Aquatic biologist and award-winning photojournalist Jennifer Hayes blends her scientific acumen with her keen photographer’s eye to tell the stories that matter in the underwater world. A contributing photographer for National Geographic, she trains her lens on the freshwater and marine environments that most need our attention. Jennifer and her partner in life and underwater, David Doubilet, collaborate on assignments from the equator to the polar ice—leveraging  deep scientific understanding and curiosity to take the most consequential, compelling shots. In her tireless pursuit to share environments that are rarely (if ever) seen by the public, she has descended beneath Botswana’s Okavango Delta, explored the world beneath oil and gas rigs, documented remote and wild Cuba, and submerged into Greenland’s fjords, choked with icebergs.

When earning her graduate degrees in marine ecology and zoology, her research focused on shark finning in the western Atlantic and the population dynamics and movements of an ancient fish called sturgeon. An author, she has also contributed to numerous global publications and several books on marine environments. 

Jennifer is a trustee of the Shark Research Institute, Explorers Club Fellow, editorial board advisor for the Ocean Geographic Society, and recipient of the SUNY-ESF President’s Medal for her contributions to the natural world. In addition to her important work as a scientist and photojournalist, Jennifer also helps other scientists around the globe share their stories.

With her passion for marine conservation and compelling presentations, Jennifer inspires audiences worldwide to appreciate and safeguard our ocean for future generations.