Executive Committee

University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada

I am originally from Spain, but I live in Canada since 2016. I am a PhD candidate in Earth and atmospheric sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQÀM). My research focuses on polar lows, which are intense maritime storms that develop at high latitudes. I conduct simulations of polar lows with the Canadian Regional Climate Model with the aim to analyse the skill of the model at capturing observed polar lows. Although my current field of expertise is atmospheric sciences, I have an interdisciplinary background. I initially started a career in social sciences: I studied a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in social work, followed by a master’s degree in human rights. During my master’s studies I had the chance to study one semester at the University of Tromsø (UiT), Norway, and that’s where I fell in love with the Arctic! My academic background in social sciences, as well as my experience working for NGOs has been invaluable to become aware of important social issues. I decided to completely change my career because I found the natural world fascinating. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences in 2017, and one year later I started my PhD studies. I have had the chance to study and/or work in New Zealand, Madagascar, Sweden, UK, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Canada. Living abroad has been an extremely enriching experience because it has made me learn more about other cultures and meet amazing people from different countries. In my free time, I enjoy running, biking, hiking and camping. I am also interested in science communication and in learning languages.

Institut des Sciences de la Mer - Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada

Greetings from Rimouski in Canada ! Despite growing up in the tropical island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies), I have been interested in the polar landscape, ever since a trip I took to Spitzbergen with my grandmother when I was 8. Since then, I’ve mainly focused my academic background in polar marine sciences. My bachelor degree was in Geology and Biology, and my master's degree in Oceanography. I just finished my PhD in Physical and Biological Oceanography, in which I modeled how primary production and pelago-benthic coupling will respond to environmental changes in the North Water Polynya in the Arctic. Because my research is only computer related, and I really enjoy going to the field, I often find myself helping with others' polar projects. That attitude led me to travel to the Carlini base (Antarctica, Argentina) and to Baffin Bay (Nunavut, Canada) for oceanography missions to study the impacts of marine variables on the ecosystem. I cannot wait to grab any other opportunities to go on another polar expedition! Through my PhD I have been involved in many scientifics associations in order to broadband my network. These experiences made me realize the importance and advantages of diversity and international collaboration. I’ve been a member of the Council and on the board of APECS France since 2017, and have thoroughly enjoyed the sense of community, network, and opportunities that APECS has provided. Within the Council, I was mainly involved in the leadership of the IPCC review Project Group which aims to provide opportunities to early career scientists to take part in the review activities of IPCC reports. I learnt to work with a lot of people from a variety of backgrounds, meeting hard deadlines in order to achieve our goals ! I just completed my first term in the ExCom as President, and this experience was just amazing ! I encountered colleagues and friends that I was happy to work with and join every day since last 1st of October ! After this experience, I’m looking forward to work again with the Council to continue the amazing job we did with the ExCom this term, to continue to grow APECS and make it shine on the international scene of polar associations through its continued support of early career scientists.

Polar Research Institute, The Scientific and Technological Council, Turkey

Greetings from the heart of Istanbul, Turkey! I am a life-long learner who graduated from Marine Engineering, focusing on sustainability of the engines for environment-friendly applications. Following this acceleration, I have continued in Geosciences as Master's degree to have a wider and different insight on not only studying scientifically climate change, but also transferring this knowledge to the public awareness, including citizen science by various projects and activities on Polar regions, the effects of climate crisis, and the possible steps to be taken to diminish individual footprints (i.e. carbon, water, ecological etc.) since 2015. Despite being a growing child in the coastal city, these experiences with further enthusiasm had led me to go up North, virtually travel around the Arctic circle to study the deepest unknown, frozen ground, permafrost! I focus on permafrost research, particularly investigating thermokarst lakes, which are also known ice-rich permafrost figured in lowland regions to infer a relationship between waterbody differentiation and changes in the Arctic ecosystems. Finally I am leading the Education and Outreach leg under the Polar Research Institute at the The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and am both learning and feeding different disciplines such as ecological gardening to capacity building workshops, consisting of permafrost characteristics in order interactively to encourage the scientists of the future.

