Across the North: UArctic Chairs on Collaboration and Community

Memorial University Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science & Faculty of Education  

Thematic Youth Network Members Series  

When researchers from across the circumpolar world gathered in the Faroe Islands for the 2026 Arctic Congress, one message echoed throughout the conference: solving Arctic challenges requires collaboration. 

That idea was at the heart of a conversation with two Memorial University researchers whose work spans engineering, environmental science, education, Indigenous partnerships, and community engagement. During an interview with members of the UArctic Thematic Network on Youth, Dr. Bing Chen, UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Kirk Anderson, UArctic Chair in School Effectiveness and Improvement, reflected on their research, the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, and why they remain optimistic about the future of Arctic research. 

Although they come from very different academic backgrounds, both researchers share a common goal: creating meaningful changes through partnerships that extend beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. 

Different Paths to the Arctic 

Dr. Chen describes himself first and foremost as an engineer. 

"My training is as an engineer," he explained. "I'm interested in looking at problems and figuring out how to solve them." 

As a child, he enjoyed taking things apart and fixing them. Combined with his passion for nature, this mindset eventually led him into environmental engineering. Today, as a professor and interim dean in Memorial University's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, his work not only focuses on some of the Arctic's most pressing environmental challenges but also helps promote and advance engineering innovation and education for our society. 

Over the past decade, his work has expanded beyond traditional pollutants to emerging contaminants such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants and microplastics. Many of these substances have been widely detected throughout Northern environments, creating complex and pressing challenges that researchers are only beginning to understand and seek solutions for. 

"There are still no regulations for many of these contaminants," Dr. Chen said. "Before we can regulate them, we have to understand what happens and know how to resolve and help prepare industry, regulators and communities." 

His research extends far beyond the laboratory. Working alongside governments, industry partners, and Northern communities, Dr. Chen has helped develop solutions related to drinking water, wastewater treatment, mining waste management, and oil spill response. 

For him, Arctic research is ultimately about improving people's lives. 

"When we can answer a community's question about whether their water is contaminated, and if not, how to clean it, that's when you really feel you've contributed something valuable." 

Dr. Anderson's journey to Arctic research followed a different path. 

Before entering academia, he spent years working as both a teacher and school administrator before eventually serving as Dean of Memorial University's Faculty of Education. His research has focused on teacher leadership, school improvement, educational leadership, and Indigenous education, particularly within rural and Northern communities. 

His connection to Indigenous education is also personal. 

With both Inuit and Mi'kmaq family connections, Indigenous issues have remained a central part of his work throughout his career. As Dean, he helped establish Memorial University's Inuit-focused Bachelor of Education program while advancing broader efforts to Indigenize teacher education. 

Those experiences eventually led him to UArctic, where he served on the Indigenous Issues Committee before becoming a UArctic Chair. 

"There really aren't many organizations that bring together researchers from across the circumpolar North the way UArctic does," he said. "It allows us to come together and think from a Northern perspective." 

The Arctic Demands New Solutions 

For Dr. Chen, the Arctic is unlike any other environment. 

Recent observational studies and updates from the Arctic Council show that Arctic is warming at 3 to 4 times the global average. This raises growing concerns about environmental contamination, which can have significant impacts because many Arctic communities continue to rely on country foods harvested locally. 

"In Southern cities we buy food that comes from all over the world," he explained. "In many Arctic communities, people depend on local food sources, so local contamination affects them much more directly." 

Responding to environmental emergencies also presents unique challenges. 

Dr. Chen compared Arctic oil spill response with the large-scale response efforts seen following spills in the Gulf of Mexico. 

"In the Gulf, thousands of people and vessels can respond immediately from all around the Gulf states and throughout the United States, and the work can keep ongoing for months," he said. "Imagine trying to do that in the Arctic. You have limited daylight, extreme weather, ice, rough sea, challenging logistics, and very few resources already there." 

Those realities mean Arctic communities need local capacity and practical solutions long before outside help can arrive. 

One example is providing local residents with the proper training and equipment needed to begin some preliminary response actions to environmental emergencies while larger response teams are still travelling north. 

Breaking Down Academic Silos 

One of the strongest themes throughout the interview was the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Ironically, despite working on the same campus at Memorial University, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Chen first met while travelling together to a UArctic Chairs meeting. 

That chance meeting changed the way both researchers viewed collaboration. 

"We're breaking down our own silos," Dr. Anderson said. 

Instead of working only within education or engineering, they now regularly discuss how their expertise can complement one another. 

Those conversations have already sparked ideas for new initiatives, including graduate programs that combine environmental science, Indigenous knowledge, and teacher education. 

Dr. Chen described similar experiences during Arctic Congress. 

