What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic
The Team
Arctic Basecamp is made up of a small team of part time and pro bono scientists, data experts and communications staff. If you would like to contact a member of the team please email info@arcticbasecamp.org
Executive Team
Professor Gail Whiteman is an expert on global risk arising from the systemic changes occurring in the natural environment, the founder of Arctic Basecamp and Professor of Sustainability at the University of Exeter’s Business School (UK).
Since 2012, she is the Professor-in-Residence at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She is a past member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Frontier Risk and was a scientific keynote speaker at WEF’s 2020 session at Davos “What’s at Stake: The Arctic” alongside panellists including Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Former US Vice President, Al Gore. In 2023 she was also a panellist and speaker at the 2023 WEF session in Davos – Unpacking the Polar Crisis.
Professor Whiteman is an experienced moderator at events including Reuters Impact in 2022 and the World Economic Forum in Davos. She is actively involved in building science-based targets collective business action, including those for a future low-carbon economy. Her research utilises organisation theory on information flows to analyse how a range of actors (companies, civil society, and local communities) make sense of ecological risk, and how these actors transform and build resilience across scales given environmental pressures and social inequities.
She has over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers, including in prestigious journals Nature, Nature Communication, and the Academy of Management Journal. Her PhD is from Queen’s University and her field work was conducted in the subarctic region of Canada. She is regularly interviewed by the press and in 2023 launched a new Reuters series – Arctic Warning alongside Reuters Editor-at-Large, Axel Threlfall. You can follow her @GenerationCO2
Professor Julienne Stroeve
Chief Science Officer, Arctic Basecamp
UCL Earth Sciences
Julienne C. Stroeve received a PhD in geography from the University of Colorado Boulder, in 1996, for her work in understanding Greenland climate variability.
Afterwards she became a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) within the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU-Boulder. More recently she was a Professor at University College London and recently was awarded a Canada 150 Excellence Research Chair at the University of Manitoba.
Her Arctic research interests are wide-ranging, and include sea ice forecasting at seasonal, decadal and longer term time-scales, climate change and impacts on native communities. She has participated in several field campaigns in Greenland and the Arctic Ocean, including the year-long German-led Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition from 2019/2010.
Efforts over the past decade have increasingly focused on trying to make sense of the rapid environmental changes being observed in the Arctic and what these changes will mean for the rest of the planet. She is part of Arctic Basecamp, an annual event during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Dr. Stroeve’s work has been featured in numerous magazines and news reports, radio talk shows, and TV documentaries. She has given keynote addresses around the world on Arctic climate issues and briefed former Vice President Al Gore and Congressional Staff. Dr. Stroeve has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to several national and international reports on climate change. Stroeve has been named by Clarivate Analytics as one of the most highly cited researchers several years in a row.
Dr. Cathy Sorbara
Deputy Director
Dr. Cathy Sorbara is a neuroscientist who worked for 10 years as a researcher in Canada and Germany, studying neurodegenerative diseases. Since then, she has worked across academia, start-up and the non-profit sectors, including Greenpeace International, where she specialised in governance and strategic planning. She also volunteers locally for Project Fearless, an after-school space for girls in the Netherlands to get hands on and create an impact. She coaches an Artvism (art + activism) course teaching kids about climate change and helping them explore finding their creative voice as they do.
Dr. Lovro Valcic
Director of Operations & Founder, Bruncin Ltd.
Dr. Lovro Valcic is the founder and CEO of Bruncin Ltd, an agile and dynamic company with an outstanding team of R&D experts, working closely with scientists to develop custom solutions, systems, and sensors to facilitate fieldwork and research in the Polar regions.
Bruncin Ltd participates as a partner in various EU and USA funded research projects and field campaigns, providing a wide variety of solutions and support in hardware, communications and software.
Helen Clay
Communications Director
Helen has wide-ranging experience in non-profit and public services sectors including health, arts, culture, and climate change communications.
As well as attending the World Economic Forum at Davos three times with Arctic Basecamp a career highlight was shipping a Greenlandic iceberg to the heart of COP 26 in Glasgow.
