Hester Jiskoot

Dr. Hester Jiskoot is an Associate Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Lethbridge, Canada, where she serves as Director of the Glaciology & Geoscience Laboratory. Her research focuses on ice flow dynamics, glacier surging, and glacier-environment interactions using field studies, remote sensing, computer and analogue models, and laboratory techniques.

Dr. Jiskoot earned her BSc and MSc from the University of Amsterdam and her PhD from the University of Leeds. Her educational background has provided a strong foundation for her research in glaciology and physical geography.

Her research interests center on understanding how glaciers respond to environmental and climatic changes. Specifically, she investigates glacier dynamics, tributary-trunk glacier interactions, glacier surging mechanisms, and the impacts of climate change on glacier systems. Through her work, she aims to improve predictions of glacier behavior and their effects on global water resources, sea level, and mountain landscapes. Dr. Jiskoot has conducted field research on glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, the Yukon Territory, Alaska, the European Alps, the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the Himalayas.

Analysis of Dr. Jiskoot's recent publications reveals a strong focus on glacier surging mechanisms, Arctic climate dynamics, and the impact of climate change on glacier systems. Her work spans from detailed numerical modeling of glacier dynamics to large-scale analyses of ice sheet mass balance. A notable trend is her increasing focus on integrating diverse data sources and methodologies to understand complex glacier systems, with particular attention to tributary-trunk glacier interactions and Arctic fog dynamics.

• NSERC University Faculty Award
• NSERC Discovery Grant
• Member of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (2009)

Dr. Jiskoot has supervised numerous undergraduate and graduate students through independent studies and thesis projects. Her research has been supported by multiple NSERC grants, the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research, and the University of Lethbridge Research Fund. She has also advised the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources regarding glaciers' role in western Canada's water supply.

As Director of the Glaciology & Geoscience Laboratory at the University of Lethbridge, Dr. Jiskoot leads a research team that includes research associates, student research assistants, and field assistants. The laboratory utilizes field studies, remote sensing, computer and analogue models, and laboratory techniques to investigate glacier and snow dynamics and their interactions with climate and the environment.