Speaker — Neptune Forum 2026
Heidi Sevestre
Glaciologist - Deputy Secretary AMAP
Glaciologist ; AMAP Deputy Secretary
AMAP Secretariat - Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
Dr. Heïdi Sevestre is an internationally renowned glaciologist, a leading voice in climate advocacy, and a member of The Explorers Club (she is part of the Explorers Club 50 (EC50), Class of 2026, “fifty people changing the world”). Widely recognized for her extensive outreach efforts, Heïdi is often described as a scientist who engages in "all-terrain outreach," sharing her knowledge across media platforms, the field, in books, and in documentaries. In 2022, she became the first recipient of the Shackleton Medal for her work in protecting polar regions and received the French “Rayonnement” Prize, environmental category, in 2023. In 2024, Heïdi was named a "European Young Leader" by Friends of Europe, representing France. Heïdi works at the secretariat of AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme), part of the Arctic Council's Working Group. Regularly leading scientific expeditions to polar and high mountain regions, Heïdi strives to make scientific knowledge more accessible and to inspire action against the climate crisis. She is the author of Climate Sentinel (HarperCollins France), Tomorrow is Us (Editions du Faubourg), Sentinelle, Voyage au Coeur des Glaciers (HarperCollins France) and features in the National Geographic series Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold on Nat Geo / Disney+ (2024). Dr. Sevestre collaborates with UNESCO on the Year for Glaciers’ Preservation and the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences. In January 2026 she completed an 80 day ski/kite traverse of Antarctica for her expedition Under Antarctica with french adventurer Matthieu Tordeur. Heïdi is the first woman to have completed this traverse of Antarctica from Thorshammer to Hercules Inlet, via the Pole of Inaccessibility and the geographic South Pole, collecting data along the way to better understand how Antarctica responds to climate change.
