside of my graduate student office cubicle, I enjoy backpacking, climbing, museum-lurking, plant parenting, and all sports related to the water.

• Meagan Dewar - Australia

  Federation University, Deakin University, Australia

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

  I am an early career scientist and Lecturer specialising in the microbial ecology of wildlife in both polar and temperate regions. I use next generation sequencing to profile to understand the importance of microbes in host health and disease surveillance in polar regions. I am also the co-founder of APECS Oceania and the International Penguin Early Career Scientists (IPECS) group and have organised 2 international ECR workshops for the penguin community under the banners of IPECS and APECS. I am also a member of the SCAR Expert group for birds and marine mammals, Health monitoring of birds and marine mammals working group and Co-Convener of the Polar Poo Working Group.

• Denis Doronin - Russia

  FSBI "VNIIOkeangeologia", Russia

  I am Denis Doronin from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Now I am working as a head of the department of the international cooperation in FSBI “VNIIOkeangeologia”. In 2012, I graduated from Saint-Petersburg state university, department of oceanology. During my studying at the university I was working in Arctic and Antarctic research institute as the oceanologist. I took a part at the 57 Russian Antarctic expedition (2011-2012). I participate in the activities of the Council of Young Scientists and Specialists of the VNIIOkeangeologia.

  In addition, I am a member of Russian Polar Initiative, and help to organize events for early career scientists and students.

  Since 2017, I am a member of technique committee for standardization of polar research, which regulate norms and laws for all activities in the Polar Regions.

• Mariama Dryak - United States

  University of Maine, United States

  Representing USAPECS on the APECS Council

  I am a MSc student studying in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, planning on progressing to a PhD. My research focuses on measuring iceberg melt variability and studying ice-ocean interactions in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. My research interests and experiences range from my current field of study in glaciology, to glacial geomorphology and the cryospheric interactions with the wider climate system. Before moving to Maine I completed my B.A. at the Durham University in the UK, where I studied physical geography and archaeology, specifically focusing on the response of glaciers to climate in Iceland.

• Roxanne Frappier - Canada

  University of Ottawa, Canada

  I am a geography PhD student at the University of Ottawa (ON, Canada) interested in the effects of environmental and climatic changes on permafrost. I am working mainly in northwestern Canada in assessing and predicting the extent of permafrost degradation in response to climate changes and how it affects the landscape.

  My work mainly involves documenting the response of ice-rich permafrost to past climate warming, understanding the nature, condition, extent and distribution of ground ice, and modelling permafrost degradation following disturbances of environmental and climatic conditions.

• Natalie Freeman - United States

  Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, United States

  I am a physical and biogeochemical oceanographer, with a background in mathematics and statistics (and dance!), keen on all things ‘Southern Ocean.’ I have recently transitioned from being a PhD Candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder to a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. In my PhD I used hydrographic and satellite data and model output to investigate changes in Southern Ocean biogeochemistry and physical circulation. During my studies, I had the opportunity to attend multiple international summer schools and gain fieldwork experience by sampling the Southern Ocean on a research vessel. As a postdoc, I’m excited to continue to explore the Southern Ocean while adding more tools to my ‘tool belt,’ learning from and collaborating with phenomenal Scripps scientists. I also have extensive experience in (and a lot of heart for) mentoring and advocating for the future generation of STEM scientists, particularly minority and underrepresented groups. Outside of academia, I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and dancing.

• Yi-Ming Gan - Belgium

  Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium

  Hey, I am a data scientist/bioinformatician from biodiversity.aq in Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Most of my works are related to Antarctic web applications development, Antarctic biodiversity data cleaning and bioinformatics analysis. The primary goal of the project is to provide access to Antarctic related research data. I enjoy coding very much. I am very happy to be able to use my skills to expand Antarctic research.

• Gwenaëlle Gremion - Canada

  Université du Québec à Rimouski - Institut des Sciences de la Mer (UQAR-ISMER), Canada

  Representing APECS France on the APECS Council

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

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

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

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

• Vikram Goel - Norway / India

  

  Univeristy of Olso, Norway / NCAOR, Goa, India.

