Polar Knowledge Canada supports the next generation of Northern researchers with $95,000 in scholarships and awards

From: Polar Knowledge Canada

News release

July 29, 2025 – Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Polar Knowledge Canada is proud to announce support for 10 outstanding students through its annual scholarship and award programs, totaling $95,000 in funding. These awards help foster the next generation of polar researchers and knowledge holders and reflect POLAR’s ongoing commitment to advancing Northern science and building research capacity in the North.

This year, students from across Canada are receiving financial support through the following four programs:

Polar Knowledge Canada Scholarship ($10,000) – for PhD students conducting Northern or Arctic research in the natural and physical sciences, economic and social sciences, health and life sciences, the humanities, engineering, and technology development.

·       Cody Malone – Trichinella Diversity Across the North American North: Sympatric Occurrence, Contentious Genotypes, and Public Health Implications.

·       Rachel Lackey – Investigating Permafrost-Groundwater Interactions and Northern Water Resource Vulnerability.

·       Maria Jose Ramirez Prieto – Experiences and Food Security Supports within the Country Food System: Exploring Inuvialuit Youth Perspectives in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

POLAR Antarctic Scholarship ($10,000) – for Master’s and PhD students conducting Antarctic research.

·       Daniel Fillion – Biogeochemistry of Lake Untersee: An Analog for the Proterozoic Oceans.

POLAR Northern Resident Scholarship ($10,000) – for Master’s and PhD students who are Northern residents pursuing research relevant to the North.

·       Mathilde Lapointe St-Pierre – Knowledge-weaving of Atlantic Walrus Nutritional Ecology in the Context of Climate Change.

·       Johanna Stewart – Wildfire Impact on Northern Populations of Red-sided Garter Snake.

·       Shyloh van Delft – Year-round Ecology of Cavity-using Wildlife in a Fire-smart Northern Boreal Forest.

·       Frances Ross – Taii Tr'ahtsik / Blazing Trails: Van Tat Gwich’in Perspectives on Re-envisioning and Indigenizing Education in Old Crow.

·       Anna Smith – Influence of Human Disturbance on the Density and Distribution of a Cultural Keystone Species in an Industrial Boreal Landscape.

POLAR Northern Resident Award ($5,000) – for undergraduate students who are Northern residents and engaged in Northern or Arctic research.

·       Bella Mouchet – Mapping Basal Features Associated with Subglacial Drainage on the Milne Glacier.

These scholarships and awards ensure that emerging researchers, particularly those from the North, are supported in pursuing research priorities that reflect community needs, advance Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty in research, and contribute to a growing body of polar knowledge grounded in respectful collaboration between Indigenous and scientific approaches.

Quotes

“The students of the North today are the leaders of the North tomorrow. Providing support for researchers focussed on the Arctic will help us to advance knowledge and create opportunities for Northern communities today and for the long-term.”

– The Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs

“Polar Knowledge Canada is proud to support Northern youth and emerging researchers who are working to answer big questions about their communities, lands, and environments. These scholarships reflect our commitment to a stronger, more sustainable future in the North.”

– Suzanne Kerr, Acting President and Chief Executive Officer

“We are committed to enabling emerging researchers with a passion for the Arctic to contribute to an improved understanding of the North. This commitment extends not only to emerging researchers, but also to ensuring that Indigenous voices are central to the future of Arctic science. Supporting research that is community-driven and rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems is essential to building a more inclusive, relevant, and impactful polar research landscape.”

– David Hik, Chief Scientist and Vice-President, Research

Quick facts

  • Polar Knowledge Canada is a Government of Canada agency responsible for strengthening Canadian leadership in polar science and promoting the development and distribution of knowledge of circumpolar regions. It was created by the Canadian High Arctic Research Station Act of 2015.

  • POLAR undertakes and supports a wide variety of research across Canada’s Arctic, much of it in collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders as well as international partners. 

  • The Canadian High Arctic Research Station is a world-class hub for science and technology in Canada’s North and is a major node in the network of national and international research infrastructure across the circumpolar North.

  • Examples of research include baseline environmental research; testing the performance of clean energy technologies in the Arctic to help Northern communities reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and understanding emerging diseases affecting wildlife that threaten the sustainability of Northern food species.

Associated links

Contacts

Polar Knowledge Canada
communications@polar-polaire.gc.ca

Page details

2025-07-29