Equality, Diversity, Inclusion | SCAR
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Background
First of all: What does SCAR EDI AG stands for? It is the acronym for the SCAR
ction
roup on
quality,
iversity and
nclusion.
In 2020, a scoping group was convened to investigate the best way forward for SCAR in addressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) issues. The membership drew on experience of EDI issues as well as SCAR, and recognised similar efforts in other polar organisations, sharing membership in the case of the SOOS Working Group on EDI.
The main proposal from the scoping group was for a dedicated SCAR Action Group on EDI to be recommended to SCAR Delegates, which would take forward the areas identified by the scoping group. It was envisaged to present these to the new Action Group to ensure there was already a series of actions relevant to SCAR to begin working on, with the Action Group deciding how to deliver on these actions and identify further actions that were required.
Included in the actions was a survey to establish relevant baseline information from the community, using available historical data to evaluate diversity and investigating best practice in terms of codes of conduct. The impact of language restrictions and the barrier it can present to sharing relevant research on EDI issues is an important consideration.
At their meeting in March 2021, SCAR Delegates approved the formation of the EDI Action Group and the formal Group proposal was agreed in May 2021 by the SCAR Executive Committee.
Commitment
The leadership of the Action Group is decided from within the volunteers from the community, and the leadership team will work with the Executive Committee and Secretariat, as well as the Capacity Building, Education and Training (CBET) Committee, to deal with the issues identified by the scoping group and help SCAR further develop into a truly inclusive organisation.
Aims, Goals and Objectives
The EDI Action Group is tasked with broadly looking at how EDI issues can be effectively dealt with within SCAR and what practical actions are relevant for the organization.
Following the work of the scoping group, a number of specific activities and areas to be addressed have been identified:
Reviewing high level ambition through e.g. mission statements;
A community-wide survey to gauge understanding and experience of EDI issues;
Working with partners on setting recommendations for Codes of Conduct that can be referenced by individual national programmes;
Reviewing all SCAR literature and communications;
Advise on review of SCAR Medals nominations and evaluations processes;
Audit of existing information about diversity from attendance, leadership positions etc.;
Linking with partners and other relevant initiatives to learn from existing best practice.
SCAR Code of Conduct
The Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research (SCAR) is committed to promoting a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. With open minds, we aim to listen, engage in dialogue, and create meaningful change that will enrich our community with a wide range of voices, backgrounds, languages, experiences, and perspectives. The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Group (EDI AG) is tasked with broadly looking at how EDI issues can be effectively dealt with within SCAR, and what practical actions are relevant for the organisation. SCAR expects all parts of the organisation and community to actively engage with these issues and, where necessary, consult the action group for guidance.
We acknowledge that we must be both reactive and proactive in our efforts to promote EDI, and we will work together to create an environment where all individuals feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute to scientific research and leadership. We recognize that historic and systemic inequalities have excluded many individuals and communities from participating in scientific research, and as a result in leadership roles within SCAR, and we commit to understand where these inequalities continue to exist and to tackle them, whilst fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect, where every voice is heard and every contribution is celebrated.
SCAR will continue to work to build a more inclusive and representative community that reflects the diversity of the world we explore. We recognize that we must engage with the SCAR community and our spheres of influence to affect meaningful change. By working together, we can create a more equitable and inclusive future for Antarctic science and beyond.
View in all EDI
News and updates on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
EDI
SCAR News
Become a part of the EDI Leadership Steering Group
7th April 2026
EDI
Panel Discussion: Planning Safe and Effective Field Campaigns
27th February 2026
EDI
SCAR EDI AG Contributes to SAPEA Expert Workshop on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
11th February 2026
EDI
One Year of Celebrating Women and Girls in Science: The IDWGS Initiative Continues
11th February 2026
The SCAR Action Group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is also using the SCAR social media channels to spread their activities, ideas and much more.
If you have any questions or any input please do not hesitate to contact us at
[email protected]
Find #AntarcticaEDI on social media
The group is led by an inaugural senior leadership team, supported by a Leadership Steering Group (LSG). To contact the team, please email
[email protected]
Senior Leadership Team
Adriana is a Research Scientist and Head of the Atmospheric Sciences Department at the Argentine Antarctic Institute. She has been involved in numerous SCAR events and Expert Groups, serving as Deputy Chief Officer of SCAR’s Physical Sciences Standing Group and as a member of SCAR’s GNSS Research and Application for Polar Environment Expert Group. She also has held numerous other scientific leadership positions and is a member of several scientific organizations in Latin America and worldwide.