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

• Kaushik Gupta - Canada

  University Of Manitoba, Canada

  I am a researcher in the field of Coastal Geomorphology and Remote sensing of Estuarine and Coastal Environments. I have been working on effects of nearshore oceanographic process and local geology on the coastal geomorphology using various remote sensing techniques. I have had experiences working on the Tropical and Sub-tropical coasts. Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D from the University of Manitoba. The main focus of my research is to study the impact on the coastal landscapes due to the integrated effect of sea-ice formation and melt, local oceanographic processes and glacial isostacy, through various in-situ studies and use of radar and lidar sensing techniques.

• Christel Hansen - South Africa

  Rhodes University, South Africa

  Representing APECS South Africa on the APECS Council

  I am an geomorphologist, focusing on periglacial environments in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, as well as the high-altitude areas of mainland South Africa. My studies have taken me to the South African research station (SANAE IV) in the Antarctic on a number occasions, as well as the South African research station on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. I received my BSc in Geoinformatics from the University of Pretoria in 2009. This was followed by a BSc(Hons) in Environmental Analysis and Management from the University of Pretoria in 2010 and a MSc, specializing in periglacial studies, from Rhodes University in 2012. I an currently putting the final touches on my PhD and have taught (and am currently teaching) courses at both the University of Pretoria and Rhodes University. My current areas of research interest include climatic geomorphology, periglacial processes and landforms, active layer and permafrost dynamics, thermal-moisture dynamics of seasonally frozen ground, using remote sensing and GIS in cold climates, as well as arid climate studies (both hot and cold deserts).

• Laura Hobbs - United Kingdom

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

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

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

• Juan Höfer - Chile

  Universidad Austral de Chile/Centro IDEAL, Chile

  I got my bachelor degree in biology and my PhD. at Oviedo University (Spain). During those years I gained experience as a biological oceanographer, taking part in several multidisciplinary projects on temperate and sub-tropical areas. My main area of research is plankton, especially trophic interactions, spatial distributions and population ecology.

  One year ago, I moved to Chile as a post-doc researcher at the Universidad Austral de Chile and the IDEAL research center (http://www.centroideal.cl/en). Since then, my research has been focused on sub-Antarctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems. Right now, I am studying the role of plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton) in the pelagic trophic webs of Southern Patagonia and Western Antarctic Peninsula, trying to disentangle how this role may be affected in the future by drivers associated with global change (e.g. freshening). Past summer I fulfilled a childhood dream, spending two months in Antarctica, and hopefully, I will continue doing so during the next years.

• Bruno Ibañez - Peru

  Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru

  Representing APECS Peru on the APECS Council

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

• Morgan Ip - Norway

  The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Norway

  Representing APECS Norway on the APECS Council

  I am a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Urbanism and Landscape within the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. My dissertation is an ethnographic inquiry on Arctic urbanism in the Norwegian-Russian border region, with a particular focus on civic engagement in planning and community perspectives on place values and possible futures. I hold a Masters of Architecture from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. The thesis investigated culturally appropriate Arctic architecture in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, and was awarded the Henry Adams Certificate of Merit from the American Institute of Architects. Previous work with APECS included participation in the Funding Database committee.

• Cyril Jaksic - New Zealand

  Lincoln University, New Zealand

  I am a psychologist studying human adaptation to isolated and confined environments. I received my Master degree in social psychology from the University of Geneva in 2014. I am currently a PhD student at Lincoln University, New Zealand. My research interests include group dynamics, workplace/job performance, social adjustment and motivational factors.

• Shridhar Jawak - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India

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

• Meric Karahalil - Turkey

  Istanbul Technical University, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  I was passionate to anything related to maritime when I was child and I decided to be a sailor when I was 13 years old. I went to Naval High School and then Naval Academy. I have graduated as Naval architecture and Marine Engineeringer. And I started to work as a Search and Rescue Officer in Coast Guard Command. Now I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Maritime Transportation Engineering at the Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. My advisor is Assoc. Prof. Burcu Ozsoy who is the Director of Polar Research Center (PolReC) in Istanbul Technical University. My thesis subject is “Lack of Arctic and Antarctic issues in International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Water (Polar Code) and suggesting Positive Improvements.”

