Ariel Waldman

Antarctic Explorer + Filmmaker

Ariel Waldman transports audiences from the icy realms of Antarctica, where she films otherworldly life beneath the surface, to the vast expanse of space, tapping into her insights and experiences with NASA. As a National Geographic Explorer and filmmaker, Ariel collaborates with research teams exploring ecosystems across the globe to illuminate the unseen corners of our world. Her expeditions to Antarctica focus on filming life under the ice, which became the subject of her TED Talk and her forthcoming nature documentary, Antarctica Unearthed. Originally an art school graduate who pivoted to science, Ariel was recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change in Citizen Science.

Ariel's previous leadership roles include chairing NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts advisory council and serving as an appointed member of a National Academy of Sciences’ committee, requested by Congress, to envision the future of human spaceflight. Additionally, Ariel ignited a global movement as the driving force behind Science Hack Day, expanding it across 30 countries and inspiring the inception of NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge—the world's largest hackathon. 

As an author, Ariel makes science approachable and exhilarating through her books: Out There: The Science Behind Sci-Fi Film and TV and What’s It Like in Space?: Stories from Astronauts Who’ve Been There. Her infectious enthusiasm for exploring the unknown gets audiences excited about how anyone, regardless of their background, can contribute to science.