The International Permafrost Association (IPA) is delighted to announce that Ms. Karina Schollän has been appointed as IPA Executive Director. She started working for the IPA Secretariat in Potsdam (Germany) on 15 November 2013. The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research agreed to continue to host the Secretariat from 2013-2016.
Ms. Schollän was selected from a large number of candidates and convinced the selection committee with her enthusiasm for the position and the rigor with which she identified the challenges ahead. She studied Geography at the University of Bonn, obtaining a Masters focusing on dendrochronology in 2009. She is about to complete her PhD at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. She had several extended stays abroad during her studies, which helped her to develop skills in English and French. She also developed administrative expertise through work in the private sector as well as through the organization of international conferences.