On Wednesday 1 December 2021, Excel in Science welcomed three National Geographic Explorers to an online conversation about their world-changing research and how they turned their passions into PhD projects.

With the environment facing so many different challenges across the world, researchers are urgently addressing changes in biodiversity, mapping Polar regions, and developing environmental education.

Priscilla Alpizar opened the conversation by sharing her research on bat ecology, followed by Gergana Daskalova’s focus on charting global ecological change, and finally, Prem Gill’s experiences in Polar conservation.

One of the questions all three speakers reflected on was this: When did you first become curious about science? From the influence of family and place to education and opportunity, the National Geographic Explorers are individuals who have been awarded support for postgraduate study from the National Geographic Society to effect change at an international level.

You can watch a recording of the event online here.