The Council represents PEI members who step forward to volunteer their time and talents in a leadership role for a limited period of time. Council members are active leaders representing PEI in many ways, such as at international conferences and meetings, and are recognized as experts by senior leaders in many fields.
Together we serve as representatives of an international polar education community, maintaining our connections with partner organizations, and seeking out new relationships to strengthen our network.
Sanjeef is an interdisciplinary sustainability educator and early career researcher at University Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, working closely with the National Antarctic Research Centre (NARC) Malaysia,
Joe Muise is a physics teacher from British Columbia, Canada. He works with polar researchers, educators and enthusiasts to build polar education tools and resources, inspired by a life-changing trip to Antarctica in 2024.
Grace is a science communicator, polar explorer, and sustainability researcher. As the lead coordinator of the Next Generation Explorers Network (NGEN) at The Explorers Club, she has in depth experience of both the Arctic and Antarctica and expertise in polar education, logistics, and storytelling.
Jill studied anthropology at the universities of Frankfurt (Germany) and Uppsala (Arkhangelsk).
Lily is an award-winning Early Career Researcher focusing on the complex interface of physical and human geographies at the poles, with a driving commitment to inspiring the next generation of early career polar researchers. Her research investigates the geopolitical consequences of redefining and globalising the Arctic.
Anzor is an explorer and influencer and the first Uzbek citizen to set foot on all seven continents. He has travelled to 40 countries and visited over 120 cities worldwide, sharing his remarkable journey and direct experience of the worlds greatest natural wonders through captivating stories and photography.
Marta is a science and mathematics teacher in the second cycle of basic education in Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Ruy Luís Gomes (Almada, Portugal),
Sena is actively engaged in several international polar research networks, and is currently Secretary of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group
Jeane de Fatima Moreira Branco is a master’s student, STEM teacher, pedagogue and neuroeducator.
Zeynep is a maths teacher and STEM educator who integrates sustainability in her teaching to instill a deep sense of responsibility in her students.
Gamze is a research assistant and PhD candidate at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), specializing in environmental chemistry and biotechnology.
Wendi Pillars, National Board Certified Teacher BCT and US Army veteran, has been teaching multi-lingual learners and a variety of content areas for nearly 3 decades;
Gülden is a postgraduate student at Istanbul Technical University, specializing in Polar Sciences.
Orhan is a dedicated science communicator, recognized for his multidisciplinary approaches to public engagement and commitment to advancing polar literacy.
Juhi Yadav is a Project Scientist at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), India with a deep passion for science communication.
Professor Jaswant Singh, male, environmental scientist, post graduated from Lucknow University, Lucknow, India in the year 1983, and awarded doctoral degree in the year 1987.
I have attended the Education and Polar Science in Action”, Cambridge, UNITED KINGDOM. and presented the paper on UV-Absorbing pigments in plants growing at Polar Regions. April 8-12, 2019. PEI 2019.
I have participated in the 22nd (2002) and 24th (2004) Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, to carry out research on Influence of UV-B radiations and survival mechanism of flora of Schirmacher Oasis at East Antarctica. and Indian Scientific Expedition to Arctic (North Pole) (2018), sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. Of India, New Delhi.
Valeria comes from Italy and is a math-science teacher in a middle school.
Vandana is a PhD researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, specializing in glacier studies using satellite data.
Abby is an established graphic designer and creative practitioner based in the USA with a deep passion for communication and visual storytelling.
Skye is a dynamic information designer and marine scientist. Her diverse background on the ocean, including having sailed 100,000 nautical miles around the globe, fuels her abiding belief in the power of interdisciplinary art and design to engage us with the ecological complexities of the poles and dependencies of our planet.
Ram has been in the field of education for the last 20 years leading content development, teaching and training as well as
Over the last ten years his focus has been towards the environment, climate change and the polar regions. His passion for nature and wildlife and the need to observe/document them has taken him to the Arctic (Greenland, Svalbard, the North Pole, Arctic Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands) and the Antarctic (the peninsula and the Ross Sea region).
He has an Engineering degree in Computer Science and a Masters’ in Business, though he feels that there is a lot to be learnt whether through volunteering, courses or conferences. Some of his recent learning experiences have been a Post Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies (New Zealand), The Changing Arctic (online) by Dr. Terry Callaghan, Ecology of the Polar Bears (Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Canada), Endangered Species Recovery (Durrell Conservation Academy, Jersey, UK), the COP23 (in Bonn) and the PEI Conference (Cambridge, UK).