• Hanna Kauko - Norway

  Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway

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

• Amy Kirkham - United States

  University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States

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

• Sasha Leidman - United States

  Rutgers University, United States

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

• Josefine Lenz - Germany

  Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany) / University of Alaska Fairbanks (United States)

  Representing APECS Germany on the APECS Council

  After I finished my PhD in 2016, I continue with a Postdoc at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam/Germany in close collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My research focusses on the investigation of landscape changes in permafrost regions. Here, I'm especially interested in using lake sediments as archives to study past environments and carbon dynamics. As I always loved travelling, I think I found the perfect profession to explore remote areas, e.g. the Alaskan and western Canadian Arctic, and satisfy my curiosity to understand how our earth has formed but also how it is currently changing.

  Besides, I have been active in the Executive Committee of the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (https://pyrn.arcticportal.org/), as an IASC Fellow in Terrestrial Working Group and recently as Vice-President of APECS. As co-founder of APECS Germany, I`m happy to represent the NC within the APECS Council.

• Martine Lizotte - Canada

  Université Laval, Canada

  Representing APECS Canada on the APECS Council

  I hold a PhD in Oceanography from Université Laval focused on the dynamics of dimethylsulfide (DMS), a marine gas of biogenic origin involved in the regulation of the Earth’s climate. After briefly dabbling in the behavioural ecology of hairy coo dung flies at Háskóli Ísland in Reykjavík, I promptly returned to my love of the sea. I currently work at U. Laval as a research associate for the Canadian Research Chair on Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate. I am also the coordinator of BOND (Beacons Of Northern Dynamics), a trans-disciplinary project that combines photonics, chemistry, limnology and oceanography to monitor climate-active gases (CO2, CH4, N2O and DMS) in the Arctic. Along with APECS, I have ties to several polar-related programs such as Québec-Océan, Takuvik, ArcticNet, NETCARE, SOLAS, and Sentinel North. My passion for the ocean has led me to participate in 17 expeditions across the globe, several involving international cooperation, notably SEEDS II (Japan) and SOAP (New-Zealand). I am engaged in the mentorship of students in the field (Schools on Board), in the lab, and in the classroom. Together we are currently exploring marine microbial life, the “bug hub”, its sensitivity to environmental stressors (acidification, sea ice decline, etc.), and its role in climate control at high latitudes, particularly in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

• Arindan Mandal - India

  Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India / Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

  I am a second year PhD student in JNU and working on glacier mass and energy balance modelling over a glacier in northern India. Broadly, my research interests are mass and energy balance modelling with intensive field investigation and some hydrological aspects. I have almost five-six years of field experience in the Himalayas. Apart from the Himalayas, I also worked on the Arctic valley glaciers as I was involved in Indian Arctic Expeditions for glacier field work which was organised by NCAOR, Goa. Presently I am living in Germany (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) under a DAAD Sandwich Model PhD Fellowship during 2017/18.

• Sebastián Marinsek - Argentina

  Instituto Antártico Argetnino, Argentina

  Representing APECS Argentina on the APECS Council

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

• Claudia Maturana - Chile

  

  Universidad de Chile, Chile

  Representing APECS Chile on the APECS Council

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

• Kyle Mayers - United Kingdom

  National Oceanography Centre Southampton / University of Southampton, United Kingdom

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

  My PhD research focuses on factors affecting the growth and mortality rates within a phytoplankton group known as coccolithophores. I am especially interested in how grazers control population dynamics, bloom formation and the fate of organic and inorganic material. Having spent 5 weeks at UNIS in Svalbard studying Arctic Microbiology I became more involved with APECS and the UK Polar Network, even being its President from 2016-17! Prior to my PhD I studied for a BSc in Biology and then worked for Thames Water in water quality regulation.

• Swati Nagar - India

  National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India

  Connecting the gap between science and community is what I am working for. Science is progressing at a very fast pace, creating a gap between scientist and common people. Outreach activities, by one way or another, connects the common people to science, creating a sense of appreciation for the scientific endeavors. To understand and increase our efforts in making a scientifically aware citizens, I am working as Project Scientist B at National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa. Besides, outreach, my area of interest is Lake Ecosystem.

• Ozgun Oktar - Turkey

  Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC) / Turkish Students' Polar Research Team (PolSTeam), Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

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

• Ankit Pramanik - Norway

  Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway

  I am a third year PhD student at Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø in the field of Glaciology. My research work focusses on mass balance evolution, hydrology and melt water routing of glaciers in Kongsfjord basin, Svalbard. As a part of my PhD, I attended four field session in Svalbard in last 3 years to conduct glaciological measurements. Earlier, I pursued my bachelors and master degree in Physics from Calcutta University (2010) and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2012). During my spare time I like to live in nature by doing outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, hiking.

