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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Catherine Powers
Born: 1976 Hometown: Denver, CO Education: Ph.D. in Earth Sciences Occupation: Paleontologist Expeditions: Europe and Western U.S. to analyze the distribution and diversity of bryozoans, a group of marine…
Pauline Wiessner
Born: 1947 Hometown: Stowe, VT Education: Ph.D. in Archaeology and Ethnology Occupation: Anthropologist Expeditions: 30 years of expeditions to the Kalahari Bushmen and th Enga of Papua New Guinea…
Milbry Polk
Born: 1954 Hometown: Oxford, England Education: B.A. in Anthropology Occupation: Photographer, writer, founder of WINGS WorldQuest Expeditions: Egypt, India, Tibet, the Arctic, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Alaska, Nepal, Greenland Favorite Places:…
Jill Tarter
Born: 1944 Hometown: Berkeley, CA Education: Ph.D. in Astronomy Occupation: Astronomer; former Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute Expeditions: Chasing after signals from distant technologies…
Anna Cummins
Anna Cummins has over 20 years of experience in environmental non-profit work including marine conservation, coastal watershed management, community relations and sustainability education. Her work…
Katey Walter Anthony
Born: 1976 Hometown: Fairbanks, AK Education: Ph.D. in Aquatic Biology Occupation: Aquatic ecosystem ecologist and professor Expeditions: Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Finland, and Sweden to study methane emissions from…
Cindy Lee Van Dover
Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover is a deep-sea biologist with an interest in ocean exploration and the ecology of chemosynthetic ecosystems. She began…
Ann Bancroft
Ann Bancroft is one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and an internationally recognized leader who is dedicated to inspiring women, girls and audiences around…
Diana Beresford Kroeger
Botanist, medical biochemist, author and filmmaker Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger has dedicated her life and career to understanding the underlying beauty, preservation and protection of rare…
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
Fiona Ogutu
Obtaining her Ph.D. at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Fiona is carrying Flag #34 to Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya, to assess the bioaccumulation and biomagnification…
Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Strom
Co-founders of Hearts in the Ice Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Falun Strom are returning to the Arctic with Flag #14. Dedicated to conservation, polar exploration,…
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…
Three Otters Media
Tiffany Duong, Aya Walraven, and Dr. Louise Edwards have come together to create Three Otters Media (TOM), which leverages virtual reality and immersive technologies to…
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…
Marilyn Bridges
Marilyn Bridges studied photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is noted for her black-and-white aerial photographs of sacred sites around the world. Born: 1948 Hometown:…
Susan Shaw
Dr. Susan D. Shaw is recognized for her landmark research on chemical contamination in marine mammals and commercially important marine fishes along the northwest Atlantic…
Constanza Ceruti
Dr. Constanza Ceruti, the first high-altitude woman archaeologist in history, is also a pioneer in the anthropological study of sacred mountains around the world. She…