Annette Scheffer

Annette Scheffer is a marine biologist who studies and illuminates the extraordinary world of penguins through science and storytelling. Often spending two to three months per year in Antarctica, particularly along the Peninsula and in the Weddell Sea, she combines deep regional knowledge with a scientific passion for penguin foraging ecology. Her specialization includes looking at how marine predators explore and navigate the ocean, focusing on how penguins adjust their diving behavior to currents, fronts, and vertical temperature gradients, oceanographic features invisible to our eyes.

Over the course of her penguin-focused career, Annette has worked with leading institutions including the British Antarctic Survey, CNRS, and BirdLife International. She spent five months on the sub-Antarctic islands of Crozet and Kerguelen, living beside one of the world’s largest king penguin colonies while researching their foraging ecology. Since 2019, Annette has guided expeditions across Antarctica, South Georgia, the Falklands, and the Arctic, and brings 15 years’ experience as a whale-watching guide and scientific advisor to film teams. She became a Fellow of The Explorers Club in 2023.

When not in the field, Annette serves as MSPglobal Ocean Data Expert at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, contributing to marine policy and sustainable ocean management—insights that also add valuable perspective on Antarctic conservation and krill fisheries. She is the author of the newly published Penguins volume in the renowned “Was Ist Was” series by the German Tessloff publishing house, inspiring the next generation of ocean enthusiasts.

Languages spoken: English and French 

Photo credit: Jamie Lafferty