Wade Davis, Anthropologist, Author

National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis is an anthropologist, writer, photographer, and filmmaker whose work has taken him to remote places from the Amazon to the Arctic to learn about and record complex cultures. Wade is the author of 17 books, including One River, The Wayfinders, The Sacred Headwaters, and Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest, which won the prestigious 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize. His many film credits include Light at the Edge of the World, a documentary series produced for the National Geographic Channel. An Honorary Member of the Explorers Club, Wade received their highest award, the Explorers Medal, in 2011. He was also awarded the Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2009 and, in 2012, the David Fairchild Medal for botanical exploration.

Jan Nijman, Geographer

A member of National Geographic’s Committee for Research and Exploration, geographer Jan Nijman has traveled the world supporting the Society’s research projects and working on his own grants from National Geographic and the National Science Foundation.  He previously chaired the Society’s Global Exploration Fund in Northern Europe.  Jan is Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State University and holds a professorship at the University of Amsterdam.  His expertise is in the history and geography of world cities and he has authored six books and more than 100 publications  in international journals. A Netherlands native, Jan speaks four languages and has received numerous awards, including the Nystrom Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Jackson Book Award from the Association of American Geographers.   Atlanta, GA

Sisse Brimberg, Photographer

Sisse Brimberg has produced more than 25 stories for National Geographic magazine over the last three decades. Her work ranges from documenting the life of fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen to her latest National Geographic project chronicling the Viking culture. Brimberg won first prize for “Picture Story of the Year“ from the National Press Photographers Association for her story on migrant workers. Born in Denmark, Brimberg established and managed her own photo studio in Copenhagen after attending photography school. Her photographs have been exhibited around the world in Germany, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, New York City (International Center for Photography), and Washington, D.C. (The Newseum).  Glasgow, Scotland

David Harrison, Linguist

Anthropologist and Linguist David Harrison is a National Geographic Fellow and a co-director of the Society’s Enduring Voices Project, which documents endangered languages and cultures around the world.  He has done extensive fieldwork with indigenous communities from Siberia and Mongolia to Peru, India and Australia.  His global research is the subject of the acclaimed documentary film, The Linguists, and his work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, USA Today, and Science.  David will join our expedition from Seattle through St. Petersberg.

 

Expedition Staff

Susan Cegavske, Expedition Leader, Lebanon, OR

Jill Wilkins, Asst Expedition Leader, Eustis, FL

Leslie Knopfler, Asst Expedition Leader, Outer Banks, NC

Dr. Thomas Burke, Mass General Emergency Medicine MD, Boston, MA