Vaibhavi is a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania, researching the governance of plastic pollution in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. With a background in Environmental Law and Management, her work explores how global, regional, and national governance frameworks address plastic pollution in the Antarctic region. She has previously lived and worked across India and the U.S. in various disciplines, advocating for greater inclusivity in all her roles.
Dr Gabriela Roldán is a social scientist and Antarctic researcher originally from Argentina, now based at Gateway Antarctica of University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Her research focuses on governance and geopolitics of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean, the role of “gateway cities”, polar identities, and Antarctic tourism. She has worked for over two decades designing educational and outreach programmes around Antarctica in Argentina, Chile and New Zealand.
Secretary – Sena Altun
Sena is a chemical engineer currently pursuing her Master’s degree in chemical engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She plays an active role within ITU’s polar sciences research team, contributing to interdisciplinary studies and research projects in polar sciences, environmental science and their biotechnological applications.
Coordinator – Dr Inga Beck (
[email protected]
Inga works for SCAR since 2022 and is mainly responsible for the EDI AG where she also serves as the representative of SCAR CBET. Inga’s educational background is in physical Geography and she did her PhD about permafrost in the Arctic. Since many years her focus is on science communication and education, as well as on the organization of projects. Inga also represents SCAR as co-chair at the Research Priority Topic 6 of
ICARP IV
Leadership Steering Group (LSG)
Gulden Acil
Istanbul Technical University
Turkey
Renuka Badhe
Women in Polar Science
Netherlands
Joana Beja
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Belgium
Teresa Cabrita
Centro de Estudos Geográficos
Portugal
Steve Diggs
University of California Office of the President
USA
Nisse Goldberg
Jacsonville University
USA
Anette Grinsted
British Antarctic Survey
UK
Nicole Hellesey
Georgia Institute of Technology
USA
Iona Coronato Jones
Dan Morgan
Vanderbilt University
USA
Gamse Nese Özcan
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi
Turkey
Pilvi Saarikoski
British Antarctic Survey
UK
Neelu Singh
Norwegian Polar Institut
Norway
Sukyoung Yun
Korea Polar Research Institute
Korea
Membership
The membership of the EDI group is broad, including members of the Antarctic research community from all career stages, disciplines and geographical regions. If you are interested in joining the group and helping with its work, please complete and submit
the membership form
Publications, Data and Links relevant to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Reports
EDI Newsletters
Publications
Gulisano, M., Saarikoski, P., Caccavo, J., Beck, I. (2024).
Addressing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from within the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Antarctic Affairs
. Vol 10 (2024) 55-62. ISSN 2451- 5736
Leeger, R., Beck, I., Caccavo, J., Gulisano, A. (2024):
Building Equitable and Inclusive Antarctic Research: The Role of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research on Expanding Opportunities
. Oral presentation. AGU 2024.
Links
Links relevant to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
SCAR Code of Conduct
SCGES webinar
organized by SCAR: “Gender equality and beyond in the polar sciences” (20th of July 2023)
Practical Guide to Supporting Diverstiy in Research Environments
Diversity in Polar Science
– Editorial in
Antartctic Science  (Written by the Diversity in UK Polar Science team, it focuses on the lack of diversity within polar science in comparison to the wider UK population, and the efforts being made to create a more inclusive workplace.)
Material from the APECS / SCAR EDI AG Training (2023):
Bystander Intervention.
The video from the workshop can be found at:
APECS /SCAR EDI workshop
SCAR OSC 2022 Session: Inclusive collaborations in Antarctic research (
part 1
SCAR OSC 2022 Session: Inclusive collaborations in Antarctic research (
part 2
SCAR OSC 2022 Workshop:
SCAR Capacity Building
Useful literature:
Alice, E. O., Käosaar, A., Levesque, M. (2024): Navigation Extremes:
A Dual case study of Antarctic winterers’challenges and adaptation
Antarctic Affairs
. Vol 10 (2024) 30-54. ISSN 2451- 5736
Griffiths, H., Muschitiello, P., Hough, G., Logan-Park, N., Frater, D., Hendry, K., & Schlarb-Ridley, B. (2021). Diversity in polar science: Promoting inclusion through our daily words and actions.
Antarctic Science
, 33(6), 573-574. doi:10.1017/S0954102021000584
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