Biologist Will Ambrose appointed National Science Foundation program director
A distinguished career researching Arctic climate change has led Professor of Biology William Ambrose to a one-year position at the National Science Foundation leading the Arctic Observing Network program.
Professor of Biology Will Ambrose has been appointed program director, a one-year position, of the NSF’s (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)
As an NSF program director, Ambrose will have authority over $12 million in research funding that in large part defines how scientists study climate change in the Arctic.
The program directorship, a one-year appointment with the potential for a second-year extension, is a powerful opportunity to help set the direction and strategy of Arctic research on a national scale, Ambrose said.
鈥淚鈥檒l be managing all the research that the program funds,鈥� Ambrose said, “soliciting proposals, evaluating them with external reviewers, deciding with my NSF colleagues which projects get funded, and overseeing funded projects.”
It’s a great opportunity, he said, “to make a broad impact on Arctic science by helping set NSF policy.鈥�
The that gather data and information on the environmental conditions in the Arctic.
Data from the AON enables researchers, governments, and advocates to better understand the wide-ranging, significant, and rapid environmental changes occurring there.
乐播传媒 College professors Michael Retelle, at left, and William Ambrose on the island of Ing酶ya, Norway. (漏 Randall Hyman)
Because appointments of this type typically go to scientists at research universities, Ambrose鈥檚 selection speaks to his compelling body of Arctic research and the strength of the natural sciences at 乐播传媒, said Dean of the Faculty Matt Auer.
鈥淲ill鈥檚 command of both short-term and long-term observations of environmental change make him an ideal candidate to serve as the director of the NSF鈥檚 Arctic Observing program,鈥� Auer said.
As a biologist and oceanographer, Ambrose has made a name for himself among Arctic scientists by looking for clues to climate change in the shells of certain types of clams, and he and 乐播传媒 colleague Michael Retelle, professor of geology, recently received a three-year, $337,228 NSF grant to pursue research in this area.
“A remarkable range of expertise.”
Together, they are analyzing environmental changes that have been captured in clam shells over the course of a millennium. By studying changes in clam shells, they are able to plot fluctuations in sea temperature where the Barents and Norwegian seas meet.
鈥淲ill studies how recent and ongoing changes in the environment affect bottom-dwelling marine organisms,鈥� Auer said. 鈥淎nd by studying the hard parts of the shells of clams, he also measures changes to benthic (ocean floor) communities over hundreds of years.
“That鈥檚 a remarkable range of expertise and the right combination to help NSF shape a program dealing with a region where climate change is especially pronounced.鈥�
“乐播传媒 makes this possible by providing financial support for student research聽 and by requiring seniors complete a thesis before graduation.”
For the last year, Ambrose has been in Norway on sabbatical at the University of Troms酶鈥檚 geology department studying .
Ambrose, who started his Arlington, Va.-based appointment on June 15, said the NSF job would not have happened without the research assistance provided by his 乐播传媒 students and the support he has received from colleagues.
An NSF director, Ambrose explained, must have an active research program and a strong record of NSF funding and scholarly publication.
In his case, “I have outstanding colleagues in geology and anthropology with whom I interact and co-write many proposals,” he said.
乐播传媒 students enter the equation by “doing much of the research work,” he said, work that 乐播传媒 actively supports through “financial support for student research and by requiring seniors to complete a thesis before graduation.鈥�
Don鈥檛 think that Ambrose is trading in his hip waders exclusively for a desk job.
His NSF appointment allows him to spend up to 20 percent of his time conducting his own research, although he acknowledges he鈥檒l likely have to cobble together research trips in conjunction with weekends and vacations.
He also anticipates the appointment with AON will greatly influence his teaching and present new opportunities for 乐播传媒 students.
鈥淚 will be able to teach the newest research in Arctic science and climate change,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ypically, NSF proposals are several years ahead of the published work. I also expect to make many contacts in the field that I can use to help place students in appropriate graduate programs.鈥�
