Dr. Doug Kowalewski Joins the NSF Office of Polar Programs as Section Head for Antarctic Sciences

Dr. Doug Kowalewski, New Section Head for Antarctic Sciences

As an Associate Professor at Worcester State University and Chair of the Department of Earth Environment & Physics, Dr. Kowalewski served on his University’s Research Advisory Board and was named the inaugural Faculty Fellow for Research (2019-2021). In this role, he increased external proposal submissions and funded projects on campus, and led the restructuring of the university grants office to better serve faculty research endeavors.

Dr. Kowalewski comes to NSF committed to increasing diversity in the sciences. As a co-founder and steering member of the Massachusetts Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) Regional Network, Dr. Kowalewski's work led to increased STEM recruiting and retention initiatives on Massachusetts State University campuses. He is also a co-founder and board member of the Aisiku STEM Center that provides interdisciplinary research opportunities for underrepresented students.

Between 2017 and 2019, Dr. Kowalewski served as an IPA Program Director for Antarctic Earth Sciences at NSF. He also served multiple seasons as the NSF Science Representative at McMurdo Station where he acted as the de facto chief scientist for the Shackleton Science Camp. As an NSF Program Director, Dr. Kowalewski's support provided underrepresented students in STEM pathways into earth sciences graduate school.

Dr. Kowalewski studies the interactions between climate and ice sheet behavior in Antarctica and is known for building international partnerships in fieldwork and modeling studies. He received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a doctorate from Boston University. Dr. Kowalewski was an awardee of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship. Prior to his career in academia, Dr. Kowalewski managed environmental remediation projects in Washington D.C. and Colorado.