National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has announced the researchers selected for the 2025 Arctic Visiting Scientist Program.
The initiative creates an opportunity for National Geographic Explorers and respected scientists to visit hard-to-reach locations for scientific data collection, while also connecting them with expedition travellers aboard the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions fleet.
As part of the program, National Geographic Explorer and the line’s two newest PC-5 Polar Class vessels – National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution – serve as the home base for 10 projects led by Visiting Scientists, including six led by National Geographic Explorers, on 11 voyages to the region.
“The Arctic region is especially powerful – allowing guests to witness both beauty and change in real time alongside the scientists working to document and protect it – and one where we’ve proudly partnered with local communities and governments to explore for decades,” Lindblad Expeditions chief expedition officer, Trey Byus, said.
“The Visiting Scientist Program is a cornerstone of how we turn expedition cruising into a platform for meaningful discovery, and we’re proud to support these groundbreaking research initiatives.
“By facilitating this vital work through our onboard programs, we reaffirm our commitment to science and education and to conserving the extraordinary environments we explore daily.”
Researchers and National Geographic Explorers participating in the Visiting Scientist Program inspire curious travelers to connect more deeply with the planet. Through this initiative, the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions fleet hosts projects representing esteemed institutions from around the world – such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (Mass.), University of Porto’s Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (Portugal), and Moss Landing Marine Labs at San Jose State University (Calif.) – conduct meaningful scientific work in remote polar regions while engaging guests through immersive, shipboard storytelling and real-time research updates.
A sampling of the projects being hosted this upcoming season includes:
- Atlantic Ocean Coupled Coastal Temperature and Biodiversity Observation Network (led by National Geographic Explorer Rui Seabra): This project is building a collaborative cross-Atlantic network that seeks to monitor coastal temperatures and biodiversity patterns across the entire Atlantic Ocean for decades to come. Seabra joins two voyages in Svalbard and northern coastal Norway to conduct this work in June. National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has hosted this work in other areas of the Arctic, Atlantic Isles, and Antarctic in previous seasons.
- Emerging Hotspots of Biological Productivity Driven by Greenland Ice-Sheet Melt (led by Dr. Mike Wood): Greenland’s ice sheet and coastal waters have undergone rapid change. This project measures changes in oceanographic properties on the west coast of Greenland to investigate how ocean temperature changes are linked with glacier ice loss. In August 2025, Dr. Wood joins National Geographic Endurance to collect and measure seawater samples and deploy an oceanographic float that transmits collected data via satellite for years to come.
- Mapping Arctic Seaweed Biodiversity with Environmental DNA (eDNA) (led by National Geographic Explorer Chloe Nunn): Seaweed plays a vital role in Arctic ecosystems, yet little is known about its shifting range. In July 2025, Nunn and her team member Luisa Dusedau joins National Geographic Explorer to embark on a project using eDNA to track biodiversity and detect changes in distribution across sub-Arctic coastlines – critical indicators of ocean health and climate impacts.
- Ice at the Edge: Walls of Change (led by National Geographic Explorer Catherine Walker): On board National Geographic Resolution in July 2025, Walker and team member Caroline Needel will study the towering glacial cliffs at the edges of Greenland to better understand how ice breaks, collapses, and contributes to sea level rise. Observations of these structures help fill critical gaps in global climate models.
