Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Discoverer of the Titanic

Best known for his 1985 discovery of the Titanic, Robert Ballard has succeeded in tracking down numerous other significant shipwrecks, including the German battleship Bismarck, the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, the U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown (sunk in the World War II Battle of Midway), and John F. Kennedy's boat, PT-109.

While those discoveries have captured the imagination of the public, Ballard believes his most important discoveries were of hydrothermal vents and "black smokers" in the Galapagos Rift and East Pacific Rise in 1977 and 1979 along with their exotic life forms living off the energy of the Earth through a process now called chemosynthesis.

In addition to being a National Geographic Society Explorer-In-Residence and a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Ballard is the founder and President of the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, CT.

Ballard has a Ph.D. in marine geology and geophysics from the University of Rhode Island. He spent 30 years at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he helped develop telecommunications technology to create "tele-presence" for his JASON Project, which allows hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren to accompany him from afar on undersea explorations around the globe each year. In 2001, he returned to the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island where he is presently a tenured Professor of Oceanography and Director of the Center for Ocean Exploration.

Ballard has 20+ honorary degrees and six military awards. He was also a Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving in the Navy from 1967 to 1997. He received the National Geographic Society's prestigious Hubbard Medal in 1996 for "extraordinary accomplishments in coaxing secrets from the world's oceans and engaging students in the wonder of science." Ballard has published numerous books and scientific papers, and several articles in National Geographic magazine. Ballard also has been featured in several National Geographic television programs, including the record-breaking "Secrets of the Titanic." His 1997 bestselling book, "Lost Liners," tells the story of the great transatlantic liners through memorable wrecks he has visited. Ballard was also a special advisor on Steven Spielberg's futuristic "Sea Quest," DSV television show.

Ballard's current ship of exploration, E/V Nautilus operated by his Ocean Exploration Trust, beams back his exploration around the clock on the Nautilus Live website.