This CV focuses on professional outdoor experience – polar fieldwork, guiding, related logistics support and customer facing roles. In between formal roles is a lifestyle of going outside – and also managing international moves with a family. This stuff is life – and sometimes I’m lucky enough to be paid to do it.
Alongside the professional work here, I’ve made a mountain log summarising the last few years. It’s short on recent rock climbing – that’s Tromsø life!
2020-2022
Postdoctoral researcher, Norwegian Polar Institute.
Key attributes: mentoring, research, polar fieldwork, safety, risk management, collaboration
I am a sea ice physical properties specialist in the Norwegian Nansen Legacy Project (https://arvenetternansen.com). My work mixes traditional sea ice sampling using drills, ice corers, ship based observation and detailed snow pits – and new strategies using small drones, semiautomated snow probes and electromagnetic sounders. Overall, the aim is to help unpack how sea ice physical structures interact with the living environment of the norther Barents sea.
I’ve experienced a huge variety of sea ice conditions working off RV Kronprins Haakon in winter (March 2021, February / March 2022), spring (May 2021) and at the start of the Arctic refreeze (September 2021), travelling up to 87.5 degrees north.
Drawing on my Antarctic experience I managed equipment logistics, set field program priorities, trained and mentored sea ice researchers in the field.
The role also has strong risk management, field leadership, and safety components. I’ve developed and helped shape risk assessments. I’ve been responsible for continuous assessment of operational sea ice safety, finding safe routes and leading small groups in unexplored sea ice terrain. And I’ve worked as a dedicated polar bear guard.
This work will contribute a best possible picture of sea ice structure to a broad, multi-disciplinary project. It has also contributed to innovative usage of small RPAS (drones) in sea ice research. Finally, it has a strong advocacy component – speaking up internally and externally about how temporary researchers are percieved and treated in the Norwegian system, trying to improve conditions for people who come after me.
Related portfolio work
2014 -2016
Workshop / sales, Uni Cycles, Canberra, Australia.
Key attributes: customer service, small business, relationship building, mentoring, workload management
Mechanic and salesperson at a small bicycle store in Canberra, Australia. We sold and fixed bicycles – all kinds of bicycles – at a small but very busy workshop based at the Australian National University campus. My role also included daily triage of bicycle servicing tasks, service and sales bookings, keeping tabs on stock levels, and mentoring new staff.
2009-2013
Part time casual assistant, Outdoor Education Group, Eildon, Victoria.
Unpacking and cleaning equipment, preparing equipment, and bicycle maintenance.
Part time bicycle maintenance manager, Holmesglen TAFE, Eildon, Victoria
Maintain a small fleet of mountain bikes within a maintenance budget, occasionally lead bicycle tours.
2007-2013
Sea ice technician (also known as research engineer in other countries) and PhD candidate from 2009, Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart, Tasmania
Key attributes: project leadership, concept development, polar logistics, fieldwork, field team management, mentoring, helicopter operations, safety assessment, risk assessment, data analysis and synthesis, project prioritization
I coordinated logistics and field support for the sea ice physical processes team in the Australian Antarctic division on four expeditions to the east Antarctic pack ice zone. Two were international multi-disciplinary research expeditions ( SIPEX 2007; SIPEX II, 2012) and two were resupply trips to Davis Station (V1 2008; V1 2009). In 2009 I was also a voyage management intern – meaning I worked with the expedition leadership team in addition to my research role, to understand the process of running a resupply expedition.
On these expeditions my focus was an airborne surveying platform and supporting ground observations. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 I flew a lot as an airborne camera operator, in 2012 this role was largely ‘set and forget’. In 2007 and 2012 I managed a ground surveying operation using GPS and other surveying equipment, drills, sleds, shovels, sweat and a small cohort of volunteers recruited on the ship in addition to our formal research team. On all voyages I worked as a sea ice observer, contrbuting to the ASPeCt program.
My “off ship” work aimed to tie data collected in all these programs together – integrating airborne lidar, photogrammetry, ship based observations and in situ sampling. It pioneered the use of texture based image analysis and the application of structure-from-motion photogrammetry on drifting sea ice. My doctoral thesis (see publications) provides engineering and data analysis details. Its main finding is that our body of knowledge about Antarctic sea ice thickness is extremely limited because of observational and resolution-induced biases. It also highlights some critical issues in estimation of snow depth on Antarctic sea ice.
Related portfolio work
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2005-2008
Hiking guide, Cradle Mountain Huts (now Tasmanian Walking Company)
Key attributes: leadership, mentoring, customer service, sensitive landscape operations, landscape interpretation
Between 2005 and 2008, I walked 27 groups along Tasmania’s Overland Track. I was promoted to senior guide early in 2005. Responsible for guest briefings, care, group management, first aid. Also interpretive guiding , cooking, cleaning and minor hut maintenance in a world heritage wilderness area. This role also included mentoring and training new guides, and coordinating with other guided parties as needed for emergencies or general camaraderie in the park.
As a commercial operator in a world heritage wilderness area, we were also responsible for taking care to minimise the impact of our work on the area, and working to ensure we were doing better than providing a ‘tick-a-box’ experience.
2004-2008
Mentor, trip coordinator. University of Tasmania Climbing Club
Volunteer trip leader and mentor for rock climbing trips
2001-2004
Trip leader, mentor, mountaineering officer. Australian National University Climbing Club
Volunteer trip leader and coordinator for rock climbing and backcountry skiing trips. Mountaineering officer in 2004.