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British Antarctic Survey has a new director: climate expert Professor Jane Francis

Friday, March 22nd 2013 - 21:20 UTC
Full article 4 comments
Ms Francis is currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Leeds   Ms Francis is currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Leeds

Professor Jane Francis has been appointed as the new Director of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Ms Francis, a geologist by training, is Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds where she is currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment.

Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, Duncan Wingham said, “I am delighted to have Jane Francis join NERC as the new Director of the British Antarctic Survey. She joins us at a time in which our need to understand the polar regions has never been more important.

”Jane comes to us with an impressive track record of leadership and achievement in one of the outstanding UK university departments, and is a widely recognized and popular figure in the polar world. We very much welcome her to her new role.“

Professor Francis has research interests in ancient climates, particularly of the polar regions, and has undertaken numerous scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, working in collaboration with research teams from many other countries. In 2002 she was awarded the Polar Medal in recognition of her contribution to British Polar Science.

Commenting on her appointment, Jane Francis said, ”I am very much looking forward to taking up this position in such a prestigious organization as the British Antarctic Survey. Polar science is a really exciting area to work in and there are a lot of great opportunities for BAS, in partnership with the UK polar community, to lead the way in addressing some critical challenges to our understanding of how polar systems operate.”

Jane will take up her new post on 1 October 2013, at which time the current interim Director BAS, Professor Alan Rodger, will stand down.

 

Categories: Environment, Antarctica.

Top Comments

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  • Britworker

    Don't worry Cristina, she won't be a doing a bi-polar survey.

    Mar 23rd, 2013 - 12:43 pm 0
  • GeoffWard2

    Know her.
    Good scientist with a wide view of science.

    She will need an understanding of the way in which polar politics lead Antarctic and sub-polar science programmes in particular directions.

    She will have to play a good Great Game as well as a balanced hand of the environmental sciences. Not least, her position on the polar perspective of global warming will be closely scrutinised - especially by the US administrations.

    Mar 23rd, 2013 - 02:28 pm 0
  • DennisA

    We just want proper science and not agenda-driven claims of anthropogenic global warming in a region where they recently acknowledged there is more ice than they thought. Chris Rapley was determined to find AGW even though it wasn't there and his “awakening giant” still seems not to have heard him.

    Mar 24th, 2013 - 09:28 am 0
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