Having traveled to over 90 countries, and observed pedagogy across regions and cultures, his focus has been on contextual learning (outside) and effective use of innovation and technology (inside the classroom) and he hopes to continue to do so.
Deniz is a highly skilled researcher who possesses a deep passion for permafrost research.
Anita is a proud member of Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (lith – lee- quay) First Nation, and a distinguished Dene Cree scholar with a particular focus on the Land as a pedagogical foundation.
Ephraphus is Regulation Officer for University of South Africa and Antarctic Gateway Coordinator, currently living in New Zealand. He has extensive experience of the Polar Regions and understanding of Antarctic current affairs.
Jhon Fredy Mojica Moncada is an accomplished physical oceanographer at The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration CSLC, responsible for deployment of equipment at the Thwaites Glacier front to record the directional waves and ice-ocean interaction with a passion for polar science communication.
Syed is an expert in international politics, geopolitics, security and peace, and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Strategic and Security Studies at the Faculty of International Studies at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India.
Leni Runge is originally from Germany and currently lives in Denmark, where she works as a marine biologist and a mum. She wants to help young people, regardless of background, gender, or sexual orientation, explore their fascination, wonder, and curiosity for science and nature.
Exodus CL Sit is a transmedia, astronomy educator, polar explorer, popular science author, astro-musician, astrophotographer, and science communicator from Hong Kong, China.
He is the National Astronomy Education Coordinator and Co-National Outreach Coordinator of the International Astronomical Union. He is also the president of Starrix Hong Kong and an International Committee Member of the Dark Sky International. He has visited around 50 countries and regions, including glacier hiking in Iceland (2017), Aurora Borealis research in Nordics (Sweden, Norway, and Finland) in the Arctic Circle (2023), Aurora Australis research in Tasmania (2023), and expedition to the “Third Pole” Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (2024).
Exodus actively promotes dark-sky protection and popular science in various disciplines, with international initiatives and research on interdisciplinary approaches, such as sustainability, dark-sky protection, space exploration, astronomy innovation, astropreneurship, inclusive science communication, aurora hunting, natural science expedition, and STEAM Education.
Marcelo is a retired Rear Admiral from the Argentine Navy. He was part of 12 different Antarctic expeditions being the leader of the last two.
Dr. Svetlana Vassiliouk is a professor of International Relations at the School of Global Japanese Studies of Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan.
She received a B.A. In Political Science (Summa Cum Laude) in 1999 from Florida Atlantic University; a M.A. in International Relations, with a concentration in Japan Studies, in 2002 from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC; and a Ph.D. in Political Science in 2006 from Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan. In 2006, she started her academic career as an adjunct professor of politics and international relations at Hosei University, the IES – Tokyo American Center for International Education of Students at Kanda Gaidai and Meikai Universities, and Temple University – Japan Campus. In 2008-2011, she worked as a researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics Japan and its Asia-Pacific Energy Research Center focusing on Japanese-Russian energy cooperation, Russian energy efficiency and conservation policies. In 2011, she joined the School of Global Japanese Studies of Meiji University where she is currently teaching courses on International Relations, Russia and Eurasia, Japanese Politics, and seminars on Japanese foreign relations.
Dr. Vassiliouk delivered numerous conference papers and published articles and book chapters on a variety of topics, including Russia’s Arctic policy; Russia-Japan relations and energy cooperation, including in the Russian Arctic Region; Russian-Ukrainian energy relations; Russian energy strategy and foreign policy; and U.S.-Japan political relations. Her current research is focused on recent developments in Russia’s policies and foreign relations in the Arctic Region with a special focus on Japan-Russia relations.
She has been a PEI Council member since June 2024. In addition, her polar experience includes living above the Arctic Circle (in the city of Norilsk in Krasnoyarskii Region of the Soviet Siberia) in 1979-1983 as a child; traveling twice to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands; and exploring the Arctic Region via expedition cruises, including a circumvention cruise around Svalbard and a crossing of the Baffin Bay from Greenland to Canada and the US.
Sophie is a founder member of PEI, and currently an affiliate of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) in the UK.