University of Heidelberg, Germany

It seems that I'm passionate about cold and inhospitable regions. I have been through Siberia and the Himalayas, Iceland, and even Paris! Still, going to Antarctica was yet another level of crazy. It has been the most amazing experience of my life. Luckily for me, ice carrots (we call ice cores ‘carotte de glace’ in French) grow well in Polar Regions (I think that it's probably because the penguins scare the rabbits off!), so I will probably be able to return there to study them more. I'm now working at the University of Heidelberg and at the AWI doing a post-doc on past climate reconstruction from ice cores in Antarctica but also in the Himalayas and the Arctic. Despite being very much European, I’ve been involved in exchanges in the UK, Russia, China, and Laos, and hopefully will have the privilege to work in many more places in the future! I’ve been broadly involved in Early Career Networks (ECN) throughout the last years. First, of course, I’ve been involved in APECS as a Council member (two years), a project group leader (one year), and as an ExCom member for the last year now. I initiated the IPCC review Project Group in 2017, and I’m so happy to see that the project has grown (more than 120 participants for the last run, partnering with 5 other ECN), and has resulted in 1 opinion article in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05956-7), and 2 peer-reviewed papers (https://gc.copernicus.org/articles/3/89/2020/gc-3-89-2020.html). I’d like to add a couple of personal interests that some of you may share, and about which you’re all welcome to contact me to discuss (maybe we can create a whatsapp conversation for APECS hobbies). I’ve been very motivated by there super exciting chats that I’ve had with some of you about hobbies, and well, I hope I can have more of these! Like a lot of people, during the pandemic, I improved my baking game quite a bit, and I’m now baking sourdough bread weekly, as well as bagels, croissants, baguettes, and pizzas. I’m very fond of growing tomatoes and other veggies on my balcony. I’ve built part of the furniture in my house, and I can’t wait to have more to build! I’ve been learning Japanese while I’m desperately trying not to forget my Russian (happy to get any language partner).

University of Oxford, United States

Susana Hancock (Masters’x2, DPhil) is a multidisciplinary researcher engaged in Arctic climate geopolitics and environmental anthropology. She began her academic career as a 14-year-old astrophysicist at the University of Southern Maine. However, feeling adrift due to political apathy over climate, Susana refocused on Earth. She has completed fieldwork in a variety of places including in Iceland with the British Antarctic Survey looking at glacial retreat and in Norway looking at identity politics in Sápmi. PhD research in the Middle East on intractable conflict and some projects in China have also spurred her interest in the role of rightsholders in the Arctic community. Susana is now focused on Arctic geopolitics and is particularly interested in international climate action. This involves working on several reports for the IPCC, the UN’s Ocean Decade and a new project looking at the socio-geopolitical impacts of climate change through Arctic oceanography. She has been associated with the Arctic Institute and has written policy briefers on a variety of subjects related to climate in the Arctic. Trained in both natural and social sciences, and with extensive non-profit and political experience throughout the world, Susana works to have a global impact on Arctic environmental policy and the climate crisis through multi-sector collaboration. Susana has previously been affiliated with UiT—The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Oxford. In her other life, she is an elite rower who has competed around the world and qualified for Olympic and world championship trials. In lieu of annual holidays, she works on an organic wild blueberry farm.