One discussion connected environmental pollution, mental health, maritime safety, and search-and-rescue operations into a single research idea. 

"That's the beauty of these conversations," he said. "People discuss, and then we have sparks." 

The UArctic Chairs network brings together leading researchers from universities globally who may never have otherwise worked together. 

According to both researchers, simply putting experts from different disciplines around the same table often leads to entirely new ways of thinking. 

Collaboration Through Thematic Networks 

Outside of the UArctic Chairs network, both researchers are active in several UArctic Thematic Networks. 

Dr. Anderson contributes to the Teacher Diversity and Social Justice Network while also collaborating through the Verdde Indigenous Education Network, which focuses on Indigenous education and is based at the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Norway.  

Dr. Chen participates in the Arctic WASH network, which focuses on water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges throughout the Arctic. His work examines drinking water and wastewater systems in northern communities, where many communities still rely on trucked water services or have limited treatment infrastructure. 

He also helped establish the RAMWA network, which focuses on the sustainable removal and restoration of mine wastes across the Arctic. 

He leads another global consortium, the PEOPLE network, which focuses on persistent, emerging, and organic pollution in the environment and is developing the PEOPLE for the Arctic initiative.  

As Dr. Chen quipped during the interview, "People create environmental problems. Our PEOPLE network helps find solutions." 

These networks create opportunities for researchers from different countries and disciplines to share knowledge, develop joint projects, train students and young professionals collaboratively, and address challenges that no single institution could solve alone. 

Investing in the Next Generation 

Both researchers see enormous opportunities for today's youth. 

Canada's growing investment in Arctic initiatives is creating demand for scientists, engineers, educators, health professionals, and community leaders who are prepared to work in Northern environments. 

"There are huge opportunities," Dr. Chen said. "Students have dreams, passion, energy, knowledge, and skills." 

However, success requires more than technical expertise. 

Throughout the interview, both professors emphasized the importance of respecting Northern cultures and learning alongside communities rather than simply conducting research on them. 

Dr. Chen believes one of the greatest opportunities lies in better integrating Western scientific knowledge with Indigenous knowledge. 

"We're talking about it," he said, "but we still have a long way to go to truly bring those knowledge systems together." 

Both researchers also discussed the importance of mentorship. 

One idea that emerged during the conversation was creating structured networking opportunities between experienced Arctic researchers and young scholars during future Arctic Congresses. Rather than traditional conference sessions, they imagined informal "speed networking" events where students could meet several Arctic Chairs in a single hour, ask questions about their work, and begin building professional relationships. 

Advice for Future Arctic Researchers 

When asked what advice they would offer students beginning careers in Arctic research, both professors returned to remarkably similar themes. 

For Dr. Anderson, hope is essential. 

He acknowledged that today's students inherit enormous global challenges, but he encouraged them to stay engaged rather than becoming discouraged. 

“Careers rarely unfold exactly as planned”, he reflected. “Opportunities often appear unexpectedly, and resilience is built through both successes and setbacks”. 

Dr. Chen offered equally practical advice. 

He encouraged students to cultivate three things throughout their careers: interest, knowledge, and action. 

Passion creates motivation. Continuous learning builds expertise. Taking action turns ideas into meaningful changes. 

"If you keep those together," he said, "you will be successful." 

Moments That Matter 

As the conversation came to a close, both researchers reflected on the moments that have made them most proud. 

For Dr. Anderson, one of those moments came while helping establish Memorial University's Inuit Bachelor of Education program. Watching graduates cross the stage represented far more than a university ceremony but also reflected years of collaboration built on trust and respectful partnerships with Nunatsiavut. 

He also spoke proudly about supporting the inclusion of the Inuktitut language within the program, describing it as an example of listening to communities and building programs together rather than imposing solutions. 

For Dr. Chen, the defining moments are often quieter. 

He reflected on choosing environmental engineering more than thirty years ago, a decision that shaped his entire career despite originally considering architecture. 

Today, his greatest satisfaction comes from seeing students succeed and knowing that his research makes a tangible difference for communities. 

"When we can provide people with clear answers and help solve environmental problems," he said, "that's when I feel the greatest joy." 

Looking Forward 

While Dr. Chen and Dr. Anderson approach Arctic research from different disciplines, their conversation revealed a shared belief that the future of the North depends on collaboration. 

Whether addressing environmental contamination, strengthening education, supporting Indigenous communities, or mentoring future researchers, meaningful progress requires people to work together, learn from one another, and remain open to new ideas. 

That spirit of collaboration lies at the heart of UArctic itself. As researchers, students, and community partners continue building connections across disciplines and across borders, conversations like this one remind us that some of the most important discoveries begin not in laboratories or classrooms, but around a table where people are willing to listen, learn, and imagine new possibilities together.