Erin Spencer ’14

With a love of writing and a passion for science, Erin Spencer found a way to do both — and credits William & Mary with helping her discover the right balance. As an undergraduate, she attended a summer program at W&M’s Washington Center, landing an internship at National Geographic. Inspired, she decided to apply for the highly sought-after National Geographic Young Explorer Program. That grant, along with funding she received as a Monroe Scholar, enabled Erin to travel to the Florida Keys to study invasive lionfish.

Thanks to her success and talent for communicating her findings, Erin has since been awarded three additional National Geographic grants. She researched community-based conservation practices in Fiji, studied seafood mislabeling and tracked the behavior of great hammerhead sharks. Erin has also appeared on camera as an expert for National Geographic’s SharkFest TV programs.

She now has her Ph.D. in marine science and works as a communications manager for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, educating the public about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep ocean habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. She also uses her storytelling skills to write children’s books about marine life. Erin has also authored over 100 blog posts for the Ocean Conservancy.

“As someone who has had the privilege to study the amazing life that inhabits our ocean, it’s a responsibility and passion of mine to share that world with others,” she says. “Once people are excited, they have a reason to care about conservation.”

Learn more about Erin

• Read about her in a W&M Alumni Magazine feature about global environmental change.
• Check out her website.