New CIFAR director appointed

University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton recently appointed Dr. John E. Walsh as Director of CIFAR, effective September 1, 2004. John replaces Dr. Gunter Weller, who is returning to Australia to enjoy retirement following an illustrious 36-year career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He served as Director since CIFAR's establishment in 1994.

John Walsh's expertise in arctic science is well recognized and respected both nationally and internationally. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and an associate editor of the Journal of Climate; he has served on numerous national committees and review boards. He holds a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his current research interests include climate change and meteorology of polar regions, arctic sea ice, and extreme weather events and their impacts. He came to UAF after 30 years of research and teaching at the University of Illinois. At UAF, John is also President's Professor for Global Change, and chief scientist of the International Arctic Research Center.

John looks forward to his new role with CIFAR and the opportunity to help bridge NOAA's research with its operational and outreach activities in the Arctic. A priority will be integrated assessments that link Arctic weather and climate to the needs of Arctic stakeholders and decision-makers.