UK Polar Network

UK Polar Network The UK Polar Network organises skill development workshops, networking days and mentor panels for early career polar research scientists.

The UK Polar Network was established in April 2007 as part of the 2007 – 2009 International Polar Year (IPY). We are the UK branch of the Association of Early Career Scientists (APECS) and currently have over 500 members, from aspiring undergraduates to Masters and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and recent faculty appointees. As a voluntary group we organise career development events for early career scientists in addition to running education and outreach activities to enthuse and inspire young people about the polar regions.

Are you studying the frozen planet or the poles? ❄️ Do you want to learn about Antarctica and the people who work there?...
10/09/2026

Are you studying the frozen planet or the poles? ❄️ Do you want to learn about Antarctica and the people who work there? 🐧 The UK Polar Network are offering you the opportunity to learn more about this and to design and send an Antarctic flag out into the field with a fantastic team of polar researchers! 🇦🇶

Find the link 🔗 in our LinkTree in our bio!
Registration deadline October 8th
Flags to be received by November 15th

Polar science doesn’t stay at the poles.Last week, 1,500+ polar scientists and educators gathered in Oslo for SCAR 2026—...
29/08/2026

Polar science doesn’t stay at the poles.

Last week, 1,500+ polar scientists and educators gathered in Oslo for SCAR 2026—and UKPN was there to explore how early-career researchers can bring polar science to wider audiences.

Together with APECS committees from Mexico, South Africa, France and Uruguay, we hosted a session on the challenges and opportunities ECRs face in science communication.

From visual storytelling to social media, education and collaboration, the discussion highlighted one thing: making polar science accessible requires all of us.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the session happen!

Session conveners and panelists, left to right: Laura Morales (APECS Mexico), Odile Volonterio (APECS Uruguay), Kelly Mogotsi (South African Polar Research Infrastructure), Natalia de la Selva Gendrop (Agencia Mexicana de Estudios Antarticos/Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Riesna Audh (APECS South Africa), Edmund Lea (UKPN), Ramcharan Vijayaraghavan (Polar Educators International). Also convening the session but not present were: Sophie Dupont (APECS France), Anona Griffiths (UKPN) and Lena Lancastle (UKPN).

Session conveners and panelists, left to right: Laura Morales (APECS Mexico), Odile Volonterio (APECS Uruguay), Kelly Mo...
29/08/2026

Session conveners and panelists, left to right: Laura Morales (APECS Mexico), Odile Volonterio (APECS Uruguay), Kelly Mogotsi (South African Polar Research Infrastructure), Natalia de la Selva Gendrop (Agencia Mexicana de Estudios Antarticos/Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Riesna Audh (APECS South Africa), Edmund Lea (UKPN), Ramcharan Vijayaraghavan (Polar Educators International). Also convening the session but not present were: Sophie Dupont (APECS France), Anona Griffiths (UKPN) and Lena Lancastle (UKPN).

Join the UK Polar Network Committee ‼️Want to help shape the future of the UK Polar Network? We’re looking for enthusias...
30/07/2026

Join the UK Polar Network Committee ‼️

Want to help shape the future of the UK Polar Network? We’re looking for enthusiastic early career individuals to join our 2026/27 Committee.

We’re currently searching for individuals to fill the positions of:
❄️ Secretary
❄️ Treasurer
❄️ EDI Officer
❄️ Festivals Officer
❄️ Social Media Officer (x3)
❄️ Marketing Officer
❄️ Training Officer
❄️ International Collaboration Officer

Develop new skills, expand your network, and help deliver exciting opportunities for the UK’s polar community.

📝 Apply by 18 August 2026 via the link in our bio (or visit our website).

Questions? 📧 [email protected]

Complete the ECAMMS Survey - Early Career Antarctic Marine Mammal and Seabird ResearchersAre you an Early Career Researc...
22/07/2026

Complete the ECAMMS Survey - Early Career Antarctic Marine Mammal and Seabird Researchers

Are you an Early Career Researcher (ECR)?
If your work involves marine mammals or seabirds in Antarctic or sub-Antarctic regions, we want to hear from you through this survey!

🎯 What is the goal?
Map expertise: Identify the ECR community working with marine mammals and seabirds and highlight the skills you have developed through your research.
Strengthen networks: Create a direct communication channel with the SCAR Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM).
Generate opportunities: Build a platform connecting senior researchers with ECRs for international collaborative projects.

