Paul Cutler trained as a geologist and geographer in the UK, Canada, and the US, and has conducted research in many cold places including Antarctica, the Arctic, and elevated parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. He joined ICSU from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences where he directed projects on polar, atmospheric, geographical, and mapping sciences. This work included international, interdisciplinary studies that informed planning for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and International Polar Year, as well as studies at the interface of natural and social science such as communicating uncertainty in weather forecasts. Paul’s earlier postdoctoral work in geology/geophysics (University of Wisconsin) involved numerical modelling of quaternary ice sheets and permafrost, and his doctorate in geology (University of Minnesota) focused on glacial hydrometeorology and ice physics.