The Southern Ocean Indian Sector (SOIS) Regional Working Group (RWG) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are thrilled to announce Riesna R. Audh as the new APECS ECR Representative, while Kaihe Yamazaki will rotate onto the leadership team.

Dr. Riesna R. Audh is a polar oceanographer and sea ice enthusiast from Cape Town, South Africa. Riesna recently completed her PhD in Oceanography at the University of Cape Town, where she contributed to developing field protocols for South African-led sea ice research and advanced the knowledge and available data of the polar regions through her research on the biogeochemistry of sea ice in the Antarctic marginal ice zone. Riesna is an experienced sea ice corer (with over 250 sea ice cores collected), and has spent over 300 days aboard the South African icebreaker, the S.A. Agulhas II. She currently serves as the research coordinator of the South African Polar Research Infrastructure’s (SAPRI) Polar Lab Facility and has been an active member of the APECS South Africa National Committee since 2019. Riesna is a firm believer that collaboration across institutions and disciplines is crucial for the future of polar research and that accessibility, inclusivity and visibility are vital in order to grow this field and encourage the next generation of polar researchers. When she is not coring sea ice or sailing through the Southern Ocean, she is crocheting at home with her two cats, Basil and Ecco.