Center for Global Sea Level Change, NYU Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

I'm originally from Zimbabwe and am now based in the United Arab Emirates, having arrived here via various countries in Europe, South America, and Southern Africa. I have spent the last five years at the Center for global Sea Level Change, New York University Abu Dhabi, where my main focus has been on Antarctic sea ice variability. Through this research, I have been lucky enough to join research cruises to the southeast Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean as part of the SCALE (Southern oCean seAsonal Experiment) project on the South African vessel SA Agulhas II. I am increasingly involved in projects to understand how fast ice shelves are changing and am preparing for fieldwork at Thwaites Glacier this coming season. Much like my nomadic lifestyle, my journey to becoming a polar researcher has not exactly taken a classic trajectory. There have been many twists and turns along the way, including a Masters in Environmental Coastal Engineering in the UK, teaching high school Maths and Science in the Middle East, a PhD and a short postdoc modeling coastal and nearshore processes in the UK, working as a Marine Ecosystems Modeler in the UK and Italy, and, eventually starting an academic career, here in the Middle East. 

I have been involved in the APECS Council in various roles since 2017, including Council Co-Chair (2017/18), Vice President (2018/19), Council Member (2019/20), and Ex-Officio to the Council (2020/21). I have got an enormous amount out of my time in APECS leadership in terms of learning, opportunities, developing my network, and making great friends. I'm delighted to have been invited to support the 2021/21 APECS ExCom as an Ex-Officio member and looking forward to once again working with ExCom and the Council to support Early Career Researchers in polar research.

Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany

Greetings from Berlin, via Italy, hailing from Brooklyn, NY. I am a Humboldt postdoctoral fellow studying population structure in the Antarctic toothfish, commonly known as the Chilean Sea Bass. My hope is that the data generated from my research will inform fisheries management of this commercially relevant species, which also happens to be the largest of all Antarctic fish species, as well as help to push forward the implementation of a Marine Protected Area in the Weddell Sea region of the Southern Ocean. My research interests involve combining multidisciplinary techniques including genetics, otolith chemistry and trophic analyses in a hydrographic context in order to understand the health of Antarctic fish populations in order to gauge what impacts climate change and anthropogenic disturbances have on them.

I joined the APECS Council for the 2016-17 term and worked in multiple capacities before being elected to the Executive Committee for the 2017-18 term. I was re-elected to the 2018-19 Executive Committee, during which time I had the privilege to serve as APECS President. I am excited to continue to contribute in the 2019-20 term to the Executive Committee in the capacity of ex-officio, in particular as the APECS leadership works to define the Strategic Goals of APECS for the next five years.

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

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

• Gwenaëlle Gremion - APECS President 2020-2021 - Institut des Sciences de la Mer - Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada
• Mathieu Casado - APECS Vice-President 2020-2021 - Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
• Meghan Helmberger - APECS Vice-President 2020-2021 - University of Colorado Boulder / National Snow and Ice Data Center, United States
• Neelu Singh - APECS Vice-President 2020-2021 - Norsk Polarinstitutt, Norway
• Deniz Vural - APECS Vice-President 2020-2021 - The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Marmara Research Center, Turkey Mangalore University, India
• Jilda Caccavo - ex officio - Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
• Juan Höfer - ex officio - Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile
• Gabriela Roldan - ex-officio - University of Canterbury - New Zealand

• Jennifer Cooper - APECS President 2019-2020 - University of Kansas, United States
• Carolynn Harris - Montana State University, United States
• Juan Höfer - Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile
• Lara F. Pérez - British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom / New Zealand
• Neelu Singh - Mangalore University, India
• Jilda Caccavo - ex officio - Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
• Gabriela Roldan - ex-officio -Gateway Antarctica / University of Canterbury - New Zealand

• Jilda Caccavo - APECS President 2018-2019 - Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research - Germany
• Jennifere Cooper - University of Kansas - United States
• Clare Eayrs - New York University Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
• Juan Höfer - Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso & IDEAL research Centre, Chile
• Gabriela Roldan - Gateway Antarctica / University of Canterbury - New Zealand
• Hanne Nielsen - ex-officio - University of Tasmania, Australia
• Alexander Thornton - ex-officio - Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. - United States

