+ Early Career Forum
Periodically and the Early Career Forum will share research from, and opportunities for, early career researchers working in the polar regions. This regular round-up aims to highlight and celebrate the work being done by early career researchers in Arctic research. If you have information you would like to submit, please see the link below.
Are you or do you know an early career researcher who has recently published work related to the Arctic? We at and the Early Career Forum want to highlight your work! Please fill out this form with any Arctic publications, webinars, posters, etc. and we will share on the Early Career Forum and with our Twitter followers. Anyone who identifies as early career is eligible to submit! Any questions? Email usapecs@gmail.com for more information. Submit documents here: https://forms.gle/S1Gd3jpE4CtSoY6Y6
Early Career Publications
Trivedi, Shreya, Will Hobbs, and Marilyn Raphael (2025) An assessment of Antarctic sea-ice thickness in simulations with comparison to the satellite-based observations and reanalyses, The Cryosphere, 19, 6771–6790. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6771-2025
Timmermans, Mary-Louise and Zachary M. Labe (2025) Sea surface temperature [in “Arctic Report Card 2025”], M. L. Druckenmiller, R. L. Thoman, and T. A. Moon, Eds., M. B. Armstrong and C. Garcia, Coordinating Eds.,https://doi.org/10.25923/pz7y-3b10
Author website: https://zacklabe.com/, https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com
Joh, Youngji, Sang-Wook Yeh, Thomas L. Delworth, Zachary M. Labe, Andrew T. Wittenberg, William F. Cooke, Jiale Lou, and Young-Gyu Park (2026). Evolving synchronization of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension in a changing climate. Science Advances 12, no. 8. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx6366
Author website: https://zacklabe.com/, https://bsky.app/profile/zacklabe.com
Events
POLARIN fieldwork planning webinars
Are you preparing for fieldwork in the Arctic or Antarctic? Whether you're headed to land-based stations or embarking on polar research vessels, planning is key to a successful and safe research campaign. Join us on 9 April, 13-15 GMT and 16 April, 13-15 GMT for a two-part series of POLARIN fieldwork planning webinars to learn more about how to navigate logistics challenges, understand risk assessment and field safety, implement ethical and sustainable research practices, and plan effective data management from the start.
These trainings are organized by the Polar Research Infrastructure Network (POLARIN), a project providing transnational access to polar research infrastructures and offering training resources for infrastructure users and the wider polar research community. The webinars will provide you with an overview on a variety of topics related to planning polar fieldwork:
Part I (9 April, 13-15 GMT)
- Introduction to the POLARIN project and its opportunities for researchers
- Ensuring safe and efficient fieldwork on research vessels in polar waters
- Using the POLARIN for planning terrestrial fieldwork
- Accessing data through the POLARIN data infrastructure
- Interactive training on data processing and stewardship
- Time for your questions and interaction with speakers and other participants
Part II (16 April, 13-15 GMT)
- Learnings from experiences of research infrastructure managers and early career researchers
- Equitable and ethical research collaboration and community engagement in the Arctic
- Building safe and welcoming field environments and team culture
- Sharing tips and tricks for polar fieldwork planning amongst webinar participants
- Stories and recommendations from participants of the POLARIN ambassador programme on media content creation in the field
- Time for your questions and interaction with speakers and other participants
The training sessions are open to all — from early career researchers to experienced polar scientists. Please register to attend the two different sessions on 9 April (Part I) and 16 April (Part II).
For more information visit: https://www.apecs.is/news/apecs-news/5472-polarin-fieldwork-planning-webinar-two-part-series.html
Beyond Doom and Gloom: Teaching & Learning about Climate Change as Polar Scientists
Join us online for 'Beyond Doom and Gloom: Teaching & Learning about Climate Change as Polar Scientists' on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 8 am AKT | 10am MT | 12pm ET!
