The PYRN Executive Committee was honoured to host a wide range of activities for early career researchers (ECRs) at the 3rd Asian Conference on Permafrost, held from June 28 to July 2, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The activities began with a pre-conference workshop attended by more than 50 ECRs. The workshop featured eight engaging presentations by permafrost scientists covering a diverse range of topics, including permafrost research in Mongolia, permafrost modelling, and balancing Arctic fieldwork with parenthood.
We sincerely thank all the speakers who generously shared their time, knowledge, and experiences with the next generation of permafrost researchers:
- Dr. Dong Wang (Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University)
- Dr. Anna Irrgang (Alfred Wegener Institute)
- Dr. Temuujin Khurelbaatar (Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences)
- Dr. Jocelyn Hayley (University of Calgary)
- Isabelle Gärtner-Roer (University of Zurich and IPA Co-President)
- Dr. Lin Chen (State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
- Sebastian Westermann (University of Oslo)
- Dr. Helena Bergstedt (b.geos GmbH)
Figure 1: Early Career Researchers gathered for the PYRN workshop at ACOP 2026
Figure 2: Speakers at the PYRN Workshop. From left to right: Dr. Lin Chen, Dr. Jocelyn Hayley and Dr. Anna Irrgang
Throughout the conference, PYRN also organized presentation, poster, and FrostByte competitions that were open to ECRs from all IPA member countries. The competitions showcased the excellent and diverse research being conducted by emerging permafrost researchers. PYRN is pleased to recognize the winners and runners-up in each category.
Best Presentation:
Winner: Yan Hu, University of Fribourg
Seasonal Kinematic Behaviour of Alpine Rock Glaciers
Runner-Up: Samuel Lee, University of Toronto
Investigating Surface and Ground Water Flow During the Winter at Kuparuk River, Arctic Alaska, Combining Near-surface Geophysics and Cryo-hydrological Modeling
Best Poster:
Winner: Kathrin Habegger, University of Zurich
Intra-Seasonal Variation in Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, and Isotopic Composition across Two Periglacial Catchments in the Swiss Alps
Runner-Up: Tom Larrue, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc and Alpes Ingé
Development of a Diagnostic Method of Alpine Permafrost for Operational Purposes: A Numerical Modelling Approach
Best FrostByte:
Winner: Maybrit Goldau, Lund University and Agricultural University of Iceland
Palsa Mines in the Icelandic Highlands
Runner-Up: Simone Marie Stuenzi, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Canopy Mediated Permafrost Carbon Vulnerability
Congratulations to all the winners, runners-up, and participants, and thank you to everyone who contributed to making the PYRN activities at ACOP 2026 a success. Additional thanks are due to the International Permafrost Association for its financial support of the workshop and for its support of Early Career Researchers through PYRN’s broader mandate. Thank you to the ACOP organizing committee for your support in organizing the early career activities throughout the conference.
The Permafrost Young Researchers Network is a volunteer-led organization, and its activities are made possible due to the contributions of its executive committee. Many thanks for to the current executive committee for your efforts supporting the activities of the network.
Provided by Natalie Arpin