John Yackel, P.hD.
Professor
Faculty of Arts, Department of Geography
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My research program is focused on understanding the role of thermodynamic processes involved in the growth, evolution, and decay of snow-covered Arctic sea ice. I am recognized for my expertise in snow cover process examination on sea ice using surface and satellite-based multifrequency and polarimetric microwave remote sensing. This includes involvement in both field and laboratory-based research programs and numerical modelling activities aimed at understanding Arctic sea ice thickness distributions in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Torsten Geldsetzer, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Adjunct Associate Professor
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Torsten Geldsetzer received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Geography, University of Calgary, in 2009, focusing on the dielectric and polarimetric scattering properties of snow-covered sea ice. From 2008 to 2012, he was an Environmental Scientist with the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, studying lake ice. Since 2013, he has been a Research Associate with the Department of Geography, University of Calgary, a Physical Scientist with the Government of Canada, and a Scientific Consultant focusing on microwave remote sensing of snow, ice, and water. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Geography.
Renée Mie Fredensborg Hansen, Ph.D.
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Renée M. Fredensborg Hansen specializes in multi-frequency altimetry observations over snow-covered sea ice in the Arctic and Southern Ocean from airborne and satellite observations. She graduated with an alliance-PhD from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2024, with her thesis on “Investigating sea ice and snow features using multi-frequency remote sensing observations”. Dr Fredensborg Hansen also worked at the European Space Agency (ESA) for a year on polar remote sensing data validation for ESA’s polar altimetry missions (2020-2021). She graduated in 2020 with a double-degree (M.Sc.) in Cold Climate Engineering, specialized in Space Tracking from the Technical University of Denmark (through a M.Sc. in Earth and Space Physics and Engineering with a specialization in Earth Observation) and Aalto University, Finland (with a M.Sc. in Technology).
Dr Fredensborg Hansen has participated in several field campaigns on Arctic sea ice from ground and air and contributes to research projects through this group (NSERC/ESA-funded SUBfix-POLAR CEMSIE, ESA CROSCIM), as well as through DTU (ESA CRISTAL IN-PROVA, ESA St3TART-FO, ESA ARCTEX). She was recently awarded a MEOPAR Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2025-2027) on the project “SNOWMASS: Scalable Network of Observations With Multi-sensor and Multi-frequency Altimetry for Snow Studies”, which she will conduct research on at the University of Calgary and in collaboration with DTU.
Hoi Ming Lam, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
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My past and current research span across topics in SAR and altimetric remote sensing, cold climate geophysics, adult pedagogy, and knowledge co-production with Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic.
Through a synergy of satellite observations, computational toolset, and partnership with inhabitants of the Arctic environment, I am taking an active role in delivering tangible output such as training modules on radar remote sensing tailored to Inuit learners, and local-scale weekly sea ice maps for community travel safety in the North.
I aim to apply my proficiency in satellite retrieval of snow and ice properties and my experience in transdisciplinary collaboration to improve current understanding and predictability of complex cryospheric processes. Such knowledge will critically inform the research community and broader stakeholders to make decisions that enhance climate adaptability in the dynamic future.