UArctic Chairs, Indigenous Fellows and Thematic Networks at UArctic Congress 2026
UArctic Chairs, Indigenous Fellows and Thematic Networks’ leads and members are actively contributing to a wide range of sessions at UArctic Congress 2026.
Here are some highlights from the program where Thematic Network leads and members, UArctic Chairs and Indigenous Fellows are presenters, speakers or co-conveners in sessions:
Tuesday, May 26
11:00–11:55
62. Community-Based Environmental Monitoring in the Arctic: From Guidelines to Practice, Roundtable Discussion
• Finn Danielsen, Lead, Thematic Network on Collaborative Resource Management
191. Indigenous Economies and Sustainable Arctic Communities
• Andrey Petrov, UArctic Chair in Arctic Community and Social-Ecological Systems and Sustainability (ACSESS)
12:40–13:35
207. Indigenous Self-Determination in Research: Building Indigenous-led Institutions Grounded in Community
• Ceporah Mearns, UArctic Indigenous Fellow
82. Arctic Science Diplomacy as a Catalyst for Geopolitical Stability Towards International Polar Year /(IPY-5)
• Paul Berkman, Lead, Thematic Network on Science Diplomacy
162. When the Waters Came: Using Literature and History to Build Community Resilience to Arctic Water Risks
This session is organized by the UArctic Environmental Humanities Thematic Network in collaboration with the Centre for Water Cultures, University of Hull.
15:20–16:15
154. Arctic Tourism and Geopolitical Change
• Patrick Maher, Lead, Thematic Network on Northern Tourism
181. Extractive Industries and Sustainable Arctic Communities
• Chris Southcott, UArctic Chair in Resources and Sustainable Communities
200. Atlantic Canada and the North / UArctic
• Kirk Anderson, UArctic Chair in School Effectiveness and School Improvement ; Sylvia Moore, UArctic Chair in Indigenous and Northern Education; Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Verdde Indigenous Education; Anne Burke, Lead, Youth Network; Heather Angnatok, UArctic Indigenous Fellow
• The event commences with a keynote panel, followed by oral presentations. Key topics to be discussed: Perspectives from UArctic Chairs/Fellows, Networks, research partners in Indigenous-Northern organizations and other feature presentations.
15:20–17:15
20. Occupational Safety and Health in the Arctic: Building climate resilience for workers and communities
• Tiina Ikäheimo, Chair in Arctic Climate and Occupational Health; Kirsi Jussila, Lead, and Hans Pettersson, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Working in the Arctic
71. Safe and Secure Water for all in the Arctic
• Pernille Erland Jensen, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic WASH
83. Shifting Poles: Asia's Role in Arctic Geopolitics and Governance
• Aileen A. Espiritu, Lead; Juha Saunavaara, Vice‑Lead, and Fujio Ohnishi, Vice‑Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic in Asia and Asia in the Arctic
16:20–17:15
112. Meaningful Involvement of Affected Communities and Individuals
• Karin Buhmann, Lead and Mark Stoddart, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Resources and Social Responsibility
17:20–18:15
19. The Digital Divide in the North: Consequences and Solutions
• Harri Saarnisaari, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Telecommunications and Networking
113. Rural Education in the North
• Mhairi Beaton, Lead, Thematic Network on Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity in Education; Tuija Turunen, UArctic Chair in Education for Social Justice and Diversity
• The Rural Education in the North (REN) project is funded by the 2025 UArctic Project
• During this session, project participants from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Finland and Scotland will share individual research projects undertaken utilising co-participatory research design principles to address local and regional educational challenges to ongoing challenges within education provision in the Arctic.
Wednesday, May 27
09:00–10:15
Thematic Plenary Session: Indigenous Peoples and Northern Communities
• Bergur Djurhuus Hansen, Lead of the UArctic Thematic Network Arctic Cultures and History; Heather Angnatok, UArctic Indigenous Fellow and an Inuk educator, advisor to Verdde Indigenous Education Thematic Network; Sylvia Moore, UArctic Chair in Indigenous and Northern Education; Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Verdde Indigenous Education
• The session prioritizes the participation and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the context of health, culture and identity. Topics include Indigenous self-determination, public health, medical preparedness, inclusion of traditional/Indigenous knowledge, and mental and social well-being. Additional areas of discussion include youth engagement, sustainable community development, cultural heritage preservation as well as contemporary cultural and artistic expressions.
