Alison Criscitiello

Athlete, Environmentalist, Explorer, Gay, Scientist, Writer/Editor

Dr. Alison Criscitiello is a world-renowned ice core scientist, advocate for gender equity, mother, and high-altitude mountaineer. She is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Canadian Ice Core Lab at the University of Alberta, co-founder of Girls* on Ice Canada – and received the first PhD in glaciology ever conferred by MIT. As a scientist, her work has taken her to ice caps around the world including Antarctica, Greenland, and the Canadian High Arctic. Criscitiello explores the history of climate in polar and high-alpine regions by tracking environmental and contaminant histories using ice core chemistry. Many of the glaciers she has drilled are at extreme risk due to climate change and Criscitiello is at the forefront of data capture and documentation of ice loss in these volatile zones. Criscitiello’s expeditions to collect ice core samples, such as from Mount Logan's summit plateau, are groundbreaking. Alongside her academic and scientific accolades, she is also an exceptional storyteller whose work has appeared in high-impact film projects, print, television, and wide-ranging media. Criscitiello is committed to making science more accessible to young women as well. As a founder of the Girls on Ice Canada program, Criscitiello hopes to merge science, art, and adventure to inspire leadership, curiosity, and confidence in the next generation of leaders. Her work has motivated a community of young women to pursue their interests in science and dive into their passions in the outdoors. In 2021, she was elected to the Royal Canadian Geographic Society’s College of Fellows and she is Fellow International with The Explorer’s Club. She was recently awarded a Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for her significant contributions to Arctic climate research. She has been the recipient of three American Alpine Club climbing awards, The John Lauchlan Award, and the Mugs Stump alpine climbing award. She was awarded the 2025 Summit of Excellence award at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.

Antarctica, Canadian Arctic, Climate Change, Glaciers, Ice core science, Paleoclimate, Public speaking, Remote expeditions