About us

Amundsen Science’s collaborative initiatives to map the Arctic and sustain its environment inspired Daniel to join its workforce through his position as Lead Hydrographer during Leg 2 of the CCGS Amundsen’s 2019 expedition.

Now as a Marine Geomatics Technician for Amundsen Science, Daniel strives to continue broadening Canada’s northern bathymetric database; acquire and process bathymetric data from a range of platforms (Amundsen, small vessels, AUVs); operate remotely piloted aircraft; train student hydrographers; and support international projects in Arctic environments.

Most of Daniel’s free time is spent pursuing his passion for guitar, rock climbing, biking, and trekking through nature.

Marcel Babin is a field oceanographer with a strong expertise on light propagation and light-matter interactions in the Ocean.

Laureate of the Canada Excellence Research Chair in remote sensing of Canada’s new Arctic frontier and leader of the Takuvik International Research Laboratory (Université Laval and CNRS), his devotion to oceanographic research is no longer to be demonstrated.

Through his inspiring career, he has lead several major international research initiatives onboard the CCGS Amundsen such as Malina in the Beaufort Sea (2009) and Green Edge in the Baffin Bay (2016). Marcel undertook the role of Scientific Leader at Amundsen Science in summer 2020.

As Scientific Leader, Marcel intends on reinforcing the use of the CCGS Amundsen by the broadest possible Canadian and international community. He promotes ambitious multidisciplinary projects, and implements best practices in terms of open science.

Having grown up on the coast, Kerstin became a physical geographer with a focus on marine processes. 

She has worked in many areas, such as monitoring salt marsh development, detecting wave heights with radar imagery, modeling sea level rise, and mapping submarine landforms, before joining Amundsen Science as a hydrographer in 2023.  

Her duties include operating the hydroacoustic systems on board and managing the seafloor data.   

When she’s not at sea, Kerstin can be found playing beach volleyball or exploring nature.

Martine Desgagnés joined the Amundsen Science team at the beginning of 2018 to oversee various administrative and accounting tasks. In addition to her studies in accounting science, Martine has several other educational backgrounds, including a certificate in human resources management. She thus combines her passions for science, the maritime field and finance in her job at Amundsen Science.

In addition, Martine coordinates the procurement management with Amundsen Science’s technical team, in compliance with the financial rules applicable to the research sector. She also prepares financial information for Amundsen Science’s various external auditors, and assists new team colleagues with administrative procedures. Nicknamed the team’s “”mom””, she’s the one everyone writes to when something goes wrong.

Amélie joined the team in 2020. She contributes to numerous aspects of the planning and logistics of the Annual Amundsen Expedition. Amélie is also involved in various administrative tasks of the organization related with our funding agencies. During the field season, you may see her onboard the CCGS Amundsen operating the CTD-Rosette and photographing landscapes and scientific activities.

Outside of work, Amélie is an outdoor enthusiast. She coaches mountain biking during the summer and loves exploring the backcountry on her skis during the winter.

Fatma joined the team in 2023 with previous experience in coordination and scientific operations at sea. She holds a master’s degree in oceanography from ISMER/UQAR, where she began her professional career. In addition to logistics and administrative responsibilities, Fatma is a CTD-Rosette operator and social media manager during the Annual Amundsen Expedition.

During her free time, Fatma spends quality time with her family and her dog Snow.

A recent graduate of the Institut technique de la mer (INTECHMER) with a bachelor’s degree in oceanography, Antonin will be joining the Amundsen Science team as an oceanographic instrumentation professional at the start of 2024. During his studies in France, he had the opportunity to do several internships with companies specializing in underwater exploration, giving him a good practical experience in this field.

In his spare time, Antonin enjoys sports, mainly surfing, running and hiking. And when he finds the courage and patience, he tries his hand at a new passion: sewing.

Alexandre has been the Executive Director and COO of Amundsen Science since 2017.

He is no stranger to Arctic research, having sailed aboard the Amundsen since 2004. Since his first expedition on the research icebreaker as a MSc student, Alexandre has accumulated more than 510 days in the Arctic on the ship as part of various expeditions over the last 15 years.

Prior to assuming a management position with Amundsen Science, Alexandre worked as a research scientist with the Sedimentation Group of the ARCTOS Network (Tromsø, Norway), the Takuvik Joint Laboratory (CNRS-Canada), and with Golder Associates Ltd. Alexandre is a specialist of Arctic shelf seas and is passionate about research vessels, oceanographic instrumentation and the Arctic.

Myrah joined our team in 2024, taking on the innovative role of fostering connections with people and institutions throughout the Arctic. As a northern resident, Myrah gained invaluable insights into the importance of collaboration and sharing research locally. Her work is deeply rooted in community engagement, as she builds bridges across Inuit Nunangat to support northern and Inuit representation in science. Additionally, Myrah collaborates with scientists to explore dynamic ways of communicating the groundbreaking research conducted aboard the CCGS Amundsen.

