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…
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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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
Lene Kielsen-Holm
Years: 1963 – 2021 Hometown: Qaqortoq, Greenland Education: M.A. in Social Sciences Occupation: Anthropologist, director, Environmental and Sustainable Development Issues and Research, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Greenland Expeditions:…
Vera Metcalf
Born: 1951 Hometown: Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, AK Education: B.A. in Rural Development Occupation: Director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission and Commissioner on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission Expeditions:…
Irina Nikolaeva
Born: 1962 Hometown: Moscow, Russia Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics Occupation: Professor of Linguistics Expeditions: Various places in Siberia – from the Urals in the West to the…
Grace Gobbo
Grace Gobbo is an ethnobotanist in Tanzania who studies plants used by traditional healers. Her discoveries include finding new plant species, some of…
Erin Pettit
Born: 1971 Hometown: Seattle, WA Education: Ph.D. in Geophysics Occupation: Glaciologist and educator Expeditions: Antarctica (West Antarctic Divide, Siple Dome, and the Dry Valleys), Alaska (Brooks Range), Washington (Mount…
Jane Goodall
In July 1960, Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzee behavior in what is now Tanzania. Her work at Gombe Stream would become 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…
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…