What would it mean to respond to climate change with connection instead of fear? The Polar Science Early Career Community Office () is excited to host Alicia Christensen from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences () Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation (CEEE) to discuss key strategies and activities for nurturing emotional well-being and empowering polar early career scientists to take positive action in the face of climate change. By employing these strategies, early career scientists can move beyond the feeling of doom and gloom towards a feeling of empowerment and educate others about climate change in a way that inspires hope and optimism. Participants will walk away with mental health resources. Content will be developed by CEEE, with the event hosted by .
To register for this event, visit this webpage.
Please reach out to psecco@colorado.edu if you have any questions.
Conferences and Travel Grants
Open Science Conference and Travel Grants
We are happy to announce that registration for the 2026 Open Science Conference is now open! The IPICS2026 meeting will be held at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in scenic Banff, Canada, from Monday, October 12 to Friday October 16, 2026. An associated Early Career Researcher workshop will take place in the same venue on Sunday October 11.
The organizing committee has put together an exciting program of scientific sessions, an excursion, and social events designed to maintain the long-standing international connectivity of ice core science. Banff is fantastic destination in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the Banff Centre is ideally suited for 2026. Hotel rooms are available on site, and we strongly encourage you to book your lodging at the Banff Centre (see separate link on the conference web page). Having all participants stay on site will greatly enhance the experience with more opportunities for interaction. Lodging on site is economical relative to other options in Banff, will allow easy access to the conference facilities, and is just a short walk to downtown Banff. On-site group breakfast and lunch are included with the registration.
Please register and book your housing as soon as possible.
The abstract submission deadline is May 15.
Limited travel grants are available for Early Career Researchers (Students, Postdocs, or Professionals within 3 years of graduation) and researchers from Low and Lower Middle Income Countries.
Opportunities
PhD Position in Dynamics-Aware Downscaling of Extremes over Arctic Glaciers
We are offering a fully-funded PhD position at TU Delft at the intersection of Machine Learning and Cryospheric Science Science. You’ll be using ML methods to bridge the gap between compound synoptic drivers modeled in the atmosphere and fine-scale extreme impacts captured by high resolution remote sensing across Arctic glaciers, improving projections of extreme melt events, glacier runoff, and future sea-level rise.
Application due April 14th.
Join Rajashree (Tri) Datta at the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Department at TUDelft, with Bert Wouters and Stef Lhermitte (also at TU Delft), in addition to external collaborators at Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and (USA).
We are looking for candidates with an MSc in earth science, environmental science, physics, mathematics, computer science, or data science, with experience in or a passion to learn about machine learning, synoptics or cryosphere research.
Most of all, we are looking for a candidate with curiosity about complex Earth Systems interactions, an interest in developing real expertise with multiple tools (machine learning, modeling, remote sensing), and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Full job description & application here.
The Polar Climate Space: A hackathon to advance polar science with earth observation and climate models
Open to Early Career Researchers (ECRs) from across the physical sciences, this is a hackathon organised by the funded PISCO project and the Horizon Europe funded SnowPI project to address scientific challenges by combining earth observation, state of the art climate models, in-situ observations and machine learning techniques. Our focus is both the Arctic and Antarctica and the earth system processes that contribute to cryospheric changes. Our subjects will range from ice sheets and glaciers to permafrost and sea ice and from snow on land to ice in the clouds and impacts on marine ecosystems.
We invite applications from ECRs interested in working on one of these topics in a multidisciplinary group as well as from senior scientists proposing projects they would like to support ECRs working on. It is not necessary to be affiliated with either PISCO or SnowPI to participate. ECRs are also welcome to propose concrete group projects for the week.
The format is a focused week of group project work with senior scientists acting as mentors, lectures on essential processes and techniques and networking across countries, institutes and disciplines.
Funding: Participation is free and some support for travel and accommodation is available for those who need it.
Dates: 24th – 30th August
Location: To be confirmed but likely southern Scandinavia
Registration of interest (full registration to follow):
Deadline for applications: 1st May 2026
For more details, please see the PISCO website: https://climate.esa.int/en/observations-and-modelling/PISCO/ or contact Irene Robles Garcia irga@dmi.dk