Sylvia Earle, Ph.D.

Sylvia has been a long-time friend and provided her expertise when The Ocean Foundation was in its early stages of development. Dr. Sylvia A. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. Formerly chief scientist of NOAA, Earle is the founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc., founder of Mission Blue and SEAlliance. She has a B.S. degree from Florida State University, M.S. and PhD. from Duke University, and 22 honorary degrees. Earle has led more than a hundred expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970; participating in ten saturation dives, most recently in July 2012; and setting a record for solo diving in 1,000-meter depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation, and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.