Name: Dr. Olav Orheim
Position: Senior Adviser, Research Council of Norway and Former Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, Norway

Biography: Dr. Olav Orheim has been Senior Adviser at the Research Council of Norway since 2005, in charge of Norway's International Polar Year programme. He gained his first degree from the University of Bergen in 1968, and Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1972, on glaciers and global climate change. Previously employed as Head of Antarctic Programme, Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) (1972-1993), Adjunct Professor, University of Bergen (1989-2005), and Managing Director, NPI (1993-2005). He has undertaken about 30 field seasons in the Arctic (Svalbard, Jan Mayen, Greenland) and the Antarctic resulting in about 80 publications on glacier mass balance and climate, ice dynamics, ice bergs, remote sensing, and the politics of the polar regions.He has held many offices including Vice President of SCAR (1994-1998), first Chair of the CEP (1998-2002), Chair of the Legal and Institutional Working Group at the five most recent ATCMs (2005-2009), Chair of the Regional Board of IASC, Chair of Forum of Arctic Research Operators, and Vice Chair of European Polar Board. Chair of the Norwegian GovernmentÕs most recent review of Northern Policy, in 2003. At present Chairman of Board of five Norwegian entities, including the foundations Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjaerland, Sogn, the UNEP body GRID-A in Arendal, and the Polarship Fram, Oslo. He continues to be interested in international politics and management of polar affairs, climate change, and communicating science to the public.He was in 2007 knighted under the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav