Commissioners
Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D. is professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography where he is founder and director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography. He is also President of the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut, and an Explorer-in-Residence for the National Geographic Society as well as founder and Chief Scientist of the JASON Project. During his 40-year career he has conducted more than 120 deep sea expeditions that resulted in the first manned exploration of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, the discovery of hydrothermal vents, the discovery of high temperature “Black Smokers”, the RMS Titanic, the German battleship Bismark, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, PT-109, and numerous ancient shipwrecks dating back to the Iron Age. He has pioneered the development of deep submergence and “tele-presence” technologies, and he is an advocate for America’s Ocean Exploration and National Marine Sanctuary Programs. Dr. Ballard served on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
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