Explorers
Fellows
Flag Carriers
Dr. Grace C. Young
Dr. Grace C. Young is a Research Engineer and Lead Scientist at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (formerly GoogleX), where her team is creating radical new technologies to protect…
Dr. Nurzhafarina Othman
Dr. Nurzhafarina (Farina) Othman is a conservation scientist and community advocate dedicated to the protection of the endangered Bornean elephant. With a PhD in Bioscience…
Dr. Divya Karnad
Dr. Divya Karnad is an Indian marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University, dedicated to sustainable seafood, fisheries management and marine biodiversity protection. With…
Dr. Yara Barros
Dr. Yara Barros is a Brazilian conservation biologist and the Executive Coordinator of Project Jaguars of Iguaçu, a flagship initiative dedicated to the conservation of…
Mandë Holford
Dr. Mandë Holford is a professor of chemistry at CUNY Hunter College and The CUNY Graduate Center, with scientific appointments at the American Museum of…
Terrie Williams
The narwhal is one of the most iconic marine mammals of the Arctic but remains virtually unstudied due to its deep diving habits and polar…
Arita Baaijens
From December 2019 through January 2020, Arita Baaijens (Flag #2) returned to Papua New Guinea to continue the work she began in 2016 with WINGS…
Felicity Aston
Poler explorer and climate scientist Felicity Aston (Flag #27), who has led international teams of women on record-making ski expeditions to both poles, traveled to…
Dr. Jessica Ware
Dr. Jessica Ware is a full curator at the American Museum of Natural History where she serves as Chair of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Dr. Ware’s…
Prof Adriana Vergés
Adriana Vergés is a marine ecologist whose research focuses on the ecology and conservation of coastal marine habitats. In particular, her team investigates the ecological…
Ruthmery Pillco
Ruthmery Pillco is a Peruvian biologist who works on conservation and biodiversity projects in the rainforests of Costa Rica and Peru. In Costa Rica, she…
Dr. Patricia Medici
Dr. Patricia Medici is a Brazilian conservationist whose main professional interests are tapir conservation, tropical forest conservation, landscape ecology, and communication. Patrícia has a Bachelor’s…
Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Dr. Paula Kahumbu is a prominent Kenyan conservationist and the CEO of WildlifeDirect. She earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University, focusing on Ecology and Evolutionary…
Alifa Haque
Dr. Alifa Bintha Haque is a marine biologist and ethno-conservationist focused on conserving sharks and rays in the global south context. Her research covers sustainable…
Elizabeth Bennett
Elizabeth (Liz) Bennett is the Vice President for Species Conservation at WCS. She conducted the first ever detailed field study of the proboscis monkey in…
Abeer Al-Saud
Explorer, peacebuilder, sustainability expert, and artist Abeer Al-Saud is taking Flag #32 to the “Third Pole” in the Himalayan mountains with renowned National Geographic explorer…
Grace Alawa
Wildlife and biodiversity conservationist Grace Alawa is carrying Flag #42 to Andoni Island in Rivers State, Nigeria. The goal of her expedition is to understand…
Sefra Alexandra
“The Seed Huntress” Sefra Alexandra leads The Ecotype Project for the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association, an effort to fortify the living seed banks of…
April Burt
Plastic pollution is having devastating effects on the Aldabra Atoll World Heritage Site and the local wildlife. Conservation biologist April Burt was awarded a WINGS WorldQuest Flag…
Felicity Aston
Poler explorer and climate scientist Felicity Aston (Flag #27), who has led international teams of women on record-making ski expeditions to both poles, traveled to…
Arita Baaijens
From December 2019 through January 2020, Arita Baaijens (Flag #2) returned to Papua New Guinea to continue the work she began in 2016 with WINGS…
Maria Bollerup
Passionate for conservation and tourism, Maria Bollerup uses her experience from the increasingly more political travel industry and the dive industry to join the forces…
Amanda Brock Morales
Amanda Brock Morales is an anthropological archaeologist whose work brings together digital archaeology, storywork practices, and community-collaborative methods to explore how people form enduring relationships…
Katie Conlon