• Hanne Nielsen - APECS President 2017-2018 - University of Tasmania - Australia
• Jilda Alicia Caccavo - The University of Padua - Italy
• Jean Holloway - University of Ottawa - Canada
• Gabriela Roldan - Gateway Antarctica / University of Canterbury - New Zealand
• Alexander Thornton - University of Alaska Fairbanks - United States
• Alice Bradley - ex-officio - Dartmouth College - United States
• Ruth Vingerhagen - ex-officio - University of Cambridge - United Kingdom

Photo (from left to right): Alex Thornton, Jean Holloway, Gabriela Roldan, Gerlis Fugmann, Jilda Caccavo, Hanne Nielsen, Alice Bradley, Heike Midleja, Clare Eayrs, Jennifer Cooper, Fiona Tummon.

• Alice Bradley - APECS President 2016-2017 - University of Colorado Boulder - United States
• Josefine Lenz - Alfred Wegener Institute - Germany
• Hanne Nielsen - University of Tasmania - Australia
• Alexander Thornton - University of Alaska Fairbanks - United States
• TJ Young - British Antarctic Survey / University of Cambridge / Scott Polar Research Institute - United Kingdom
• Heather Mariash - ex-officio - National Wildlife Research Centre - Canada
• Trista Vick-Majors - ex-officio - Université du Québec à Montréal - Canada
• Ruth Vingerhagen - ex-officio - University of Cambridge - United Kingdom

Photo: Front row from left to right: TJ Young, Josefine Lenz, Alice Bradley, Gerlis Fugmann, Heike Midleja. Back row from left to right: Alex Thornton, Hanne Nielsen, Ruth Vingerhagen 

• Ruth Vingerhagen - APECS President 2015-2016 - University of St. Andrews - United Kingdom
• Alice Bradley - University of Colorado Boulder - United States
• Heather Mariash - National Wildlife Research Centre - Canada
• Hanne Nielsen - University of Tasmania - Australia
• Trista Vick-Majors - Montana State University - United States
• Jean-Sébastien Moore - ex-officio - Université Laval - Canada
• Yulia Zaika - ex-officio - Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University - Russia
• Sara Strey - temporary ExCom member - University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - United States

Photo (from left to right): Gerlis Fugmann, Heather Mariash, Ruth Vingerhagen, Alice Bradley, Hanne Nielsen, Yulia Zaika, Trista Vick-Majors

• Jean-Sébastien Moore - APECS President 2014-2015 - Université Laval - Canada
• Ivan Dubinenkov - Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research - Germany
• Ruth Hindshaw - University of St. Andrews - United Kingdom
• Heather Mariash - National Wildlife Research Centre - Canada
• Trista Vick-Majors - Montana State University - United States
• Jennifer Provencher - ex-officio - Carleton University - Canada
• Yulia Zaika - ex-officio - Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University - Russia
• Alice Bradley - temporary ExCom member - University of Colorado, Boulder - United States
• Sílvia Lourenco - temporary ExCom member - Universidade de Lisboa - Portugal

Photo (from left to right): Ivan Dubinenkov, Gerlis Fugmann, Trista Vick-Majors, Ruth Vingerhagen, Heather Mariash, Yulia Zaika, Jean-Sébastien Moore

• Christie Logvinova - APECS President 2013-2014 - Clark University - United States
• Frigga Kruse - University of Groningen - Netherlands
• Russell Fielding - University of Denver, United States
• Jean-Sébastien Moore - Université Laval - Canada
• Iglika Trifonova - Bulgarian Antarctica Institute - Bulgaria
• Jennifer Provencher - ex-officio - Carleton University - Canada
• Penelope Wagner - ex-officio - University of Delaware - United States
• Yulia Zaika - ex-officio - Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University - Russia

Photo:  Front row from left to right: Iglika Trifonova, Frigga Kruse, Christie Logvinova. Back row from left to right: Gerlis Fugmann, Russell Fielding, Yulia Zaika, Jennifer Provencher, Jean-Sébastien Moore

