Dr. David Hik was reappointed to the Canadian Polar Commission's Board of Directors for a second three year term in November 2013. Dr. Hik has conducted research in Northern Canada since 1984. His focus is on tundra ecosystems, particularly the affects of climate change on interactions between plants and animals. He holds a BSc (Hons) from Queen's University, an MSc from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hik is currently a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Northern Ecology at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Hik has worked in a variety of research and leadership capacities. He served as the Executive Director for the Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) Secretariat from 2004-2009. He coordinated the Canadian IPY program and acted as a liaison between Canada and the International Program Office in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Dr. Hik was elected President of the International Arctic Science Committee in 2010.
Dr. Hik has also served on many panels and committees, including the editorial board of the journal Arctic, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Northern Research Chairs Program, the Council of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, the University of the Arctic Graduate Program, and the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning in the NWT. He is also a member of the Board of the Arctic Institute of North America and co-chairs the Arctic Council's initiative on Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks.
In 1994, Dr. Hik held an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Canberra, Australia. In 2002, Dr. Hik was recognized by Environment Canada for his commitment to advancing the goals of the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network in Canada. Dr. Hik recently received the Canadian Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal Award in Geography for his contributions to the Canadian IPY program.