• José Queirós - Portugal

  University of Coimbra, Portugal

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

• Kabir Rasouli - Canada

  University of Calgary, Canada

  I am a post doctoral fellow (PDF) at the University of Calgary, Canada. In my NSERC PDF, I am trying to quantify and possibly reduce the uncertainty in surface water and groundwater interactions and recharge estimation in the alpine Cryosphere based on fine-scale atmospheric dynamical downscaling and physically based hydrological modelling approaches. Recharge processes in cold regions are strongly influenced by soil freeze-thaw and retention of snowmelt runoff in numerous topographic depressions. Currently available soil water balance models do not incorporate these essential processes and groundwater recharge estimation is mainly well-based. I am developing novel atmospheric and hydrologic models to represent variability and changes in the catchment-scale groundwater recharge. During my PhD program at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, I conducted: (i) a sensitivity analysis of hydrological processes under climate and land-cover changes, and (ii) an analysis of uncertainty propagation from an inadequate representation of atmospheric processes in climate models and transient changes in vegetation and soils to hydrology. I also conducted field work in the front range of the Canadian Rockies to investigate the effect of warming and precipitation phase change on snowmelt, runoff, and subsurface flows. I worked as a research associate at the University of Northern British Columbia, and diagnosed the hydrological variability and changes in levels of Lake Athabasca and salmon migration variability in the Fraser River in Canada. Knowledge that I gained from machine learning tools, processes based hydrological modelling, and field work in my graduate programs will be useful to understand physics and dynamics of extreme events such as floods and droughts. My main research interest is to contribute to our limited knowledge of extreme events under climate non-stationarity in cold regions, where observation and simulation of atmospheric mechanisms are very uncertain and vapour/ice/snow/water fluxes aboveground and belowground are very heterogeneous.

• Jessica Rohde - United States

  Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), United States

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

• Corinna Röver - Sweden

  KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

  Representing APECS Sweden on the APECS Council

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

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

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

• Paul Rosenbaum - France

  UVSQ - Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France

  I grew up in Florida and have been living in Paris for about 9 years. I earned my first degree at the University of California at Berkeley in Rhetoric and later attended INSEAD’s MBA program. Following that, I created a consulting firm which advises clients how to achieve better positions by improving their communications. I have also designed and delivered university courses about improving management practice, most recently for SciencesPo Paris. In 2016, I joined the Arctic Studies Masters program at the UVSQ to shift my focus from working with private sector to working with researchers, educational initiatives and institutions that contribute to our understanding of climate change. My goals are to help inform the public about this topic by creating narratives that tell great stories about research and opportunities in the Arctic and I want to support the development of ecofriendly private businesses in this region. I presented an original research project about the paleo-botanist Sir AC Seward at the Arctic Science Summit Week (Prague) and ICASS IX (Umea) conferences, and I worked at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam on the MOSAiC Expedition. There are still a lot projects I want to advance in the next year, and I really look forward to doing some of them within APECS.

• Morgan Seag - United Kingdom

  Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

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

• Elisa Seyboth - Brazil

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

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

• Grace Shephard - Norway

  University of Oslo, Norway

  Grace Shephard is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, Norway. Her research lies in unraveling the geological history of the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding continents. The opening and closing of ocean basins, massive volcanic eruptions, mountain building events, changes in sea-level, and shifts in climate are largely underpinned by geological processes. Building Earth models that cover hundreds of millions of years requires integrating several geological and geophysical datasets, including information from the deep interior of the Earth. Grace is also a course lecturer/administrator for the interdisciplinary University of Oslo’s International Summer School course “A Changing Arctic”, and is also interested in interdisciplinary and outreach aspects of Arctic research.

• Runa Skarbø - Norway

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

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

  My interest in the Arctic began when I did my master's thesis on shipping along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). In this work, I compared different technologies ships can use to reduce their exhaust emissions, and if using the NSR would still be an economically viable option given the installation of these expensive technologies. During this work, I was fascinated by the many technological and operational challenges of ships operating in the Arctic, such as remoteness, darkness, low temperatures and the presence of sea ice.