Science & Global Risks Advisory Team
Dr. Jennifer Francis
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Dr. Jennifer Francis is a Senior Scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center. She has studied the Arctic climate system and how rapid Arctic change is affecting areas beyond the Arctic, particularly extreme weather in the northern hemisphere. She is regularly interviewed for radio and TV news programs, and is often quoted in major media outlets.
Professor Alun Hubbard
Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway
Professor Jason Box
Geologic Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)
Dr. Susan Natali
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Dr Susan Natali is an Arctic ecologist whose focus on permafrost thaw is motivated by an acute awareness of the risks it poses. She leads Woodwell Climate’s Arctic Program, which investigates the drivers and consequences of rapid Arctic change. Her research examines the effects of permafrost thaw and fire on the storage or release of carbon, and thus, on global climate.
Dr. Mark Parrington
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service CAMS
Dr. Mark Parrington is a senior scientist in the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) Development Section at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). He specialises in the application of Earth observation data, in situ measurements with numerical modelling to monitor global atmospheric composition and air quality. In recent years he has closely been monitoring, and working on science communication for, wildfires in the Arctic region and the impacts of smoke and other atmospheric pollution on the Arctic atmosphere.
Prof. Mariana Rufino
Technical University of Munich
Prof. Mariana Rufino is a professor of Livestock Systems at Technical University of Munich. She has technical expertise in modelling farming systems, impacts of climate change, mitigation and adaptation, food security and land use change. Currently, she is conducting research on reducing GHG emissions from the livestock sector by modifying grazing, adopting alternative feeds and harnessing the power of biodiversity. Her ultimate goal is to offer science-based solutions to the challenges countries face to plan for territorial development and sustainable management of natural resources.
Emerita Prof. Lora Fleming
University of Exeter
Emerita Professor Lora E Fleming is a physician and epidemiologist with expertise in the environment and human health; she is based at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (University of Exeter Medical School). Professor Fleming is involved in research, training and policy activities in the new transdisciplinary area within Planetary Health of Ocean and Human Health. She has received the Ocean and Human Awards from the Edouard Delcroix Foundation (2014) and the IOC Bruun Award (2015). She is currently collaborating to establish Healthcare Ocean.
Prof. Karyn Morrissey
Technical University of Denmark
Prof. Karyn Morrissey is a Professor in Applied Economics within the Sustainability Division at the Technical University of Denmark. She adopts an interdisciplinary approach and is a method-driven scientist focusing on human health and the environment. Notably, prof. Morrissey is a co-author for Working Group 2 on adaptation, planning, and resilience for health in the Lancet Commission’s ‘The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change,’ where she developed the cities indicator. Her impressive career includes becoming a fellow of the prestigious Turing Institute and contributing to 90+ publications in renowned journals, attracting over £20 million in external funding.
Dr. Walter Booysen
Deloitte Africa
Walter Booysen is senior manager at Deloitte South Africa. He is a risk specialist with extensive industry experience. His areas of expertise include GHG emissions and carbon tax, energy efficiency incentives, data analytics, and research and development in energy. Walter is a creative thinker who loves being confronted with a challenge and looking for the right solutions.
Science Associates
Professor David Hik
Chief Scientist and Executive Director - Programs, Polar Knowledge Canada
For the past 37 years, David’s research interests have focused on the ecology and ecosystem dynamics of Arctic, mountain and arid environments; impacts of climate variability and change on biodiversity and Earth system processes; determinants of social-ecological resilience; and the interface between science and policy. He is currently conducting research in northern Canada and Iceland.
Professor Johan Rockström
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Johan Rockström is Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He is an internationally recognised scientist for his work on global sustainability issues. He helped lead the internationally renowned team of scientists that presented the planetary boundaries frameworkas fundamental in maintaining a “safe operating space for humanity.”
Dr. Eddy Carmack
Institute of Ocean Sciences
Dr. Eddy Carmack, O.C. is an Emeritus Senior Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He has conducted pioneering science around icebreakers and led on international oceanographic work.
Professor Bruce Forbes
University of Lapland
Professor Bruce Forbes is based at the Arctic Centre | Arktinen keskus, University of Lapland, and has conducted fieldwork in the Arctic for 33 years. His research is interdisciplinary and his participatory approach aims for co-production of knowledge with regional stakeholders.
