On August 6, the University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) announced the appointment of Dr. Catherine P. Chambers as the new Director. She will be taking over in April 2026 from Dr. Peter Weiss who will be stepping down after 20 years (read more here).
Chambers brings two decades of experience in academic leadership and interdisciplinary marine research to the role. She has given over 50 professional and public lectures in both Iceland and abroad, supervised 13 student thesis research projects, published 27 research articles and 5 book chapters, and taught several graduate level courses in research methods and design, ethics in research, maritime anthropology, and academic writing. She has also served in many professional administrative and service roles, such as chair of the Social and Human Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee, a member on the Icelandic Committee for Arctic Affairs, a consultant for the Icelandic Fisheries Ministry, a social scientist in the ICES Working Group on the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment of Icelandic Waters, chair of the board of the Iceland Fulbright Commission, and an invited expert to the Arctic Council Assessment on Societal Implications of Climate Change. Within UArctic, Chambers is the Vice-lead of the Thematic Network on Ocean Food Systems as well as a member of several other Thematic Networks.
“I’m humbled and honored to take on this new role and to continue building innovative university opportunities in the Westfjords with a strong focus on community engagement and, as always, high quality teaching and scientific expertise. We know the landscape of universities is changing quickly, both in Iceland and abroad. It is our job to not only respond to these changes but to lead in shaping the dialogue around the future of the role of knowledge and education in our societies,” Chambers says in the UW announcement.