• Penelope Wagner - APECS President 2012-2013 - University of Delaware - United States
• Erli Costa - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
• Jennifer Provencher - Carleton University - Canada
• Ines Tavernier - Consortium Marine@UGent - Belgium
• Yulia Zaika - Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University - Russia
• Gerlis Fugmann - ex-officio - University of Saskatchewan - Canada
• Allen Pope - ex-officio - Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge - United Kingdom

Photo (from left to right): Penelope Wagner, Erli Costa, Jennifer Provencher, Ines Tavernier, Yulia Zaika, Gerlis Fugmann, Allen Pope

• Yulia Zaika - APECS President 2011-2012 - Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University- Russia
• Allen Pope - Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge - United Kingdom
• Jennifer Provencher - Carleton University - Canada
• Angelika Renner - Norwegian Polar Institute - Norway
• Luis Guilherme Resende de Assis - Universidade de Brasilia - Brazil
• Gerlis Fugmann - ex-officio - University of Saskatchewan - Canada

Photo (from left to right: Jenny Baeseman, Julia Zaika, Luis Guilherme Resende de Assis, Allen Pope, Jennifer Provencher, Angelika Renner

• Allen Pope - APECS President 2010-2011 - Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge - United Kingdom
• Gerlis Fugmann - Justus Liebig University Giessen - Germany
• Angelika Renner - Norwegian Polar Institute - Norway
• Suhas Suresh Shetye - National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research - India
• Mariette Wheeler - M2 Environmental Connections, Pretoria - South Africa

Photo (from left to right): Mariette Wheeler, Suhas Shetye, Allen Pope, Jenny Baeseman, Gerlis Fugmann, Angelika Renner

• Gerlis Fugmann - APECS President 2009-2010 - Justus Liebig University Giessen - Germany
• Francisco Fernandoy - Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research - Germany
• Daniela Liggett - University of Canterbury - New Zealand
• Kate Sinclair - New Zealand Ice Core Programme - New Zealand
• Alexandra Taylor - Stockholm University - Sweden
• Allen Pope - part-term - University of Cambridge - United Kingdom

Photo (from left to right): Gerlis Fugmann, Francisco Fernandoy, Daniela Liggett, Kate Sinclair, Alexandra Taylor, Allen Pope

• Daniela Haase Liggett - APECS President 2008-2009 - University of Canterbury - New Zealand
• Ben Beall - University of Western Ontario - Canada
• Francisco Fernandoy - Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research - Germany
• Matt Strzelecki - Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań (Poland) & Durham University (U.K.) / The Association of Polish Geomorphologists - Poland
• Liz Thomas - British Antarctic Survey / U.K. Polar Network - United Kingdom

2008-2009 brought about some important career changes for 2 of our ExCom members. Jose and Tina have moved on, but still remain active in the organization.

• Jose Xavier, British Antarctic Survey (UK), CEBC-CNRS (France), and University of Algrave (PT)
• Tina Tin, Environmental Consultant (France)

Photo (from left to right): Daniela Liggett, Ben Beall, Francisco Fernandoy, Matt Strzelecki, Liz Thomas, Jose Xavier, Tina Tin

• Kriss Rokkan Iversen - APECS President 2007-2008 - University of Tromsø - Norway
• Narelle Baker - Scott Polar Research Institute / UK Polar Network - United Kingdom
• Hugues Lantuit - Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research / Permafrost Young Researcher Network and International Permafrost Association Secretary / Co-Founder of APECS - Germany
• Daniel Pringle - University of Alaska, Fairbanks / Alaska Young Researcher Network - United States
• Jose Xavier - Center for Marine Sciences / Portuguese Youth Steering Committee - Portugal

Photo: APECS ExCom 2007-2008 in Iceland writing the APECS constitution. From left to right: Hugues Lantuit, Jose Xavier, Daniel Pringle, Jenny Baeseman, Halldor Johansson, Kriss Rokkan-Iversen, ?, Narelle Baker, Dave Carlson