Dr. Sala is a former university professor who saw himself writing the obituary of ocean life and quit academia in 2008 to become a full-time conservationist as a National Geographic Explorer in Residence. He founded and leads Pristine Seas, a project that combines exploration, research, media, economics, and policy, working with local communities, Indigenous peoples, and governments to protect vital places in the ocean. To date, Pristine Seas has helped to create twenty-six of the largest marine reserves on the planet, covering an area of over 2.5 million square miles. Dr. Sala has received numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader in 2008, and winning The Explorers Club’s Lowell Thomas Award in 2013, a Russian Geographical Society Award in 2016, a Heinz Award in Public Policy in 2018, the National Geographic Hubbard Medal, and the Prince Albert I Grand Medal. He is an Officer of the Order of San Carlos of Colombia and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.