  My primary research interest during my PhD is mitigating the impact sea ice has on marine structures and operations, and combining different sensor technologies to gain information about the ice conditions around the ship. My work is related to two Centres for Research-Based Innovation funded by the Norwegian Research Council; SAMCoT (Sustainable Arctic Marine and Coastal Technology, hosted by NTNU) and CIRFA (Centre for Integrated Remote Sensing and Forecasting for Arctic Operations, hosted by UiT The Arctic University of Norway).

  During my PhD work, I have been fortunate to participate in several research cruises in ice. In 2016, spent six weeks on the research cruise Arctic Ocean 2016, where I got the opportunity to gather data for my research and to visit the North Pole!

• Petr Sorokin - Russia

  Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia

  I am a 2nd year bachelor student at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. I study at the Department of International Complex Problems of Nature Management and Ecology. In the summer of 2017 I had an internship in United Nations Informational Centre in Moscow, Russia.

  I became interested in the Arctic Region when I was at school, and the MGIMO international focus has given me an opportunity to advance in this field. My current areas of research interest include “greening” of the Arctic (my article on this issue was published in July, 2017) and ways of environmental management adaptation in this changing region. I’m focusing on political and international legislative initiatives required for transboundary water sources cooperation for development and as well.

• Kent Spiers - Canada

  University of Calgary, Canada

  Kent currently lives in Calgary, Alberta but has lived in communities in British Columbia, Yukon, Ontario and Alaska. Kent’s academic career starts back in 2007 when he decided to leave a decade long career to further his intellectual curiosity. He has earned a BA in Sociology and minor in Environmental Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Masters in Sociology from Lakehead University. His master’s thesis titled “Northern Exposure: A Comparison Study of Alaska and Yukon Models of Measuring Community Wellbeing” looked at the origin, construction, utilization and response to models of community wellbeing in Alaska and Yukon. During his academic career, he has worked on numerous social science and socio-economic projects ranging from food security, land use planning, homelessness, child wellbeing and resource development. His PhD research is investigating the relationship between scientists and community residence involved in various community based monitoring project in communities in Alaska, Nunavut and Fogo Island Newfoundland.

• Sara Strey - United States

  

  University of Oklahoma, United States

  As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oklahoma's School of Meteorology, I study the interaction between the sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere on short timescales using global climate models. I received my BS from Central Michigan University in 2007, and my MS (2009) and my PhD (2016) in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois.

• Ekaterina Uryupova - Russia

  Smithsonian Institution, United States / Russia

  Representing APECS Russia on the APECS Council

  I have spent most of my life in Siberia. In 2009, I received her PhD in marine biology from Moscow State University. Having worked as a scientist in the Arctic and Antarctic regions since 2000, I am involved in a number of research projects focused on marine ecosystems and krill. Amongst other topics, i am interested in topics about marine-protected areas, polar fisheries management, climate change and environmental monitoring programs. A member of the Russian Geographical Society and the German Society of Polar Research.

  I earned a master’s degree in science communications at the University of Salford, UK. I completed an internship at the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and worked for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

  Eager to promote polar science as a source of knowledge and an instrument of international cooperation, I am involved in the development of several education and outreach projects.

• Linde Van Bets - Netherlands

  Wing, Netherlands

  Representing APECS Netherlands on the APECS Council

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

• David Velazquez - Spain

  Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

  I hold a Ph.D. in environmental microbiology focused in polar microbiology from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain) and collaborating with different institutions at both Polar Regions. That experience has allowed me to participate in multidisciplinary teams performing research in a wide variety of topics from virus to meteorology that gave me a broad view of the polar ecosystems.

• Greta Carrete Vega - Spain

  Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain

  Representing APECS Spain on the APECS Council

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

• Florian Vidal - France

  University of Paris Descartes, France

  I am a PhD Candidate in Political Science and International Relations at University of Paris Descartes (France). My purpose of my research undertakes the prospective relations between Norway and Russia in the Barents region through a systemic approach. After completion of my studies (MA in Contemporary History and MA in International Affairs), I served for the French cultural delegation in Russia during several years (2008-2010) before to spend some time in South America (NGO activities). Nowadays based in Paris, I work as a Senior Business Analyst specialized in strategic investments in industry value chain industry and emerging technologies (transportation, energy and infrastructure). In my spare time, I enjoy traveling and hiking both dedicated for nature and culture. I am fascinated by folklore and mythology among past and present civilizations.

