Ana Aguilar-Islas

Ana Aguilar-Islas serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where her research centers on biogeochemical processes in polar marine environments with emphasis on Arctic sea ice ecosystems and nutrient dynamics.

Her work investigates nutrient cycling through field-based analysis of snow, ice, and seawater samples, addressing critical questions about ecosystem functioning in rapidly changing polar regions. As Deputy group leader for the ecosystem and sea ice component of the MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) expedition, she leads field operations funded by the National Science Foundation to examine biogeochemical interactions in the central Arctic Ocean.

Dr. Aguilar-Islas's research provides essential data for understanding climate change impacts on polar biogeochemical cycles, with implications for global ocean modeling and environmental policy development in vulnerable Arctic ecosystems.