Biologist Natasja van Gestel will oversee and coordinate scientific work on behalf of the National Science Foundation.
Natasja van Gestel, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences within the College of Arts & Sciences at Texas Tech University, has been designated a Station Science Leader by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in connection with her ongoing research in Antarctica.
The prestigious designation means van Gestel will not only continue her own work at Antarctica’s Palmer Station, but she will also coordinate logistics and research activities of other scientific efforts taking place in the area while balancing the limited resources available.
Palmer Station is located on the southwestern coast of Anvers Island off the Antarctica Peninsula. In 1990 the NSF designated it a long-term ecological research site with a wide variety of work conducted on ocean and climate systems, aeronomy and astrophysics, glaciology, organisms and ecosystems.
Van Gestel arrived in Antarctica on Oct. 27 and is scheduled to be there throughout the austral summer before eventually returning next April. She has been a leader in examining the impact of climate change on Antarctica, having conducted research there since late 2018 with her work demonstrating how warming temperatures have significantly reduced the size of Antarctic glaciers.
“Professor van Gestel’s research and leadership are exemplary,” said Joseph Heppert, vice president for research and innovation at Texas Tech. “I believe she is a great choice to captain the research activities at Palmer Station. We are proud that she continues to bear our banners far and wide as both a faculty member and Texas Tech alumna.”
According to the NSF, activities at the station and in the field must comply with the Antarctic Treaty, calling for use of the continent and its surrounding waters for peaceful purposes, including cooperative scientific exploration.
“We are so pleased that Dr. van Gestel has been selected to lead this NSF expedition to Antarctica and that she will continue her vital climate research in this often unexplored part of the world,” said Tosha Dupras, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “The strides she is making in her field, as well as the fact that she will be in a leadership role during her most recent deployment, are a true testament to the caliber of faculty we have in our college. I’m so proud of this fantastic recognition that has been bestowed upon Dr. van Gestel and am so excited to follow along with her blog throughout her journey.”
Cooperation among the world scientific community has long been a hallmark of Antarctic research efforts. Among her duties as Science Leader, van Gestel is the NSF Office of Polar Programs agent for scientific leadership and mediation; responsible for coordinating and implementing U.S. Antarctic Program research at Palmer Station and in the operational area; and responsible for professional and personal conduct of deployed science personnel in accordance with the Polar Code of Conduct.
She will also provide monthly updates to the NSF on projects and progress. Van Gestel posts regular updates regarding her research in Antarctica on her blog.