2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan Development Team
Nikoosh Carlo
Plan Development Director; CEO, CNC North Consulting LLC
Dr. Nikoosh Carlo is CEO of CNC North Consulting LLC, and joined as the 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan Development Director in April 2020. She has extensive experience working to advance community-driven solutions to climate change. She previously served as senior advisor for climate and Arctic policy to the Governor of Alaska (2017-18), a senior advisor at the U.S. State Department for the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council (2015-17), and the executive director of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (2013-15). Dr. Carlo is Athabascan and has deep roots in the Interior Alaska communities of Fairbanks and Tanana, where she was raised. Dr. Carlo received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California San Diego and a B.S. in psychology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Sorina Stalla
Policy Analyst and Plan Editor, Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee
Sorina Stalla is a policy analyst and editor for the development of the 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan. Sorina's past work has focused on different aspects of partnership development, improving science-policy interfaces, and enhancing education initiatives aimed at the federal workforce. She holds a Master's Degree in International Environmental Policy and Ocean and Coastal Resource Management from The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Danielle Stickman
Indigenous Engagement Specialist
Danielle Stickman is of Dena’ina and Koyukon Athabascan descent and grew up in both rural and urban areas in Alaska. Danielle has worked closely with Alaskan communities, ranging from interviewing Elders about climate change to advocating for subsistence fishing rights to landscape scale conservation. Her passion lies in hearing stories from Elders and building human to human connections through respect, humor, tradition, story, and communication. She owns a small jewelry making business called Dena’ina Dreams and has 500 hours of yoga teacher training. Her goal in 2021 while working with the team is to expand existing partnerships and build on current communication platforms.
Larry Hinzman
Plan Development Steering Group Chair; Executive Director, Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee
Larry Hinzman is the Assistant Director of Polar Sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Executive Director of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee. He recently served as the Vice Chancellor for Research and as a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Hinzman served as the Director of the International Arctic Research Center from 2007 to 2015. Professor Hinzman’s primary research interests involve permafrost hydrology. He conducted hydrological and meteorological field studies in the Alaskan Arctic continuously for over 35 years while frequently collaborating on complementary research in the Russian and Canadian Arctic. He has served as a member of the U.S. Polar Research Board and as the U.S. delegate and president of the International Arctic Science Committee. He is strongly committed to facilitating national and international partnerships to advance our understanding of the Arctic and Antarctic systems.
Renee Crain
Acting Section Head, Polar Environment, Safety & Health,
Renee is the Acting Section Head, Polar Environment, Safety & Health since September 2019. She returned to after a detail as Acting Director of the Arctic Research Program at Research. While at Renee led efforts in strategic planning and developing collaborations across on Arctic research. Renee‘s home program is the National Science Foundation's Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL).
Kaja Brix
Arctic Program Director, Alaska Region, Fisheries,
Dr. Kaja Brix has lived and worked in Alaska for most of her career, bridging science and policy in fisheries, marine mammal conservation, marine resource subsistence, and Arctic governance. She is currently the Arctic Program Director for Fisheries in Alaska and affiliate faculty at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her recent interests include the design of innovative graduate and undergraduate education and the mechanisms of inclusion among diverse disciplines and communities.
Roberto Delgado
Program Director, Arctic Observing Network, Office of Polar Programs,
Dr. Delgado is Program Director for the Arctic Observing Network () in the National Science Foundation's () Office of Polar Programs, co-leads the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee's () Environmental Intelligence Collaboration Team, is a co-chair of the interagency US Board, represents the US in the circumpolar Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks initiative, and helps to manage 's Long-Term Ecological Research program and the Navigating the New Arctic Big Idea. Prior to joining , Dr. Delgado was a Program Chief at the National Institutes of Health, where he co-led the Health and Well-being Collaboration Team, coordinated the Arctic Council's initiative, and supported research programs focused on resilience and well-being among rural, global, Arctic, and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. He earned his doctorate in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University, with expertise in behavioral ecology, biodiversity, evolutionary biology, sexual selection, tropical rainforests, and wildlife conservation.
Colene Haffke
Program Director, Arctic Natural Sciences,
Dr. Colene Haffke is a Program Director for the Arctic Natural Sciences Program in the National Science Foundation’s () Office of Polar Programs. Prior to joining , Colene served as a Senior Support Scientist for the Cryospheric Sciences Program at Headquarters and as a Science Assistant for the Arctic and Antarctic Sciences Sections at . She earned her doctorate in Earth System Science from the University of California, Irvine and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan. Her research background is in large-scale atmospheric dynamics in the tropics.