Environmental advocate, explorer, researcher, humanitarian, storyteller, director, poet, and peacebuilder, Katie Conlon, Ph.D., is carrying Flag #32 on her expedition, “The Third Pole: Because It…
Birgit Sattler
Born: 1969 Hometown: Innsbruck, Austria Education: Ph.D. in Microbiology & Limnology Occupation: Limnologist (a specialist in the study of freshwater ponds and lakes) Expeditions: Antarctica: Dry Valleys, South Pole,…
Meenakshi Wadhwa
Dr. Wadhwa is a planetary scientist, academic leader, and educator who serves as the director of the…
Aparajita Datta
Conservation Expert/Wildlife Biologist & Ecologist Aparajita Datta engaged in long-term protection of threatened wildlife with local communities in northeast India. She has discovered two…
Rosaly Lopes
Dr. Rosaly M. C. Lopes is a Principal Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she is also Lead Scientist for Geophysics and…
Maya Tolstoy
Born: 1967 Hometown: New York, NY Education: Ph.D. in Earth Sciences/Marine Geophysics Occupation: Marine geophysicist Expeditions: 27 research cruises in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the…
Bolortsetseg Minjin
Born: 1973 Hometown: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Education: Ph.D in Earth & Environmental Sciences Occupation: Director, Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs Expeditions: Gobi Desert (Mongolia), Malta and Rudyard (Montana)…
Leela Hazzah
Dr Leela Hazzah: Executive Director and Cofounder of Lion Guardians, Leela obtained her PhD and MSc from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research…
Jane Poynter
Jane Poynter is one of only eight people ever in history to live sealed in an artificial world for two years. Jane’s preparation…
Selma Barkham
Selma Barkham is a historical geographer who discovered 16th Century Basque whaling sites on the southern coast of Labrador, Canada. She was awarded…
2025 Women of Discovery
Dr. Yara Barros
Dr. Yara Barros is a Brazilian conservation biologist and the Executive Coordinator of Project Jaguars of Iguaçu, a flagship initiative dedicated to the conservation of…
Dr. Divya Karnad
Dr. Divya Karnad is an Indian marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University, dedicated to sustainable seafood, fisheries management and marine biodiversity protection. With…
Dr. Nurzhafarina Othman
Dr. Nurzhafarina (Farina) Othman is a conservation scientist and community advocate dedicated to the protection of the endangered Bornean elephant. With a PhD in Bioscience…
Dr. Grace C. Young
Dr. Grace C. Young is a Research Engineer and Lead Scientist at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (formerly GoogleX), where her team is creating radical new technologies to protect…
All Explorers
Sandra Lai
Sandra Lai is a terrestrial ecologist, carnivore researcher and conservationist who was born and raised on the small island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Early on…
Amanda Brock Morales
Amanda Brock Morales is an anthropological archaeologist whose work brings together digital archaeology, storywork practices, and community-collaborative methods to explore how people form enduring relationships…
Nora Shawki
Nora Shawki is a National Geographic Explorer and Egyptian archaeologist who has been excavating ancient sites in the Nile Delta & Sudan for over a…
Dr. Grace C. Young
Dr. Grace C. Young is a Research Engineer and Lead Scientist at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (formerly GoogleX), where her team is creating radical new technologies to protect…
Dr. Nurzhafarina Othman
Dr. Nurzhafarina (Farina) Othman is a conservation scientist and community advocate dedicated to the protection of the endangered Bornean elephant. With a PhD in Bioscience…
Dr. Divya Karnad
Dr. Divya Karnad is an Indian marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University, dedicated to sustainable seafood, fisheries management and marine biodiversity protection. With…
Dr. Yara Barros
Dr. Yara Barros is a Brazilian conservation biologist and the Executive Coordinator of Project Jaguars of Iguaçu, a flagship initiative dedicated to the conservation of…
Krushnaa Patil
Krushnaa Patil is an avid explorer and climber, beginning in 2007 by attending mountaineering courses with the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, Uttrakhand, India….
Angeline Mano Matheswaran
Born and raised in India, Angeline Mano Matheswaran is a Research Assistant and Nature Educator at Salem Ornithological Foundation. Angeline is a post-graduate in English…