Outside of work, Myrah is usually found near water, whether SCUBA diving, surfing, or exploring tide pools with friends.

Pascal works on the CCGS Amundsen since the very beginning of the adventure, in 2003. He’s in charge of the processing and quality control of the CTD, LADCP, and SADCP physical data. At sea, he is the main CTD-Rosette operator, supervises the operations and trains rosette operators interns. His expertise, patience and discipline earned him the title of ”Grand Maître Rosette.

Passionate about the sea since childhood, Quentin studied oceanography at the Institut Technique de la Mer (INTECHMER) in Cherbourg, France. Before joining Amundsen Science. Quentin has had various experiences working on research vessels in the French fleet as an oceanographer technician. The previous missions he carried out enabled him to forge his practical experience of the instruments and electronic equipment used for scientific research at sea.

When he’s not on board, Quentin spends his free time surfing or discovering the world with his van and backpack.

Anissa is Marine Research Coordinator since 2017 but has worked closely with the CCGS Amundsen team since 2014 as Project Manager for ArcticNet.

During her graduate studies on climate active gasses at Université Laval and University of British Columbia, she sailed on several research vessels as part of multidisciplinary scientific programs (SERIES, SOLAS, Line P). This at-sea experience serves her well in the operational management and logistical planning of the Annual Amundsen Expedition. She likes connecting with researchers and students and supporting them to carry out their sampling and experiments on the Amundsen and achieve their science goals.

As Luc oversaw the conversion of the CCGS Amundsen icebreaker into a state-of-art oceanographic research vessel, he definitely knows the ship inside and out. He’s been Amundsen’s scientific equipment manager since 2003.

Since then, he has sailed the Amundsen from the Labrador Sea to the Chukchi Sea and has participated in most of the ship’s science expeditions. He sure is the reference for a good old Amundsen anecdote. He is an unconditional lover of the Arctic, and a passionate wildlife photographer.

A 2013 graduate of Cégep Garneau in accounting and management, Alexandre has taken several other university courses at UQAR and ULAVAL, mainly in administration and accounting. Since 2023, he has been helping the technical team with purchasing and payroll.

Simon is an instrumentation professional for the CCGS Amundsen since 2014. He assures the installation, the integration and the maintenance of Amundsen Science scientific pool of equipment. He specializes in technological and computing development and is in charge of the ship core instrumentation data processing with Pascal.

Simon’s great creativity at work may come from his renowned musician talent; just hear him jam with his band!

Christopher has joined the Amundsen Science technical team as a marine robotics professional in 2020 after graduating from the Marine Institute’s Bachelor of Technology in Underwater Vehicles. He maintains, operates and integrates essential research instrumentation for the Annual Amundsen Expedition. As he works closely with our remotely operated vehicule named ASTRID, Christopher goes every year at sea on the icebreaker to survey various marine ecosystems with scientists and a team of highly qualified technicians.
Christopher is also driven by his passion for exploration and enjoys the thrill of downhill biking, rock climbing and hiking with his dogs when he is not with ASTRID!

Marcia is an oceanographer, with a master’s degree in Water and Coastal Management. She worked in many areas of oceanography, from paleontology to changing climate, and from seismic to whale conservation research, before joining Amundsen Science as an oceanographic instrumentation technician in May 2021. It is at the warehouse and at sea that she feels most at ease.

In her free time, she enjoys playing with her pets, making all kinds of crafts, accumulating books (not necessarily reading them all), and organizing her rock collection, to which she is always looking for new additions.

Tahiana holds a postgraduate diploma (DEA) in physics from the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. During his studies, Tahiana’s research project involved the application of spatial remote sensing as a tool for detecting changes in forests.

Currently at Amundsen Science, Tahiana is responsible for archiving and publishing the scientific data collected during the Annual Amundsen Expedition. He supports Amundsen Science’s technical team in ensuring research-quality data to international standards. Tahiana is also involved in several nationwide data management projects, where he collaborates to promote open science practices within the organization.

Véronique has joined Amundsen Science as Communications Manager in 2022. She has several years of experience working as a communications director for a non-for profit organization in the life sciences and health technologies sector and as a public relations strategist in a communication agency.

Having achieved a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and a master’s degree in communication sciences, Véronique has developed an expertise in popularizing and democratizing science for everyone. Her passion for environmental sciences now helps her build outreach initiatives that highlight the activities of Amundsen Science’s community.

Louis joined Amundsen Science’s team of oceanographic instrumentation technicians in July 2024. He has many years of experience at sea as a sailor, technician and diver. From Antarctica to the Arctic Ocean, Louis has acquired a polyvalent expertise through research bases and vessels working on scientific and oceanographic projects.