News.
Co-Chair Katarina Gårdfeldt new Director of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat
Thursday 2 November, The Swedish Government appointed Katarina Gårdfeldt, Co-Chair of the SDSN Northern Europe and Director of the Centre for Environment and Sustainability (GMV), to be the new Director of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat. She will take office 1 January 2018.
In her new assignment as Director of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, Katarina Gårdfeldt will be in charge of the co-ordination and promotion of Swedish polar research. The agency’s primary mission is to organize and support research expeditions to the polar regions and manage research infrastructure. The Secretariat also helps to create favorable conditions for polar research that does not involve fieldwork. The Secretariat is involved in international negotiations and partnerships, among else led by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
– I am looking forward to lead the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat in a time where knowledge about global environmental changes, and how they take place in the Arctic and Antarctica, will be fundamental for the future. Polar research plays a key role in the development of knowledge related to issues including climate change and the environment, this includes both challenges and opportunities for innovations. The opportunities for Swedish polar research are huge and I am looking forward to taking on the challenges.
