international
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About us

Meet the Team

Careers

About us

Meet the Team

Careers

Meet the Board

The Board of the International Polar Foundation is composed of distinguished leaders from diverse fields, each contributing their unique expertise and strategic insight to guide the Foundation’s mission and long-term vision.

Alain Hubert

Alain Hubert

President of the Board of Directors, Co-Founder of the IPF, Expedition Leader

Nighat Amin

Nighat Amin

Board member, Co-Founder of the IPF

Coninsx

Marie-Anne Coninsx

IPF Board member

Wim Dejonghe

Wim Dejonghe

IPF Board member

Jaques de Mevius

Jacques de Mévius

IPF Board member

Eric Goens

President BELARE and IPF Board member

Natacha Lippens

Natacha Lippens

IPF Board member

Saverys

Michael Saverys

IPF Board member

Marc Speeckaert

Marc Speeckaert

IPF Board member

Steel

Piet Steel

IPF Board member

Honorary members

HM King Philippe of Belgium

Roger Barry

Paul Crutzen

Ivan Frolov

Claude Lorius

Konrad Steffen

Lawrence Mysak

Olav Orheim

Dahe Qin

Chris G. Rapley

Kazuyuki Shiraishi

Susan Solomon

Svein Tveitdal

Okitsugu Watanabe

Honorary President

National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), USA +

Max Planck Institute, Mainz, Germany +

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), Russia +

Glaciologie et Géophysique (LGGE), France +

WSL, Switzerland +

McGill University, Canada

Norwegian Research Council, Norway

China Meteorological Administration (CMA), China

University College London (UCL), UK

National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Japan

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

GRID Arendal, UNEP, Norway

National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Japan

AFS scenarios workshop hero image

Arctic Futures Symposium to Feature Scenarios Workshop on European Arctic Investments

For the first time, the annual Arctic Futures Symposium will feature a scenarios workshop dedicated to exploring future investments in the European Arctic. 

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Lego model of PEA at Skærbæk Fan Weekend in Denmark

LEGO Model of Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Displayed at Skærbæk Fan Weekend 2025

Daniel Vermeir's famous LEGO model of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica made an appearance at Skærbæk Fan Weekend 2025 in Denmark last weekend.

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Aerial View of Greenland

Arctic Futures Symposium 2025 Dates Announced

The 16th Arctic Futures Symposium, an annual event that gathers a variety of Arctic stakeholders experts in Brussels, will take place December 2nd-3rd at EFTA House in Brussels' EU Quarter. 

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Alain Hubert interviewed by Ahmetcan Uzlasik from REVOLVE media

IPF Founder and President Alain Hubert Featured on REVOLE Media Podcast, Everything is Changing

IPF’s Founder and President Alain Hubert was interviewed for the most recent edition of the REVOLVE Media podcast, Everything is Changing.

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IPF Board Member Piet Steel Honoured with Japan's Order of the Rising Sun

Piet Steel, a distinguished Belgian diplomat, International Polar Foundation (IPF) Board Member, and Honorary Consul of Japan in Flanders, was awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, on Tuesday, July 1st. The esteemed decoration recognizes his dedicated efforts over many years to foster exchange and deepen the friendship between Japan and Belgium.

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Wim Dejonghe portrait

International Polar Foundation Welcomes Global Legal Innovator Wim Dejonghe to Board of Directors

The International Polar Foundation (IPF) is pleased to welcome Wim Dejonghe, a globally recognized leader in the legal and business spheres, to its Board of Directors.

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BE Polar Day Hero image

BE-Polar Conference 2025: Registration and Call for Abstracts Open!

Belgian Polar Day will take place on Thursday, September 11th! The day-long event, hosted at Usquare in Brussels, will bring together researchers from many different scientific disciplines to celebrate the diversity and richness of Belgian polar science, explore its relevance in global environmental and geopolitical contexts, and foster new collaborations across fields.

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Alain in front of PEA - teaser for Cryosphere Pavillion at UNOC3

Alain Hubert to speak at Cryosphere Pavillion in Lead Up to UN Ocean Conference in Nice

On Thursday, June 5th, IPF Founder and President Alain Hubert will give a presentation at the Cryosphere Pavilion in the lead-up to the start of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

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LTAFA winners 2022-24

Announcing the 4th Annual Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award Call for Submissions

For the fourth consecutive year, the International Polar Foundation and the Trân Family Foundation are pleased to announce that the call for submissions for the annual Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award has opened.

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Craig Masson at PEA

IPF Mourns the Loss of Nine-Year Veteran of BELARE Missions

It is with great sadness that we must communicate with the BELARE community that one of our team members, Craig Masson, passed away on Friday the 16th of May, following an accident at work.

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