Helen Millman, PhD
International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
Helen drills into the ice at the Patriot Hills in Antarctica. A yellow and black snowmobile with an attached cargo sled is in the background.
What’s the work that you do?
I did an ice sheet modelling PhD, where I looked into Antarctica’s contribution to sea level rise during the last warm period in the Earth’s history. Now I’m the Antarctic Director at ICCI, where I try to explain Antarctic science to policymakers.
What keeps you going?
The need to be an insufferable know-it-all. I didn’t know that I was such a know-it-all until I started talking to politicians. Billy Connolly once said that “the desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one,” and I think that he was probably right.
What’s your message to the world?
“Get over yourself!” Antarctica is so vast and inhospitable, it gives you a feeling of how insignificant you are. I think that it’s good to try and hold onto that perspective back in the real world. We can all get too caught up in our own heads.
Organisation: International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
Nationality:
UK
Disciplines:
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