Doug Howard
Technical Director for Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory,
Dr. Doug Howard is a Technical Director for the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Adjunct Professor of Geosciences in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served as the Department of Interior’s representative to the STEM Education Task Force and as a Office of the Native American Tribal Liaison Team member. He conducts geological research on all continents focusing on cold regions as analogues to planetary processes and he is also dedicated to humanitarian work with UNHCR to enable best-practices for environmental and climate resilient solutions for African refugee settlements. He earned a B.S. in Geology from Arizona State University, a M.S. in Earth Systems Science, and a Ph.D. in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences at George Mason University.
Renu Joseph
Program Manager, Regional and Global Climate Modeling,
Dr. Renu Joseph is a Program Manager in the Climate and Environmental Sciences Division in the U.S. Department of Energy’s () Office of Science/Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Prior to the position in the , she spent several years as a research scientist at the University of Maryland. She received her Ph.D. in Physics from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. At , Dr. Joseph manages a program in Regional and Global Climate Modeling (RGCM) that focuses on enhancing a predictive understanding of the Earth’s climate, its' variability and change, by using regional and global climate models in conjunction with observations. The large investments in her portfolio primarily focus on: 1) Climate Variability and Cloud Processes; 2) High Latitude Climate Feedbacks; 3) Water Cycle; 4) Analysis of Extreme events; and 5) Analysis of Biogeochemical Feedbacks. Dr. Joseph also severs as the coordinator for the U.S. Global Change Research Program () working group on Interagency Group on Integrative Modeling (IGIM).
Maija Katak Lukin
Western Arctic National Parklands, Superintendent, National Parks Service,
Maija Katak Lukin, Inupiaq, was raised on the shores of Cape Krusenstern National Monument at her family allotment in Sisualik. Her upbringing and traditional lifestyle lead her to advocate for the rights of the people of Northwest Alaska in her professional career, including; Communications Director for NANA Regional Corporation, Environmental Program Manager for the 12 consolidated tribes of Maniilaq Association and former Mayor of the City of Kotzebue. Currently, Lukin is the superintendent at Western Arctic National Parklands, which includes Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve. She also teaches traditional arts evening classes at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks, Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue. The three parks Lukin manages encompass over 9 million acres of federal public land in Northwest Alaska. Lukin is responsible for protecting and preserving the natural and cultural resources within the parks, as well as community relationship building with the tribes who traditionally use the parklands, subsistence resource management and preparing for changes in the arctic climate.
Candace Nachman
Arctic Liaison, Fisheries,
Candace Nachman is a Washington, D.C., area native who returned to the District in 2004 after completing her Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. . Candace has extensive experience working with Alaska Native Organizations and Indigenous communities in the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas region of Alaska. In November 2014, Candace joined the Fisheries Office of Policy as a Senior Policy Advisor and the HQ Arctic Liaison. In this role, she helps to raise the profile of the important science, management, and policy work at the core of the Fisheries mission. In addition to the Arctic, Candace's portfolio also includes offshore energy exploration and development nationwide. Candace has been actively involved with since late 2014 through staff group and several collaboration teams. She was part of the planning team for the 2017-2021 Arctic Research Plan and was the lead author for the Marine Ecosystems Goal Chapter.
John Pearce
Research Manager, Alaska Science Center,
Currently the Program Manager for marine and terrestrial ecosystems research at the Alaska Science Center. I also coordinate the Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative, based largely in the North Slope region of Alaska and provide outreach to the public about our research. I have been a research biologist in Alaska for 25 plus years studying migratory birds, avian disease, and population genetics. More information about my background and publications can be found on my staff page at the Alaska Science Center.
Elizabeth Powers
Science Coordinator, ,
Cheryl Rosa
Deputy Director, U.S. Arctic Research Commission
Dr. Cheryl Rosa is Deputy Director and Anchorage-based Alaska Director of the United States Arctic Research Commission (). She received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University and a Doctorate in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has been active on the North Slope in a wide range of studies, including wildlife health and zoonotic disease, marine mammal stranding response, subsistence food safety and oil spill/offshore discharge research. She is a member of the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee, the Science Advisory Panel of the North Pacific Research Board and the Polar Bear Technical Committee (past).
Michael Falkowski
Program Scientist,
Dr. Michael Falkowski is a program scientist in the Terrestrial Ecology Program at Headquarters where part of his duties include supporting the planning and implementation of (the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment). Dr. Falkowski joins as a detailee from Colorado State University where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. Over the last 20 years, Dr. Falkowski has conducted research in conjunction with a variety of governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations to solve problems in ecosystem science and applied natural resource conservation and management, primarily through the analysis of remotely-sensed and other geospatial data.