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…
Norina Vicente
Entomologist and conservation biologist Norina Vicente focuses on the evolutionary history of the eusocial, wingless wasps “ants” of poorly known regions, Afrotropical and Malagasy. For…
Kathleen Webster
Herpetologist, Conservation Biologist, and Ph.D. student Kathleen Webster carried WINGS Flag #39 while leading a team of international and local field biologists on an expedition…
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…
Angela Fisher
Angela Fisher is from Adelaide, Australia, and holds a degree in social sciences. Together with Carol Beckwith, she documents traditional ceremonies of African…
Kate Harris
Diverging from her original plan of becoming a scientist and going to Mars, writer and adventurer Kate Harris explores desolate trails in pursuit…
Nina Jablonski
Inspired to study natural history by her upbringing on a farm in upstate New York, Nina Jablonski is a biological anthropologist and paleobiologist…
Rosemarie Keough
Born: 1959 Hometown: Salt Spring Island, Canada Education: H.B.A. in Business Administration Occupation: Photographer and publisher Expeditions: Antarctica and Arctic, sub-Arctic, and unique Canadian wilderness Favorite Place: In…
Aimee Morgana
Aimee Morgana is an artist and scientific researcher best known for her work on communication with animals, which she describes as exploring the…
Naomi Pierce
Born: 1954 Hometown: Denver, CO Education: Ph.D. in Biology Occupation: Entomologist, evolutionary biologist Expeditions: Australia, Borneo, Southeast Asia, Africa Favorite Place: In the mountains Best Discoveries: The evolution of symbioses between…
Andrea Polli
Born: 1968 Hometown: Albuquerque, NM Education: M.F.A Occupation: Environmental artist working at the intersection of art, science and technology Expeditions: The Dry Valleys and the South Pole of Antarctica,…
Kate Jackson
Born: 1972 Hometown: Toronto, Canada Education: Ph.D. in Biology Occupation: Herpetologist specializing in Central Africa venomous snakes Expeditions: Surveying reptiles/amphibians in Central Africa, herpetological expeditions in South and Central…
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Born: 1970 Hometown: Kampala, Uganda Education: M.A. in Specialized Veterinary Medicine Occupation: Veterinary surgeon, founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health, Uganda Expeditions: Budongo Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable, Queen…
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
Maria Tzortziou
In May-June 2023, Environmental scientist and explorer Maria Tzortziou (Flag #37) traveled to Alaska’s west coast ‒ one of the most productive areas for Alaska…
Cédrique Solofondranohatra
Cédrique is a plant biologist and ecologist researching the effect of cricket frass fertilizer on the growth and survival of seedlings in Madagascar palms. She…
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…
Rocío López
Rocío López: A Geoarchaeological Approach to the Materiality and Historical Ecology of Earth Mounds in Uruguay Rocío López is a geoarchaeologist currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology…
Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña
Glaciologist, geologist, and mountaineer Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña is the head of communications for the University of Colorado Boulder’s Climate Adaptation Science Center. Her research…