Biography

Dr. Katy Croff Bell is an ocean explorer, using deep sea technology to explore what lies at the depths of the ocean. Over the past thirteen years, she has participated in or led more than 25 oceanographic and archaeological projects. Her current work involves the utilization of telepresence technology on ocean exploration projects for remote science and education. She is chief scientist of the Nautilus Exploration Program, working with a large team to implement this technology on multidisciplinary expeditions to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The expedition will be shared with the world live, revealing the wonders of the undersea world in real time, in an effort to engage and inspire a new generation of young explorers. Bell received her BS from MIT in ocean engineering in 2000. In 2001, she was a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, after which she completed her master's degree in maritime archaeology at the University of Southampton. In 2006, she was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. She completed her PhD in geological oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography in 2011.