Dr. Kelly Falkner will serve as Acting Head for NSF's Office of Polar Programs (OPP) effective 1 April 2012 subsequent to the retirement of Dr. Karl A. Erb. Prior to joining NSF as Deputy Head of OPP on 3 January 2011, Falkner was a professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. From 2007 to 2009 she served at NSF as the founding program director of the Antarctic Integrated System Science program in OPP. Falkner holds a PhD in Chemical Oceanography.
Dr. Brendan P. Kelly is now on detail from NSF serving as Assistant Director for Polar Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. His portfolio includes coordinating activities assigned to the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), such as the development of a five-year arctic research plan. (See: IARPC 5-Year Plan.) Prior to early January 2012 Kelly served as Deputy Director in NSF's Division of Arctic Sciences (ARC). Arctic Sciences Division Director Simon Stephenson will now represent NSF on the IARPC staff level. NSF Director Subra Suresh continues as Chair of the IARPC.
Dr. Erica Key is the newly appointed Arctic Observing Network (AON) Program Director. The AON position is a limited-term position. Prior to early February 2012 Key served as Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Associate Program Manager.
The Office of Polar Programs often has openings for Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) appointees to serve term positions, assist with the management of OPP programs, and learn about the government funding process from the inside. For more information about IPA and rotator positions at NSF, see: http://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps/rotators/index.jsp.