From fossils to future – Jane Francis on polar exploration and changing climates

Professor Dame Jane Francis is a palaeoclimatologist whose research has focused on studying fossil plants, particularly from polar regions, to understand past biodiversity and climate. She is the Director of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Chancellor of the University of Leeds, UK. She was awarded the Polar Medal for her contributions to British polar research in 2002, only the fourth woman to receive this recognition at that time. Throughout her career, Jane has conducted numerous Antarctic and Arctic expeditions, camping in remote and extreme environments to collect data about the polar regions from the days of the dinosaurs when Antarctica and the Arctic were warmer and covered in forests. We met at the BAS headquarters in Cambridge, UK, sitting alongside her collection of petrified fossil wood. Here, we discuss what these fossil plants can tell us about climate, the importance of Antarctic research in understanding our changing world, and the benefits of open science in promoting collaboration and even reducing carbon emissions.