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
Executive Director, Arctic Basecamp
Professor of Sustainability, University of Exeter Business School
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
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 Lovro Valcic
Director of Operations, Arctic Basecamp 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.
Science Team

Dr. Jennifer Francis
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Dr. Jennifer Francis is Acting Deputy Director 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. 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. Susana Hancock
Arctic Basecamp
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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.
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.
Research Fellows

Asher Lazarus
Climate Vulnerability Research Fellow
Asher holds a BSc in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis, and an MSc in Climate Studies from Wageningen University. He maintains an international perspective in his work, which focuses on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, food systems, and water resources.
Communications & Coordination Team

Helen Clay
Communciations 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.

Dr. Susana Hancock
Science Team Manager

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.

Damilola Adeyanju
Executive Coordinator
Arctic Basecamp Interns

Fleur Dassen
Market Research / Digital Marketing
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 decided to attain another MSc in Global Business and Sustainability at Erasmus University. Now she is ready to use her marketing skills for creating true positive impact!

Johanna Grosssteinbeck,
Market Research / Digital Marketing
Johanna holds a BSc in Business & Management with proficiency in Mandarin from the University of Exeter and is currently studying for an MSc in Global Sustainability Solutions. She has experience in Digital and Social Media Marketing working for a fashion agency in Germany. Combining her skills and passion for the environment she is excited to enact change with digital activism.

Marcus Isherwood
Market Research / Digital Marketing
Marcus is currently studying for a BSc in Business Economics at the University of Exeter. He has experience of working in a range of businesses including affiliate marketing start-ups, hedge funds as well as enterprise software companies. From volunteering in many climate-vulnerable countries such as India and Borneo, Marcus wishes to utilise his skills to helping Arctic Basecamp voice the climate change message to make a lasting difference.

Annemarie Keller
Market Research / Digital Marketing
Annemarie holds a BA in Tourism Management from Breda University of Applied Sciences and is currently studying for an MSc in Global Business and Sustainability at Erasmus University. She has gained experience in digital marketing for start-ups in Berlin and The Netherlands and is excited to combine her skills with her passion for the environment.

Zoe Oggel
Youth Coordinator / Communications
Zoë is currently completing a BSc Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. As the Youth Coordinator, she has joined Arctic Basecamp for two editions of Davos, recruiting and managing logistics for two delegations of the next generation of climate leaders.
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.