Dr. Robert Ballard: Ocean Sustainability
Ocean exploration and discovery keynote speaker Dr. Robert Ballard reveals groundbreaking insights into deep-sea science, innovation, and sustainability, inspiring audiences to explore, protect, and understand our planet’s most mysterious frontier.
Quick Facts:
- Discoverer of the RMS Titanic, Bismarck, Yorktown, PT-109, and numerous historic shipwrecks
- Pioneer in the discovery of hydrothermal vents and chemosynthetic ecosystems
- Founder of the Ocean Exploration Trust and leader of the E/V Nautilus program
- National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
- Formats: Ocean Exploration, Innovation, and Sustainability Keynote Speaker
- Audiences: STEM conferences, scientific institutions, environmental organizations, government agencies, corporate innovation teams, universities, and groups focused on exploration, sustainability, and the future of Earth’s oceans.
- Outcomes:
- Insight into the technologies, discoveries, and scientific breakthroughs shaping modern ocean exploration.
- A deeper understanding of Earth’s least-known ecosystems and their relevance to sustainability and planetary health.
- Inspiration to embrace curiosity, innovation, and stewardship in navigating the challenges of an evolving world.
- Travels from: Hartford, CT
- **Fee range: $20,001 - $35,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Adventures in Deep Sea Exploration
Living the Dream
Dr. Robert Ballard relates his experiences, successes and failures, in an energetic presentation that highlights career first such as the discovery of the RMS Titanic, WWII battleships such as the Yorktown and PT-109, and ancient Roman shipwreck in the Black Sea.
He focuses on the changes in technology from manned submersibles to underwater robotic vehicles, and he discusses educational opportunities for alternative education and after school programs via “telepresence” connecting students directly to the scientists on-board ship during expeditions.
Human History Under Water
From perfectly preserved wooden ships lying on the bottom of the Black Sea, to historically significant ships like the Titanic and PT-109, explorer Robert Ballard’s discoveries add to the knowledge of our past.
The Last Great Frontier
In this visually gripping presentation, explorer speaker Robert Ballard shares his passion for the last great uncharted territory.
Working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ballard uses cutting-edge science and technology to explore the ocean’s depths in order to better understand and preserve our waters for the generations that follow.
The Personal Account of How the Titanic Was Found
The Personal Account of How the Titanic Was Found and a Look into the Future
Dr. Robert Ballard shares his incredible story of the significant discovery of the Titanic, the advanced technology he used for this world famous expedition and what’s the future holds for deep sea exploration.
Talent Short Bio
Dr. Robert Ballard is one of the world’s most celebrated ocean explorers, renowned for his discovery of the RMS Titanic in 1985 and a long list of historic undersea finds that have captured global imagination. His expeditions include locating the German battleship Bismarck, the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, and John F. Kennedy’s PT-109.
Yet despite these celebrated achievements, Dr. Ballard believes his most important work lies beneath the Earth’s crust. His pioneering discoveries of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and black smokers in the late 1970s revealed ecosystems powered not by sunlight, but by chemosynthesis—reshaping scientific understanding of life on Earth and its origins.
Across a distinguished career spanning decades, Dr. Ballard has served as an oceanographer, scientist, educator, naval officer, and technological innovator. He spent 30 years at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he advanced telepresence exploration technologies to bring real-time deep-sea expeditions into classrooms worldwide.
He later founded the Ocean Exploration Trust and launched the E/V Nautilus program, enabling thousands of students and educators globally to participate virtually in undersea missions.
Videos
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Fee Range Information
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