Undersea Specialist icon Undersea Specialist

Kim Nesbitt

Kim is a marine biologist, fine art photographer, and avid fisherman. Based in Juneau, Alaska, Lingít Aaní, she spends her time between the mountains and the ocean. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Denver, and her master's in business administration (MBA) through a joint program between the University of Denver and Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan

After spending 4 years studying aging processes of human neurons, she decided to try something new. She had an opportunity to head to Zanzibar where she worked at Chumbe Island Coral Park, the world's first private Marine Protected Area, researching habitat preferences of groupers near fishing villages. She has since visited all 7 continents and was fully nomadic for 6 years. Her varied background has found her working on research projects from humpback whale intelligence to penguin counts to international management styles. She has since become a stereotypical Alaskan woman, living off the road system, fishing and foraging in the Alaskan wilderness. While not on expedition ships, she embarks on commercial fisheries research and survey work throughout Alaska as a scientific diver.

Kim's scientific work has been published in PLOS One, the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, and numerous field guides. Her imagery and writing have been published by various conservation nonprofits, Alaska Magazine, NOAA, National Geographic, and the Alaska State Museum.