Nigel Golden
About Nigel's Work
Nigel Golden is a Research Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. His interests has ranged in focus from Arctic ecology, justice-informed wildlife and environmental conservation, Decolonizing Methodologies, and STEM education. His academic interests include wildlife ecology, conservation, Indigenous studies, and environmental and ecological justice.
He completed his Ph.D. in 2022 in the Department of Environmental Conservation, and postdoctoral appointment at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in 2024.
He co-directs The Polaris Project, an NSF funded project that offers undergraduate students an immersive experience in cutting-edge Arctic science focusing on climate change’s impacts on Arctic ecosystems, and its global implications. The annual field expedition takes place in the YK Delta, Alaska, characterized by tundra ecosystems with sporadic permafrost expected to thaw in the coming decades. This region features wetland tundra with dry peat plateaus, interspersed with bogs, fens, thaw ponds, lakes, and streams. Increasing disturbances like wildfires provide a unique opportunity for students to conduct novel ecological research in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems relevant to scientific and Indigenous communities, and to the broader public.
