About Megan Cook

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Explorer Megan Cook is proudly part of a team investigating the deep and dark 95% of the ocean which remains uncharacterized. Megan directs Ocean Exploration Trust and Exploration Vessel Nautilus outreach and media team and strategy including a suite of at-sea and onshore education programs and partnerships. She designs, implements, and assesses STEM education and workforce development programs as well as a wide-reaching broadcast, media production, and online presence to connect audiences to the excitement of discovery, the deep ocean, and the role models through annual global ocean exploration campaigns. She mentors emerging talent in STEM fields, innovates interactive connections from ship to shore, and inspires the global next generation of young explorers. With this team, Megan has led the science communication department at-sea on over 35 deep-sea expeditions and supported over 100 research cruises. Her communication talent grows from a broad scientific and technical operations expertise.

As an environmental manager, Megan is motivated by the captivating challenge between what is left to be understood about Earth and the urgency of powerful decision processes needed to define the future. Her interests include offshore energy development and the environmental management of the emerging deep seabed mining industry - which she studied for her Masters research. She loves helping people fall into fascination with our planet and using technology to share environmental stories. Her passion is in elevating role models and transforming ocean exploration to make new space for, amplify, and respectfully weave together knowledge from all who are passionate about the ocean, especially those with identities historically marginalized from participation. 

Megan is also a scuba diver with over 500 hours spent underwater. A freediving and scuba diving instructor, Megan is also trained as a cave diver, closed-circuit rebreather diver, small boat coxswain, and emergency dive accident management trainer.

Before joining her current team, Megan's international career has taken her from the sunlit tropical reefs to the iceberg scours of Antarctica bridging scientific research, conservation education, and media. Megan has a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Duke Environmental Leadership program at Duke University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Oregon State University. She studied tropical ecology at James Cook University in Australia and oceanography with Sea Education Association. She is a rookie chef, an enthusiastic reader, and passionate about taking on new learning challenges, recently constructing eight houses in a rural community.