ICOS can announce that Dr Anna Virkkala is the first recipient of the ICOS Ingeborg Levin Early Career Scientist Award for Outstanding Greenhouse Gas or Related Isotope Research.
Anna Virkkala received the award on 27 November 2025 during the ICOS 10 Year Anniversary Seminar. She researches climate change and its impacts on ecosystems, with a focus on Arctic-boreal regions.
Following a 5-year affiliation with Woodwell Climate, Anna’s main affiliation since summer 2025 has been with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
“I’m extremely honored,” said Anna, when asked how she felt about receiving the award. “As an early-career researcher, it’s easy to question whether your ideas, approach, or expertise are on the right track. This award reassures me that my work is relevant and impactful, and that my work is finding its place in addressing important societal and scientific questions.”
The bi-annual ICOS Ingeborg Levin Early Career Scientist Award recognises exceptional researchers who have made significant contributions to the field of greenhouse gas research.
Studying greenhouse gases with a focus on the Arctic-boreal zone
Anna Virkkala’s research focuses on terrestrial carbon cycling, climate change, and Arctic ecosystems. The bulk of her research focuses on quantifying the magnitude and dynamics of carbon balance across northern landscapes.
“My work is driven by the rapidly changing northern regions, their vast carbon stores, and the urgent need to understand—and ultimately mitigate—the impacts of climate change.”
Anna takes a broad, integrative approach by collecting her own field data, using other flux measurements from data repositories, utilising satellite-based environmental data, applying statistical and machine-learning methods, and working with process and inversion model outputs to better characterize greenhouse gas budgets.
“My overarching goal is to integrate observations and models into a coherent, holistic view of the northern carbon cycle— a task where my geographic training, which emphasizes synthesis and large-scale perspectives, has been especially useful.”
An interdisciplinary approach advancing greenhouse gas research beyond individual methods
In total, 12 candidates were nominated for the first Ingeborg Levin Award Early Career Scientist Award.
As per the selection the review process, all nominations were reviewed by the selection committee consisting of Dr Werner Kutsch (ICOS Director General) and Dr Samuel Hammer (Head of ICOS Central Radiocarbon Laboratory).
After thorough evaluation based on the award criteria, Anna Virkkala was chosen.
“We had a superb group of candidates and were impressed how diversely ICOS data are used,” says Werner Kutsch.
“Beyond the excellent science, we were impressed that she brought people and data together and led scientific community efforts."
According to Samuel Hammer, “Ingeborg’s scientific curiosity was never confined to a single greenhouse gas, and Anna carries this legacy forward in an exceptional way. Her research spans CO2, CH4 and N2O and integrates field observations, modelling, remote sensing and synthesis work.”
“What particularly impressed us was her ability to connect disciplines, datasets and scientific communities — a truly interdisciplinary approach that advances greenhouse gas research far beyond individual methods or perspectives.”
The decision to give the award to Anna Virkkala was ratified during a meeting of the ICOS Research Infrastructure Committee (RICOM).
ICOS station PI in the making
Anna makes extensive use of ICOS data in her research. Earlier this year, Nature published a study that she was the lead author of which found that a third (34 %) of the Arctic-boreal zone is now a source of carbon to the atmosphere.
“I use ICOS data for several purposes, often in combination with flux data from other key repositories,” Anna explains.
“I’ve used it to build a synthesis dataset for the Arctic-boreal terrestrial—and more recently freshwater—regions, to calculate annual flux statistics across different ecosystems, to compare these with model estimates, to analyse recent trends, and to assess the representativeness of the Arctic-boreal flux network.”
Anna is the Principal Investigator (PI) of a new sub-Arctic eddy covariance site in Kilpisjärvi, northern Finland, established in summer 2024. Anna hopes that the station will soon become an ICOS Associated Ecosystem station.
“Currently, my main affiliation is the Finnish Meteorological Institute, which plays a key role in the Finnish ICOS network, and I’m excited to contribute to ICOS through that affiliation. Regardless of my affiliation, I am certain ICOS will continue to play an important role in my career—thank you to everyone who keeps it running!”
Congratulations to Anna from the whole ICOS community!
The award: Anna receives prize money of €5000, as well as free participation and a keynote lecture slot at ICOS Science Conference 2026 in Lund, Sweden.