Associate Professor Sinéad Farrell Talks Arctic Sea Ice, Climate Change on Podcast

A smiling researcher wearing cold-weather gear—including a blue jacket, white beanie, and blue neck gaiter—stands on a vast, frozen icy landscape. She is holding a vertical scientific probe or measurement device attached to a yellow cable under a clear, bright sky.

Farrell discusses tracking Arctic and Antarctic ice loss, her path from rural Ireland to NASA collaborations and life in the field on Socializing With Scientists.

Associate Professor Sinéad Farrell joined host Rachael Moeller Gorman earlier this summer on an episode of Socializing With Scientists to talk about her work tracking Arctic and Antarctic sea ice using satellites and aircraft, and what changes in the ice could mean for weather, shipping and fisheries around the world.

Farrell also discussed her path to a career in sea ice research, from growing up in rural Ireland to studying at University College London, where a research project led to her doctorate. A one-year postdoctoral fellowship in the U.S. eventually became a 19-year—and counting—career. She also shared stories from her fieldwork, including encounters with polar bears, months aboard ships intentionally frozen into the ice and, despite studying ice for a living, her own history of breaking bones on it.

Published on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 10:27