Dr. Jennifer Watts
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Dr Jennifer Watts is an Assistant Scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center.
Her experience is in using satellite remote sensing to inform climate and land use impacts on terrestrial vegetation, carbon cycling, and hydrology. She is especially interested in global wetlands and high latitude ecosystems.
Dr. Dmitry Yumashev
Small World Consulting
Dr. Dmitry Yumashev has worked on a range of projects with partners from academia, the private sector and UK Government. His contributions include scenario and uncertainty analysis of Arctic climate feedbacks and of soil carbon sequestration potential in the UK, as well as estimates of UK’s electronic waste flows to aid recycling policies and campaigns.
Dr. Jan-Gunnar Winther
Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic, Norwegian Polar Institute
Dr. Jan-Gunnar Winther, is Director of the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic, Nofima, and Specialist Director, Norwegian Polar Institute. He is an experienced polar researcher and expedition leader, and serves on a large number of national and international committees.
Professor Craig Lee
University of Washington
Professor Craig Lee is a physical oceanographer at University of Washington. He specialises in observations for ocean research. Part of this work involves identifying advances that could be achieved through novel measurements and developing instruments to meet these needs.
Professor Konrad Steffen - In Memoriam
Swiss Federal Institute
Professor Konrad Steffen was Director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. He researched processes related to climate, cryospheric interaction, and sea level rise in Polar Regions based on in-situ and satellite observations. Konrad passed away in August 2020 whilst conducting fieldwork in Greenland. We will be forever grateful for his passion and research.
In-house Science Team & Research Fellows
Dr. Susana Hancock
Science Team Manager
Dr. Helen Millman
WEF Hoffmann Fellow on Polar Issues
Dr. Arthi Ramachandran
Science Special Projects Manager
Arthi received a BSc in Biology and went on to pursue a PhD in Microbial Ecology, both at Concordia University in Montreal. During her graduate studies, she focused on Arctic ecosystems, and conducted research in the Arctic Ocean. She participated in research missions on Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers and at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Nunavut. She has worked as a science policy analyst for the Office of the Chief Scientist at Natural Resources Canada and for the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada.
Netra Naik
Research Fellow
Netra is a climate change researcher, architect and an environmental planner. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental planning from Dr. B.N. College of Architecture and Design, University of Pune, India. She is interested in how cities adapt to deal with urban heat and flooding. Her specialist areas and research focus are climate responsive building design and sustainable urban planning. She is an ex-International Climate Protection Humboldt Fellow from the 2021 cohort. She is also activaly involved in communicating climate science and environmental projects through her association with CIPSEM, TU Dresden as a research assistant and author at ClimateScorecard.
Vanessa Sadza
Research Fellow
Rebecca Unsworth White
Research Fellow
Arctic Risk Platform Support
Moon Rabbit
Front end UI and UX (user interface/experience)
Moon Rabbit are a group of proudly misfit individuals who have found a home where they can be themselves.
Moon Rabbit is an independent agency created by a rare breed of people who aren’t satisfied with being conventional. Who know that creative license is worthless without true freedom of expression. Who are proudly misfit and consider the title a badge of honour.
Because if there’s something the world could use more of, it is genuine individuals who instinctively thrive to be authentic and inventive.
Communications, Data & Coordination
Gabriela Díaz Musmanni
Senior Communications Officer
Gabriela is a writer with a background in communications for environmental and human rights causes. Throughout her career she has worked around the world for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Center on Adaptation, Relifweb and the Bangkok-based children’s rights organisation ECPAT International. Gabriela studied English Literature at Queen’s University in Canada and launched her career as the Environment and Human Rights reporter for an English newspaper in Costa Rica. She loves to read, write, and do yoga.
Fleur Dassen
Communications Officer
Fleur holds a BSc in International Communication and Media from Erasmus University and an MSc in International Marketing and Brand Management from Lund University. After graduating and working for a year as digital marketer at an agency, she attained another MSc in Global Business and Sustainability at Erasmus University. Her goal in life is to use her communications and marketing skills to make the world a little bit better.
Yuliia Nesterenko
Project Manager
Yuliia is an experienced project manager with a passion for making a positive impact. Specialised in non-profit, web development, charity, and PR projects. Skilled in leading multiple projects, change management, public relations, and fundraising to drive meaningful change.