📊 What will happen with the results?
The results will be formally presented during the SCAR Conference in Oslo at the EG-BAMM meeting (Saturday, August 8, 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Central Park B Room) and submitted for publication in a scientific journal.

What you need to know:
Estimated time: The survey will take only a couple of minutes to complete.
Confidentiality: Responses will be processed anonymously.
ECAMMS Network: At the end of the survey (Section 5), you may voluntarily provide your name and email address if you would like to join our official mailing list.
Eligibility: This survey is exclusively for researchers working with marine mammals or seabirds in Antarctic or sub-Antarctic regions.

📅 DEADLINE: MONDAY, AUGUST 3!

This is Tina Rai, a PhD student and microbial ecologist at Aberystwyth University, where her research focuses on cryocon...
13/07/2026

This is Tina Rai, a PhD student and microbial ecologist at Aberystwyth University, where her research focuses on cryoconites. Tina has also been an amazing volunteer for the UK Polar Network!

Tina studies microbes, mainly bacteria, in cryoconite (dark sediment found on the surface of glaciers and ice sheets) which absorbs solar radiation and forms cylindrical holes filled with water and cryoconite at the bottom. Her sampling site is Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, and she collected cryoconite samples from four different glaciers (Vestre Brøggerbreen, Midtre Lovénbreen, Austre Brøggerbreen and Vestre Lovénbreen) in August 2023. She is looking at temporal and spatial differences in bacterial communities on these glaciers as well as the bacterial communities in cryoconite granules of different sizes and the metagenomics of the larger cryoconite granule.

Image 2: Cryoconite hole
Image 3: Arctic Fox
Image 4: Vestre Broøggerbreen

Tina Rai’s work is also featured in Tales from the Poles. To read more, follow this link- https://polarnetwork.org/education-and-outreach/tales-from-the-poles/

10/07/2026

We also had the chance to talk all about microorganisms at Glasgow Science Festival 2026!

A big thank you to the amazing Naomi, a University of Glasgow microbiology student, for sharing her knowledge and passion with everyone.

🌍 We Want to Share Your Polar Research! ❄️Are you involved in polar research? We’d love to showcase the incredible work ...
09/07/2026

🌍 We Want to Share Your Polar Research! ❄️

Are you involved in polar research? We’d love to showcase the incredible work being carried out!

Whether you’re conducting fieldwork in remote polar environments, analysing samples in the lab, or working behind the desk, we want to hear your story.

To be featured, send us:
📸 A few of your favourite photos (from fieldwork, the lab,team shots)
👤 Your name and a picture of yourself
🏛️ Your university or institution
🔬 Research topic
📝 A short introduction to your research

This is a great opportunity to share your work, inspire others, and highlight the exciting research taking place across our community.

Email or message us your submission, and we’ll feature your work on our instagram. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to!

Email - [email protected]

📢 The 5th edition of the APECS Polar Book Club is here!📖 This autumn, UKPN, APECS Sweden and APECS Netherlands invite yo...
07/07/2026

📢 The 5th edition of the APECS Polar Book Club is here!

📖 This autumn, UKPN, APECS Sweden and APECS Netherlands invite you to read Bitter Passage by Colin Mills and join us for an engaging discussion about Arctic exploration, colonial encounters, survival and the stories we tell about the North.

Set during the search for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition, Bitter Passage follows Lieutenant Frederick Robinson as he joins a rescue voyage into the Canadian Arctic. Combining historical fiction with psychological suspense, the novel explores themes of imperial ambition, isolation, Indigenous knowledge and the challenges of navigating unfamiliar Arctic environments.

Whether you are interested in polar history, Arctic cultures, exploration narratives or simply enjoy a good book, we would love for you to join the conversation!
🕑 Date & Time: 18 November 2026, 16:15–18:15 CET
📍 Online via Zoom (Zoom link will be shared closer to the event)

The Polar Book Club is open to all APECS members and early-career researchers worldwide. We warmly welcome participants from all disciplines and countries.
📝 Registration: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/g0t4t51Ue4

❓ Questions? Feel free to get in touch with Lena Leimgruber Haraldsson, APECS Sweden ([email protected])

We look forward to reading and discussing Bitter Passage with you! ❄️⚓📚

Address

National Maritime Museum, Park Row, Greenwich
London
SE10 9NF

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