The SCAR Secretariat

The SCAR Secretariat is staffed by the Executive Director, Executive Officer, a Project Officer, a Science and Operations Officer and an Administrative Assistant.  It is responsible for the day-to-day administration of SCAR and it reports to the Executive Committee. The SCAR Secretariat is based at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, UK.

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Scott Polar Research Institute
University of Cambridge
Lensfield Road
Cambridge
CB2 1ER
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1223 336550
Fax: +44 1223 336549
Email: info@scar.org

History of SCAR Secretariat Staff

SCAR Staff

Executive Director – Dr Chandrika Nath

Email

Chandrika has over 15 years’ experience of providing scientific advice to policy makers with the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. She has briefed UK policymakers on a wide range of policy areas spanning environment, energy, security, ICT and international development. Prior to working for Parliament, Chandrika worked as a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey from 1998-2002. She has a keen interest in diversity and capacity building and has worked with parliaments and researchers across the world to support uptake of research evidence in policy-making. She has a PhD in High Energy Physics from Oxford University.

Dr Nath joined the Secretariat in July 2018.


Executive Officer – Dr Eoghan Griffin

Eoghan Griffin web photo

Email, Office: +44 1223 336556, Mobile: +44 7793 244638

Eoghan has a PhD in Atmospheric Physics and an MSc in Experimental Physics.

From 1994, Eoghan spent the next 15 years at University College London in the Atmospheric Physics Laboratory studying the polar upper atmosphere, first as a PhD student and then as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow until 2009.  He then joined the Imperial College INSPIRE teacher training programme and became a qualified teacher in 2010 before joining SCAR as a Project Officer in September 2011.  In this role he helped manage aspects of the Open Science Conferences, Climate Change communications and latterly the day-to-day finances at the Secretariat.  Eoghan took up the post of Executive Officer on 1 January 2015.


Project Officer – Dr Johanna Grabow

Johanna Grabow

Email, Office: +44 1223 336556

Johanna earned a MA in British Studies and History from Leipzig University, Germany. Her PhD, also from Leipzig University and with an extended visit to the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, focused on the reception of Antarctica in contemporary British literature. Her PhD was funded by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, which she now supports as a member of the selection panel. She has published on Antarctica in novels, the linkages between science and literature and ecocriticism. As a polar enthusiast, she has worked seasonally as an expedition guide and lecturer in the Antarctic and the Arctic. Johanna was one of the founding members of the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

Johanna joined the Secretariat in September 2019.


Science and Operations Officer – Emma Needham

Email

Emma has an academic background in environmental geosciences and science communication and has an MSci and MSc respectively in these subjects, both from Imperial College London. Her MSci research project explored changes in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet over geological timeframes. Emma has worked in outreach for the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, has completed freelance work for SCAR and the European Polar Board, and her most recent role was as Network Manager for the UN Ocean Decade.

Emma joined the Secretariat in January 2024.


Administrative Assistant – Angharad Downes

Angharad Downes

Email, Office: +44 1223 336550

Angharad has an MA in Politics and International Relations and will soon complete a Masters in Polar Law from the University of Akureyri. While her studies and previous work experiences in tourism and academia have taken her to the Arctic, mostly Iceland and Lapland, her interests lie in the Antarctic.

Angharad joined the Secretariat in August 2023.


Administrative Assistant – Hayley Westlake

(currently on maternity leave)

Hayley Westlake

Email, Office: +44 1223 336550

part-time: 9am-3pm, Monday to Friday

Hayley brings a wealth of experience and skills to her new role as the Administrative Assistant. She completed a BA in Literature and Film at the University of Warwick and since then has had a diverse career within the business, education, and non-profit sectors, including her most recent position as a project manager for an international company in Germany. Hayley has recently moved to Cambridge after living in Bochum, Germany for 4 years and is now enjoying settling back into life in the UK.

Hayley joined the Secretariat in May 2023.