APECS Sweden Board Members 2025

What does the Arctic mean to you?
The word for me is connected to winter and snow – and silence and a kind of calm. It’s barren, beautiful landscapes – with so much life during the summers. It’s mountains and the sea. It’s where time stands still, but everything is still changing fast. An environment of contrasts. And the word is connected with a feeling of home and belonging – although I’m originally from southern Finland, northern Scandinavia is the environment that feels like “home”.

What book did you last read?
Likely the book Arctic One Health, which I really recommend. Not related to work it must have been some fantasy book last summer, don’t remember the title but the environment/setting of the book was northern parts of Russia “a long time ago”, the book was burrowed from and recommended by my sister.

What areas of interest would you like to develop further?
Climbing. Especially looking forward to next summer hoping to be able to do more climbing outdoors. I love the outdoors and the mountains.

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS?
I hope to contribute to rebuilding this amazing network for polar scientists in Sweden, because I think there is both a lot of strength – and also a lot of fun! – in knowing the other people with a similar interest in these amazing polar areas. And I hope that when I leave my post as the Executive Secretary of APECS Sweden we have succeeded in making it easy for others to continue the work and keep the organization and networking going.

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What does the Arctic mean to you?
Growing up in Berlin, I always thought of the Arctic as an unforgiving, harsh, and cold place. While it can certainly be rough and undeniably cold at times, my perspective has evolved significantly. I’ve come to see the circumpolar north as a vibrant and fascinating region, full of life and complexities that often go unnoticed. Today, I’m proud to call it home.

What book did you last read?
As a PhD student, my reading list is often dominated by academic books and articles. The last one I read was The Weaponization of Everything by Mark Galeotti. Outside of my academic work, the most recent book I enjoyed in my free time was Black Forest by Wolfgang Schorlau. If you’re a fan of crime novels, I highly recommend exploring his works!

What areas of interest would you like to develop further?
One of my main goals is to improve my Swedish. I’ve grown very fond of the Arctic region and the culture of Sweden, and I can see myself staying here long-term. Learning the language would allow me to engage more deeply with the country and its people.

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS?
I’m looking forward to meaningful exchanges and gaining interdisciplinary insights into the Arctic, a region that fascinates me deeply. APECS provides an excellent platform for connecting with others who share this passion, and I’m excited to be part of such a vibrant community.

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What does Arctic mean to you?
Before I started my research, Arctic meant an icy place with polar bears and no people, now, Arctic is so much more, a place of life, a vibrant climate with large and quick changes, a place where we live and thrive but where hazards are not only dangerous but life-threatening due to the climatical challenges.

What movie did you last see?
Wicked, and I must say, as a huge musical theatre fan, I was not disappointed.

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS Sweden?
I want to be able to create a hub for the growth of knowledge, new collaborations and a deeper understanding of the research and challenges of living in Arctic climates. I want young researchers, as myself, to have a natural place for networking, creating and finding support for any ideas of inspiration for the future.

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I am researching children’s upbringing conditions and how they impact health and well-being later in life using longitudinal data.

What does Arctic mean to you?
My view on the Arctic has certainly changed. Before I started with the Arctic Graduate School, my idea of the Arctic was that of a frozen (mostly) wasteland – which I think is a quite common and stereotypical view. Now I see the Arctic as a dynamic and vibrant region. Rich in history with complicated social and political relationships.

What book did you last read?
The last book I read was Aja Baja, Alfons Åberg by Gunilla Bergström. If we exclude children’s books the last fictional book I read was Dead Beat by Jim Butcher, book seven in a modern fantasy series about a guy that is a private investigator AND a wizard (if that description doesn’t sell you on it, I don’t know what to tell you). The last non-fiction book I read (outside of work) was Drömmen om det röda: Rosa Luxemburg, socialism, språk och kärlek by Nina Björk.

What areas of interest would you like to develop further?
I am working on becoming a more organized writer…

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS Sweden?
I would love to be a part of growing this community and expanding the exchange between different scientific fields interested in the Arctic.

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I am passionate about fostering collaboration among researchers and communities to promote sustainable development in the Arctic, with a keen interest in social sustainability, risk perception, and behavior change.

What does Arctic mean to you?
The Arctic is a treasure trove of wonder and wisdom for me. It symbolizes not only breathtaking natural beauty but also the critical importance of community resilience. The stories of the Arctic people inspire me to advocate for sustainable practices that honor both scientific research and local knowledge. It’s a place where we can learn so much!

What don’t people know about you?
I’m a fun-loving Type A personality who lost a national championship in boxing—talk about a punchy experience! Additionally, I attempted to climb El Capitan (probably the most recognized chunk of rock among climbers) but ended up with more laughs than altitude. These adventures, and others, taught me the importance of enjoying the journey, not just the goal 😀

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS Sweden?
I hope to create a vibrant network among early-career researchers and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration in polar science. By empowering young scientists, I believe we can inspire innovative solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

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What does Arctic mean to you?
My view of the Arctic is that it consists of multiple regions, faced with challenges that are both regionally and locally distinct, but which also connects to global issues and priorities. Arctic research and perspectives therefore provide important pieces to tackle such issues and challenges at multiple societal levels, while also providing much needed insight into contextual characteristics.

What do you hope to achieve through your involvement with APECS Sweden?
As a board member and historian, I hope to aid in facilitating collaboration, personal growth for myself and others, and sharing knowledge within and beyond the APECS regional framework. My view is that doing so will enrich Arctic research and people interested in and impacted by past and present-day socioenvironmental and sociotechnical challenges within Arctic regions.

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Past board members

APECS Sweden thanks past board members for their contributions:

Jasmine Stavenow (2021), Thomas Frank (2021), Julia Kukulies (2020-2021), Julia Wagner (2019-2021), Freya Sykes (2019-2021), Martin Mohrmann (2018-2021), Corinna Röver (2017-2020), Sasmo Grasic (2018-2019), Daniel Emanuelsson (2019), Lina Rassmusson (2018-2019), Céline Heuzé (2016-2019), Andrea Luciani (2018-2019), Juri Palmtag (2017-2019), Mats Björkman (2016–2018), Rhiannon Mondav (2017–2018), Joakim Jansen (2016–2017), Matthias Siewert (2016–2017), Patrícia Pečnerova (2016–2017), Christopher Cosgrove (2016), Magdalena Pfaffl (2016), Ylva Sjöberg (2016).