CURRENT NATIONAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES
Laureen Ahlers (EPFL)
I’m a environmental microbiologist at the MACE laboratory at EPFL. I am interested in microbial life in extreme environments, such as the cryosphere. In my PhD research, I am aiming to understand how high altitude soil microbiomes adapt to climate warming, and how these responses affect soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes. In Summer 2026, I was lucky to share my excitement about soil microbes as an instructor of the Girls* On Ice Expedition. By joining APECS, I hope to get to know new interesting fields and inspiring Swiss Polar and Alpine ECR!
Elizaveta Sharaborova (EPFL, SLF)
I'm a PhD student at the CRYOS lab at EPFL. My research interests are renewable energy and permafrost. The project that I'm working on concerns the development and testing of the system that should prevent permafrost thawing. The system is based on a solar-powered heat pump. I've already tested it in lowlands permafrost and in the mountain permafrost. Now I want to implement it in the Alpine regions for mountain permafrost cases.
Stefan Eckensperger (EPFL)
I'm a PhD student in the RIVER laboratory at EPFL. My research interests are the intersections of ecology and microbiology, especially how microbes and eukaryotes interact with each other and their environment to survive extreme habitats. In my PhD project, I'm trying to understand which strategies algae utilize to survive and thrive in cold, nutrient-poor streams in alpine and polar environments. I aim to identify host-microbe-interactions that help the algae grow in conditions where it might not be able to survive without them.
Michael Lonardi (EPFL)
I'm a PostDoc at the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory at EPFL.
My love for polar regions started during my stay in Svalbard, and then I had the opportunity to join the MOSAiC expedition during my PhD. Currently my research focuses on clouds and their radiative effects in Antarctica, combining in situ measurements I obtained at Neumayer Station with model and satellite products.
Through APECS, I hope to connect with early-career researchers who are equally excited about life and work in polar regions.
FORMER REPRESENTATIVES
Amy Macfarlane
I am a PhD student at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, focusing on the microstructure of snow on sea ice and its influence on energy transfer and mass distribution. As part of my PhD I joined the MOSAiC expedition in 2020 to conduct field work for 8 months. After returning from the expedition I have become involved in a project which is working towards making field work more sustainable and less damaging to the environment. Through joining APECS I look forward to networking with other early career researchers and initiating conversations on this topic.
Nicolas Jullien
I am a PhD student working at the Unviersity of Fribourg, Switzerland. My PhD is about studying the physical characteristics of the firn subsurface on the Greenland Ice Sheet and understand its influence on the firn hydrology. My focus is on remote sensing and regional climate models. Joining APECS is a great opportunity to favour networking between scientists and organise events to develop our skills as Early Carrer Scientists.
Adrien Wehrlé
Adrien is a PhD student at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. His current research is focused on better understanding the dynamics of Greenland outlet glaciers as well as the evolution of the surface conditions across the ice sheet. To this end, he combines in situ measurements with spaceborne observations as well as model simulations and try to go on fieldwork whenever he gets the opportunity!
Martin Proksch
I was a PhD student at the snowphysics research group at the Institue for Snow and Avalanche research SLF in Davos, Switzerland. My interest is snow in general, from its microstructure to its impact on the global climate.
Saskia Gindraux
I am a PhD student in glaciology at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. My project focuses on the use of drones together with the Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry technique and its application to alpine glaciers. I am fascinated by polar environments and my aim is to raise awareness of their changes and beauty to the general public.
Anneli Strobel
Since 2014, I work as a PostDoc at the University of Basel in a project which assesses the susceptibility of Antarctic fish towards anthropogenic pollutants. I am convinced that the resources of the Southern Ocean shall be protected and used in a sustainable way. For this, I try to increase our knowledge about the environmental concerns in Antarctica and disseminate my results, for future conservation efforts of the Antarctic ecosystem.
Carla Perez Mon
I am a PhD student with the mission to shed light on the characteristics of the permafrost microbiome and its behavior under climate change conditions. I carry out my research mainly in the Arctic and the Swiss Alps, where I am collecting samples in summer and performing soil warming experiments. I love nature and mountains. I am interested in all kind of topics in ecology, from conservation to evolution, modelling and even Astrobiology.
Rebecca Gugerli
I am a PhD student in applied meteorology and glaciology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). My research focuses on how best to obtain autonomous and continuous measurements of snow accumulation on glaciers in high mountain regions, such as the Swiss Alps. Therefore, I investigate the application of a cosmic ray sensor and weather radar data. To validate these measurements, I conduct field surveys on the Glacier de la Plaine Morte. Winter is among my favorite seasons and I enjoy being outside in the snow.