Edie Widder

Edie Widder is a MacArthur Fellow, a deep-sea explorer and a conservationist. As a world authority on marine bioluminescence, Widder has racked up hundreds of dives in deep-diving submersibles, both as a passenger and a pilot. She has helped develop new tools for deep-sea exploration that have produced observations of animals and behaviors never seen before, including the first video of a giant squid filmed in its natural habitat. She has authored more than 100 scientific papers and a book: Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, which the New York Times book review described as a “thrilling blend of hard science and high adventure.”