10:30-12:25
9. Meeting Societal Needs in the Arctic through Collaboration: Knowledge-Policy-Action Networks
• Kamrul Hossain, UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education; Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Law
18. One Health Solutions Toward the Health of Humans, Animals, and Environment in the Arctic
• Arja Rautio, UArctic Emerita Chair; Anastasia Emelyanova, Lead, and Anna Rönkä, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Health and Well-being in the Arctic
• The session is part of the activities of two UArctic Thematic Networks “Health and Well-being in the Arctic”, and “Sustainable Strategies for Waste Removal and Restoration of Arctic Mine Waste Areas”, led by Roland Kallenborn, UArctic Chair in Arctic Environmental Pollution Research
110. Northern Indigenous voices in Arctic Research and the emerging impacts of UArctic's national funding projects on Northern Communities
• Liisa Holmberg, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Indigenous Film
• Long-term impacts of UArctic are explored through a panel discussion with UArctic Founders, Northern Indigenous leaders - both current and future - supported by material from the UArctic Impact study.
14:15–15:10
138. Circumpolar monitoring of terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems: new ideas to meet data needs in the face of accelerating change?
• Isabel Barrio, Lead, Thematic Network on Herbivory; Stefan Prost, Lead, and Clement Masse Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring
• The aim of this session, co-organized by the TN Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring and TN on Herbivory, is to discuss new ideas, approaches and methods to renew and improve circumpolar terrestrial biodiversity monitoring together with arctic inhabitants to be able to manage these rapidly changing ecosystems in the future and conserve vulnerable biodiversity.
3. Reimagining Cross-Cultural Learning: An Innovative COIL Approach to Global Student Dialogue
• Izzy Crawford, Lead, Thematic Network on Collaborative Online International Learning and Biodiversity Education across the Arctic Circle (COIL@UArctic)
15:25–16:20
169. Arctic Emergency Management: Advancing Collaborative Approach
• Natalia Andreassen, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Safety and Security; Dimitrios Dalaklis, UArctic Chair in in Search and Rescue (SAR).
• This session offers a platform to showcase key milestones, insights, and project outcomes from the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Safety and Security—a multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to strengthening resilience in Arctic communities.
125. Indigenous Knowledge and Citizen Science in Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring
• Stefan Prost, Lead, and Clement Masse, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring
145. Indigenous Digital Storytelling with New Media: Revitalising Cultural Heritage and Empowering Northern Indigenous Voices
• Jonna Häkkilä, Lead, and Liisa Holmberg , Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Indigenous Film
1084. Reconciliation in Action: Decolonizing Academia Through Social Work
• Sandra Jervås, Lead, Thematic Network on Social Work
17:25–18:20
225. Nuclear Emergency Preparedness in the Maritime Arctic: ATOMEX project results
• Natalia Andreassen, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Safety and Security
1107. Arctic Futures through Youth Perspectives
• Viljo Vuorimäki, Vice-Lead, Youth Network
• This session is led by the UArctic Thematic Youth Network
41. Building Capacity for a Sustainable Arctic: The Foundational Role of Circumpolar Education
• Heather Nicol, Lead, Laera Institute for Circumpolar Studies; Kirk Anderson UArctic Chair in School Effectiveness and School Improvement; Mhairi Beaton, Lead, Thematic Network on Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity in Education; Tuija Turunen, UArctic Chair in Education for Social Justice and Diversity
• The event builds on collaboration of UArctic Thematic Network Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity and Laera Institute for Circumpolar Studies
122. Arctic Marine Biodiversity: Current Insights and Knowledge Gaps
• Andreas Altenburger, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Marine Biodiversity
189. Impacts of Aerosols on Climate, Environments, and Communities in the Arctic
• Pavla Dagsson Waldhauserova, Lead and Outi Meinander, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on High Latitude Dust
• In this session UArctic Thematic Network on HLD activities will be introduced
70. Wastewater Management for Sustainable Arctic Futures
• Pernille Erland Jensen, Lead, and Aaron Dotson, Vice-Lead on Thematic Network on Arctic WASH; Bing Chen, UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering
18:25–19:20
81. Indigenous knowledges and languages in Indigenous education
• Marikaisa Laiti, Lead, Thematic Network on Verdde Indigenous Education; Sylvia Moore UArctic Chair in Indigenous and Northern Education; Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Verdde Indigenous Education
• The session will be a combination of presentation on the two relevant projects of Verdde Indigenous Education TN
Thursday, May 28
10:15–12:10
63. One Health as an Innovative Strategy for Sustainable Pollution Regulations in the Arctic
• Roland Kallenborn, UArctic Chair in Arctic Environmental Pollution Research; Lead, Thematic Network on Sustainable Strategies for Waste Removal and Restoration of Arctic Mine Waste Areas (RAMWA); Arja Rautio, UArctic Emerita Chair; Pernille Erland Jensen, Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic WASH
10:15–11:10
140. A Panel Discussion on Arctic Maritime Safety, Climate Impacts, and Human–Environment Interactions (past and present)
• Patrick Maher, Lead, Thematic Network on Northern Tourism
• This panel will bring together the five UArctic x Lloyd’s Register Foundation Research Fellowship projects, for a discussion of their preliminary results and future plans.
