Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

The APECS International Directorate is the essential coordinating body without which the organiszation and running of the various APECS activities and programmes would hardly be possible. APECS is grateful for the continued support provided by its Directorate sponsors. Our current locations and sponsors are:

APECS team 2021 credits Maren Jenrich

Directorate location:

The APECS International Directorate is currently located at the The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) in Tromsø, Norway and is generously funded by the UiT, the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Fram Centre with two positions (a full-time Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant) as well as operational expenses for the APECS office. The current funding agreement is in place until 2027.

UiT NPI FRAM

APECS team 2021 credits Maren Jenrich In addition, part-time project officer positions are funded at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Germany through

the EU Horizon 2020 project ARICE (Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium), October 2018 - December 2022
the EU Horizon 2020 project Arctic PASSION (Pan-Arctic Observing System of Systems: Implementing Observations for Societal Needs), July 2021 - June 2025

AWI WortBildmarke Farbe RGB Arctic PASSION Logo blank

Find out more about our APECS International Directorate Sponsors as well as the organizations that have supported our office in the past and further partners and sponsors.

Mail address:

UiT Norges arktiske universitet
Universitetsbiblioteket – Kultur- og samfunnsfag
c/o Sarah Strand, APECS
Postboks 6050 Langnes
9037 TROMSØ

Physical address:

APECS International Directorate
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Universitetsbiblioteket – Kultur- og samfunnsfag
Huginbakken 14
9019 Tromsø
Norway

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Current staff members:

Sarah Strand - Executive Director

Affiliation and Location: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

Contact:
Email: sarah.strand(at)apecs.is
Phone (office): +47 77 62 32 84

Bio: Sarah is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in California but discovered her love of the cryosphere while completing her B.S. in Geological Sciences at Tufts University in Massachusetts. She worked in Denali National Park in Alaska before moving to Svalbard as a 2014-2015 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grantee. Sarah used this year to develop her direction in permafrost research and take courses as a guest master student at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).

Axel Schlindwein - Directorate Officer

Affiliation and Location: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

Contact:
Email: axel.schlindwein(at)uit.no

Bio:
Axel is a computer engineering student with a passion to provide tools for scientific and educational use to advance research and enhance the possibilities in teaching. Originally from Germany, he moved to Tromsø in 2022 and is particularly interested in the development of scientific measuring instruments and their adaptation to the special requirements of polar research.

Lisa Grosfeld - Project Officer

Affiliation and Location: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany

Contact:
Email: lisa.grosfeld(at)apecs.is
Phone: +49 331-58174 5802

Bio: Lisa is a marine geoscientist, now working in project management in the research environment. Since she experienced the Arctic Regions herself, most recently as a media coordinator during the MOSAiC expedition, she has been inspired and enthusiastic about its uniqueness and beauty, motivating her for raising awareness for its vulnerability and protection.

Nadine Hillenbrand - Project Officer

Affiliation and Location: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

Contact:
Email: nadine.hillenbrand(at)awi.de
Phone: +49 471-4831-2139

Bio: Nadine studied at Heidelberg University, receiving a Master in Geography and a Bachelor Degree in American Studies. She brings experience in science management, outreach and education which she gained as a project manager at the Alfred Wegener Institute from 2017-2022. Under the umbrella of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Nadine was involved in the educational project "climate fit" and the international Polar Prediction Project, an initiative of WMO’s World Weather Research Programme, before joining APECS in February 2023.

Dr. Josefine Lenz - Project Office Coordinator

Affiliation and Location: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany

Contact:
Email: Josefine.Lenz(at)apecs.is
Phone (office): +49-331-58174-5466

Bio: Josefine is a permafrost researcher by training and has been working with APECS since 2016. Recently, she was Executive Director of APECS until the Directorate moved to its current host institutions in Tromsø, Norway. Now she continues supporting the APECS Project Office at the Alfred Wegener Institute AWI) in Potsdam, Germany, by coordinating remaining EU projects with APECS involvement.

Past Staff Members

Past APECS Executive Directors
- Dr. Josefine Lenz - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
- Dr. Gerlis Fugmann - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany / UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - October 2013 - July 2020
- Dr. Alexey Pavlov - UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - June 2012 - June 2013
- Dr. Jenny Baeseman - UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - APECS Founding Director until March 2012
Photo (from left to right): Josefine Lenz, Gerlis Fugmann, Alexey Pavlov, Jenny Baeseman
Past APECS Project Officers
- Franziska Pausch - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany - February 2021 - December 2022
- Svenja Holste - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany - January 2021 - February 2022
- Heike Midleja - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany - February 2017 - January 2022
- Boris Radosavljevic - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany - January - May 2021
- Dr. Andrea Schneider - UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - October 2018 - November 2020
- Lisa Grosfeld - Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany - Nov 2018 - November 2020
- Dr. Fiona Tummon - UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - October 2017 - September 2018
- Yulia Sultanbayeva - Murmansk Arctic State University, Russia - July 2016 - February 2017
- Dr. Pascaline Bourgaine - APECS France, France - June - December 2015
- Karolina Paquin - UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway - November 2014 - April 2015
  
  Photo (from left to right): (first row) Svenja Holste, Heike Midleja, Boris, Radosavljevic, Andrea Schneider, Lisa Grosfeld and (second row) Fiona Tummon, Yulia Suntanbayeva, Pascaline Bourgaine, Karolina Paquin