Zia Madani is a non-resident Fellow with the Science Diplomacy Center™, specializing in polar governance, international cooperation, and the integration of science into policy. His work focuses on strengthening the role of early-career researchers (ECRs) as the next generation of science diplomats.

His current initiative, “Implementing the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5) in 2032–2033 with Next-Generation Science Diplomats,” responds to the urgency of global climate change. Warming is occurring four times faster in the Arctic and three times faster in the Antarctic, making it essential to begin preparing for IPY-5, which has already received support from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

The project highlights the importance of the International Polar Year (IPY) dialogue for early-career researchers across polar research and Earth system science. Building on the legacy of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), which emerged from the previous IPY, Zia aims to strengthen intergenerational collaboration and create opportunities for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty to contribute directly to planning IPY-5. Through Open Science approaches and sustainable development framing, his work supports the development of researchers who will be prepared to help lead and implement IPY-5 in the coming decade.