Dr. Katlin Bowman Adamczyk is an American oceanographer who studies human impacts on the ocean. She has completed over a dozen expeditions spanning the globe including a 65-day journey to the North Pole, thousands of miles of hydrographic transects in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and seafloor exploration via human and remotely operated deep-sea vehicles. Katlin is recognized as an expert in the field of mercury biogeochemistry and has completed several projects investigating marine plastic debris. Recently, she spent six weeks in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, working with a team of independent scientists to measure the environmental impacts of a pilot deep-sea mining operation. Katlin has been a National Geographic Explorer since 2018 and was named to the Explorers Club 50 list in 2024, which highlights individuals working to promote science and exploration. Originally from northeast Ohio, Katlin completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at Wright State University in 2014 before heading west to California. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California in Santa Cruz, where she is currently located.

Language spoken: English

Photo credit: Mark Thiessen, National Geographic Society