124. Empowered by Indigenous Wisdom: Sites of Change in Re-examining Indigenous Schooling and Teacher Education
• Marikaisa Laiti, Lead, Thematic Network on Verdde Indigenous Education
148. Voicing the North: Indigenous Cinema and Digital Media for Cultural Continuity
• Jonna Häkkilä, Lead, and Liisa Holmberg, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Indigenous Film.
11:15–12:10
91. Analyses of Contemporary Cultural Indigenous Representations in the Arctic
• Daniel Chartier, UArctic Chair in Images, Perceptions and Mediations of the Arctic; Jan Borm, UArctic Chair in Arctic Humanities; Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Cultures and History.
28. Navigating Uncertainties in the Arctic: Climate, Health, and Sustainable Healthcare Education Approaches in Northern Regions, by UArctic Northern Nursing Education
• Päivi Juuso, Lead, and Leah Macaden, Vice-Lead Thematic Network on Northern Nursing Education
• This session examines the multifaceted threats to the wellbeing of Indigenous and northern populations, emphasizing mental health, displacement, and the sustainability of healthcare education and services to ensure safety and a sustainable workforce in these communities.
14:00–14:55
190. Intersectional Gender Equality in Arctic Academia – engaging with Communities and interacting with youth
• Mervi Heikkinen, Lead, Thematic Network on Gender in the Arctic Knowledge Production
206. Navigating Controversy: Science, Justice, and Climate Change
• Melody Brown Burkins, UArctic Chair in Science Diplomacy and Inclusion; Lead, Institute for Arctic Policy
174. Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Medieval Literature
• Kate Maxwell, Lead, Thematic Network on Environmental Humanities
• This session is organised by the UArctic Thematic Network in the Environmental Humanities
38. Governance and Autonomy in Indigenous and Small Island Jurisdictions in the Circumpolar North
• Andrew Jennings, Lead, Thematic Network on Northern and Arctic Island Studies Research
• The session is sponsored by the University of the Arctic Thematic Network on Northern and Arctic Island Studies Research and focuses on two of the overarching themes of the Arctic Congress: sustainable economic development and international cooperation; and Indigenous Peoples and Northern Communities.
15:10–17:05
6. Creating and Communicating Arctic ArtScience
• Lilli Mittner, Vice-Lead, Thematic Network on Environmental Humanities; Maria Huhmarniemi, UArctic Chair in Arctic Art and Design; Lead, Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design, ASAD
• This session is organized by the UArctic Environmental Humanities Thematic Network in collaboration with the Centre for Arctic Humanities at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
50. Defining and Observing the Arctic in a Time of Rapid Change
• Hanne Christiansen, UArctic Chair in Permafrost Physical Processes; Melody Brown Burkins, UArctic Chair in in Science Diplomacy and Inclusion; Lead, Institute for Arctic Policy
193. Co-designing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Circumpolar Health
• Allison Crawford, UArctic Chair in Public Mental Health and Community-centered Digital Innovation
16:10–17:05
192. A Connected Arctic – Sharing Knowledge to Ensure Community-Centered Digital Futures
• Allison Crawford, UArctic Chair in Public Mental Health and Community-centered Digital Innovation; Roland Kallenborg, UArctic Chair in Arctic Environmental Pollution Research; Lead, Thematic Network on Sustainable Strategies for Waste Removal and Restoration of Arctic Mine Waste Areas (RAMWA)