The XXXVIII SCAR Delegates Meeting in Punta Arenas, Chile saw the appointment of a new SCAR President, Prof Gary Wilson (New Zealand), and two new Vice-Presidents, Dr Carlota Escutia (Spain) and Dr Takuji Nakamura (Japan).
SCAR warmly thanks the out-going Executive Committee members: President, Dr Yeadong Kim (South Korea), and Vice Presidents, Prof Deneb Karentz (USA) and Prof Jefferson Cardia Simões (Brazil) for all their hard work these past years. Dr Yeadong Kim, will remain on the Executive Committee as the immediate past President. SCAR is glad to have Prof Burcu Özsoy and Dr Marcelo Leppe continuing as Vice-Presidents for another two years.
Prof Gary Wilson was elected as the new SCAR President. Gary Wilson is the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. His research interests include global climate cycles, the carbon cycle and Antarctic ice volume and sea levels. He has undertaken more than 40 expeditions to the Antarctic and Subantarctic. He has been the New Zealand delegate to SCAR since 2016 and served as Vice-President from 2018-2022. Prior to joining the University of Waikato, he was the Chief Scientist for GNS Science, Director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute and Professor at the University of Otago (NZ). He has also held positions at the University of Oxford (UK) and The Ohio State University (USA). In 2021, he received the Thomson Medal from the NZ Royal Society.
Dr Carlota Escutia was elected as a new Vice President. Carlota Escutia is a researcher at the Instituto Andaluz de Ciencies de la Tierra, Universidad de Granada, Spain. Her principal research interests focus on understanding Antarctic ice sheet dynamics, and related paleoceanographic and sea level changes. Carlota Escutia has been a SCAR Delegate of Spain since 2020. Within SCAR, Carlota Escutia was the chair and founder of Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE) and of the Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS), and is currently the co-chair of (ICEPRO) and (PRAMSO). She is also a member of the Antarctic Environments Portal Editorial Group. In 2020, Carlota Escutia was awarded the SCAR Medal for International Scientific Coordination.
Prof Takuji Nakamura was elected as a new Vice President. Prof. Takuji Nakamura is a professor at National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR). He was the Director-General of the NIPR from 2017 to 2023. His research interests include atmospheric and geospace physics, and radio/optical remote sensings. Prof. Nakamura has been the Japanese representative to SCAR Physical Sciences Group since 2014, the Delegate of Japan at SCAR since 2018. Within SCAR, Prof. Takuji Nakamura was a steering committee member of ANtarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN) Action Group from 2018 to 2024, and served as the Chief Officer of the Physical Sciences Group from 2022 to 2024. Prof. Takuji Nakamura was the chair of AFoPS (Asian Forum for Polar Science) from 2018 to 2020, and has been a council member of the Science Council of Japan since 2020.
Details on the responsibilities of the Vice Presidents are in the process of being decided and will be announced shortly.