Kim Nesbitt

Kim Nesbitt is a marine biologist, award-winning photographer and scientific diver based in Juneau, Alaska, on Lingít Aaní. Her work bridges marine field research, conservation storytelling and expedition exploration across remote environments.

Kim earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Denver, followed by an MBA through a joint program with Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. After several years studying aging processes in human neurons, she transitioned into marine science and field-based research.

An early opportunity took her to Zanzibar, where she worked at Chumbe Island Coral Park, the world’s first private Marine Protected Area, researching grouper habitat use near fishing communities. Since then, Kim has contributed to a wide range of projects, from humpback whale cognition studies to penguin population surveys and marine ecosystem monitoring.

Kim has traveled to all seven continents and spent several years living nomadically before returning to Alaska, where she continues to work in commercial fisheries research and survey operations as a scientific diver. Her life and fieldwork remain closely tied to the marine environments and coastal wilderness of the region.

Kim’s scientific research has been published in PLOS One, the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science and multiple field guides. Her photography and writing have also been featured by conservation organizations, Alaska Magazine, NOAA, National Geographic and the Alaska State Museum.