• Deniz Vural - Turkey

  Turkish Students' Polar Research Team-Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  I have been a volunteer at Turkish Polar Research Team(PolSTeam) under Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center(ITU-PolReC) for 2 years. As a leader of PolSTeam, we would like to raise awareness on the people about polar regions. Regarding Climate Change and Global Warming, we prepare to presentations to both primary school and high schools. Trying to explain every incoming question up to West to East, we want to spread the sensivity out on the nature. In collaboration with science, I believe that we can keep learning and put something on the next generations in the good way.

• Mateusz Waligóra - Poland

  University of Silesia, Poland

  Representing APECS Poland on the APECS Council

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

• Gary Wesche - United States

  Representing Polar Educators International (PEI) on the APECS Council

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

• Nadya Yanakieva - Bulgaria

  Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Bulgaria

  Representing APECS Bulgaria on the APECS Council

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

• Sinan Yirmibesoglu - Turkey

  Turkish Students' Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) and Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center, Turkey

  Representing APECS Turkey on the APECS Council

  I’m a captain who raised in Black Sea region and educated as an Oceangoing Watchkeeping Officer at Karadeniz Technical University. I started my carrier at Beykoz Anatolian Maritime High School, then graduated from Sürmene Marine Sciences Faculty - KTU and I was an exchange student for Academia Morska W Gdyni in Poland. I started Master of Science at Maritime Faculty in Istanbul Technical University in 2016 to study "sea ice in polar areas". In here, Dr. Burcu OZSOY who worked long years in Polar areas as a polar scientist became my advisor while I started to work in Polar Research Center in Turkey. Then, I had been chosen as a member of first Turkish Antarctic Expediton in 2017. Also, I’m working with the Turkish Students’ Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) to educate people about global change and polar awareness in Turkey. In six months we reached more than two thousand people in seminars, workshops, exhibitons and etc.

• Tristy Vick-Majors - Canada - ex-officio

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

  APECS Executive Committee Member / Vice President 2014-2016

  I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Quebec in Montreal. I have worked in the Antarctic since 2008, when I began my International Polar Year MSc research focusing on the responses of aquatic microorganisms to the annual Antarctic sunset. My PhD work focused on the interactions between microbes and the carbon cycle in a subglacial lake (800 m beneath the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet) and in the ocean under the McMurdo and Ross ice shelves. For my postdoctoral work, I have switched hemispheres and am now studying the interactions between microbes and dissolved organic matter in boreal aquatic environments. The boreal biome covers much of Northern America and Eurasia, from ~50 to 70 degrees north. Of that vast area of land, much of it is covered in water. These inland waters are key players in the global carbon cycle, and their high degree of connectivity with the surrounding terrestrial environment makes them excellent places to study land-water-atmosphere carbon interactions. Dissolved organic matter is also abundant in these systems - they are ideal places to study the relationship between microorganisms and dissolved organic matter. My research focuses on the use of high-resolution molecular characterizations of dissolved organic matter combined with detailed data on microbial community structure and function across ecological continuums. I aim to use these combined datasets to further our understanding of the coupling between microorganisms and their carbon sources.

• TJ Young - United Kingdom - ex-officio

  

  PhD Student, British Antarctic Survey / University of Cambridge /Scott Polar Research Institute, United Kingdom

  APECS Executive Committee Member / Vice President 2016-2017

  I am currently a PhD student at the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Cambridge's Scott Polar Research Institute. My PhD research integrates electrical engineering and field glaciology to investigate the englacial and basal processes of glacier motion of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the mass loss induced through these processes. Specifically, my field research involves using autonomous phase-sensitive Radio Echo Sounders (ApRES) to observe and measure glacier flow, englacial deformation, and subglacial melt rates to high (millimetre) accuracy on Store Glacier, western Greenland. Despite growing up in the islands of subtropical Taiwan and Hong Kong, my interest in the polar landscape originated from my academic background in marine mammal science. As part of the Marine Conservation Ecology group at Duke University and the Duke Marine Lab, where I completed my undergraduate degree, my research focused on the foraging ecology and spatial modelling of endangered seals and whales in western Antarctica.

  I have been active with APECS at the national level for a number of years, having been a past president of the UK Polar Network (UKPN).

• Yulia Zaika - Russia - ex-officio

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

  APECS President 2011-2012

  APECS Vice President 2012-2013

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

• Scott Zolkos - Canada - ex-officio

  

  University of Alberta, Canada

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