Damilola Adeyanju
Executive Coordinator
Arundeep Singh
Project Coordinator
Arundeep has worked as Project Manager, Service Manager and SAP Landscape Architect for various international corporations. Now, he is running a sports club to keep kids, young and adults active.
Arctic Basecamp Interns
Anna Bartha-Veres
Digital Communications / Marketing
Anna holds a BSc in Physics from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, and is currently studying for an MSc in Astronomy and Science Communication at Leiden University. By working for the outreach group of Leiden Observatory, she has gained experience in communicating ongoing reserach to the general public. At Arctic Basecamp, she is looking to further develop her scicomm skills to make a difference.
Stefanija Jacheva
Digital Communications / Marketing
Stefanija holds a BSc in Financial Management from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia, and a MSc in Economic Policy from Utrecht University. She is passionate about science and all things related to the environment.
Through Arctic Basecamp, she seeks to make a positive change in the world.
Raine Zhao
Digital Communications / Marketing
Raine is a dynamic and motivated individual pursuing a doctorate in Sustainable Urban Policy Translation and Branding at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She also has urban planning and consulting experience with CBRE. Raine is eager to apply her research and digital analysis skills to bolster Arctic Basecamp’s online presence and promote sustainable research and actions in Arctic regions.
Tammie van Winden
Climate Basecamp Intern
Tammie holds a BSc in Liberal Arts & Sciences with a major in Philosophy, Politica & Economic and a minor in Sustainability at Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She has been the president of a volunteer organisation in Paris that aided in providing food, clothing and other necessities for refugees.
Executive Volunteers
Gwen Yu
Executive Volunteer
Gwen is a leader in sustainable finance. Until recently she was Head of Sustainable Business Strategy and Innovation at BNP Paribas where she set the bank’s global sustainable finance strategy, oversaw R&D projects in sustainable finance including the creation of a natural capital & local development impact fund, and built programmes to upskill all 200,000 BNP Paribas employees on sustainability. She represented BNP Paribas as a member of the European Commission’s Platform on Sustainable Finance on the data and usability subgroup and served as an alternate in the informal workgroup that helped set up the Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
Simon Van Wyk
Executive Volunteer
Simon van Wyk is a Director/Partner at Deloitte based in the Risk Advisory Team in Cape Town, South Africa. Simon has a highly diversified background in EHS and Risk Advisory consulting. He is a Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP) and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat.) and an active member of the National Risk Intelligence Committee, IRMSA. He has a Master’s degree (Cum Laude) in Environmental Management with over 20 years of inter-continental expertise spanning Africa, Middle-East, Europe, Far East and Australasia. Simon’s focus is on Sustainability and ESG with a focus on low carbon economy transition helping clients to decarbonise, achieve netzero (netpositive) and sustainable development across the supply chain.
Michael Bernard
Executive Volunteer
Michael is a Non-Executive Director at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. He is the Senior Independent Director and a Committee Chair.
He has two Board Advisor roles: as a member of the International Advisory Board for Exeter Business School and previously Chair of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Exeter MBA; he is also a Board Advisor to MeetToo Education, who provide a mental health app for young people.
Previously, he worked for many years at IBM, where his last role was Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Hardware in Europe.
Tom Peacock
Executive Volunteer
Tom is currently a management consultant for Capgemini Invent, sitting within the Intelligent Industry capability team, using technology to deliver large scale transformational programmes across a multitude of Industries. Tom also works in a freelance capacity within the travel Industry to help operators achieve their sustainability ambitions and embed sustainability by default within business operations.
He is a firm believer of change through education, having attended the University of Exeter Sustainability Management Programme early in 2022 through Capgemini.
Leigh Arbon
Executive Volunteer
Leigh Arbon is a Strategy Director at Clemenger BBDO. Being an experienced advertising and brand strategist with a background in software development, Leigh tackles problems with a lens which blends both creativity and scale to deliver unique business and communications solutions. Having worked in Melbourne, New York and Singapore while delivering communications for all major markets, Leigh is globally minded. He has been the catalyst for numerous for good campaigns and sustainable business shifts within organisations taking his counsel.