Personal profile
Professional Activities
I am an educator, geographer, philosopher and Arctic specialist. Through my educational consultancy Polar Aspect, I design and run Model Arctic Council (MAC) experiential learning events for undergraduate students, in collaboration with universities in the UK and Canada. I also design and run the the world's only MACs for secondary-school pupils, in collaboration with schools in the UK and Spain, as well as an online MAC delegate training and conference programme for schools around the world.
Since 2016, I have designed and run numerous MAC events, reaching hundreds of students and pupils from dozens of countries. My MACs include the Norwich Model Arctic Council, hosted at university level by the UEA School of Environmental Sciences, and at secondary-school level by Norwich School. I also write and speak about MAC and diplomatic simulation as educational tools.
Outside UEA, I am an Adjunct Professor at Trent University in Canada, and a Philosophy, Politics and Economics Teacher at Norwich School. I am also Managing Director of the Læra Institute for Circumpolar Education, an institute that I helped to establish within the international University of the Arctic.
Formerly, I was a senior policy official with the Government of Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic. I directed a team of analysts advising policy-makers on fiscal and economic issues, and I helped strategise negotiations for the devolution of lands and resources from Ottawa. Later, I continued to advise the Government of Nunavut as an independent public-policy consultant, whilst writing and speaking about Arctic governance.
Teaching Interests
I am especially interested in Arctic political and economic geography, Arctic imaginaries, Arctic education, Model Arctic Council, geographical concepts and history, and the philosophy of geography.
At Trent University, where I am an adjunct professor, I teach a module on the Arctic economy and its development. I also created and contribute to a module on Arctic political geography, with a Model Arctic Council as a capstone project.
At Norwich School, I teach A-level courses in political ideologies and the British constitution, as well as a special interdisciplinary philosophy, politics and economics course. I have also taught A-level courses in philosophy and physical geography.
Academic Background
My academic background is in philosophy, and I obtained my PhD in 1999 from the University of Toronto in Canada. I have also trained in negotiation and mediation. I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toronto
External positions
Managing Director, Læra Institute for Circumpolar Education
Philosophy, Politics & Economics Teacher, Norwich School
Managing Principal, Polar Aspect
Adjunct Professor, Trent University