Allison Fundis is a marine geologist, ocean explorer and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

for the Ocean Exploration Trust. She has led or participated in over 50 expeditions at sea across the world, and in 2021 was named as an Emerging Explorer by the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

Early life and education

Fundis holds a MS in

Marine Geology Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the history and structure of the ocean floor. It involves geophysical, Geochemistry, geochemical, Sedimentology, sedimentological and paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and ...

from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and a BA in

Human Ecology Human ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The philosophy and study of human ecology has a diffuse history with advancements in ecolo ...

from the

College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic (COA) is a private liberal arts college in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Founded in 1969, it awards bachelors and masters ( M.Phil.) degrees solely in the field of human ecology, an interdisciplinary approa ...

. Prior to earning her master's degree, Fundis was a high school chemistry and biology teacher at the

University School of Nashville University School of Nashville is an independent, coeducational, day school located in Nashville, Tennessee. History Referred to colloquially as USN, the school was founded in 1888 by the Peabody Board of Trustees. The school was first founded ...

in Tennessee.

Career

In 2010, Fundis worked for the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. During this time, she helped plan and install the largest cabled seafloor observatory in the US. Fundis joined the Ocean Exploration Trust in 2013 and currently acts as the chief operating officer. Alongside a team of scientists, educators and engineers, Fundis leads annual missions aboard the trust's exploration vessel ''Nautilus''''.'' The vessel's telepresence systems enable expeditions to be live-streamed so as to engage the public and the scientific community. In 2019, Fundis co-led a three-week expedition with

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...

to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance. A common theory posits that Earhart crash-landed on Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean. In response, Fundis and her team conducted an exhaustive search for any evidence of a plane in the water surrounding the island. Although no such evidence was found, the complete exploration of this area was an important step in furthering the conclusion of this mystery.

Awards

Fundis was recognized in 2019 as an Innovation & Technology delegate for the

Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

and as an IF/THEN ambassador by the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

. In 2020, she was induced as a Fellow National of the Explorers Club and is a member of National Geographic Society's 2021 class of Emerging Explorers.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fundis, Allison Marine geologists University of Florida alumni College of the Atlantic alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American geologists 21st-century American women scientists