Prof Heather Nicol is the Director of the School for the Study of Canada and a Professor in the School of the Environment at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario (Canada). She received her BA from the University of Toronto, her MES. from York University and her PhD. from Queen’s University. Her northern research interests lie in the critical geopolitics in the circumpolar North and the relationship between the interests of nation-states and peoples of the North. The geopolitical context of the North and the contemporary issues raised in the North which create puzzles for sovereignty and governance have fuelled Prof Nicol’s interest in the North. Prof Nicol is also involved in the Thematic Network on Geopolitical and Security through the University of the Arctic and the Northern Research Foundation.