Each year, The Explorers Club 50 recognizes fifty extraordinary individuals changing the world. Naming these global exploration leaders to the EC50 shines a bright light on their extraordinary work, amplifies their voices, and redefines that field of exploration as we know it.
Together, these explorers hail from 23 countries and work across every field of exploration, and includes scientists, educators and conservationists whose work will unlock the secrets of the oceans, advance conservation efforts, protect rare and endangered species, and take us further into space.
Dr Matthew Carter is a marine archaeologist, ocean advocate and technical diver. Having worked on dozens of archaeological sites across the globe, in 2018 Dr Carter resolved to combine his advanced archaeological and technical diving training with his passion for the marine environment. Today in his role as Research Director for the environmental non-profit organization The Major Projects Foundation, he acts to protect the marine ecosystems, cultures and livelihoods threatened by polluting WWII shipwrecks in the Blue Pacific. Through working at this intersection of exploration, science and community engagement, Dr Carter has embarked one of the largest and most challenging marine archaeological and conservation projects on the planet; investigating hundreds of toxic sites spread across the world’s largest ocean. To undertake the work urgently required to mitigate the impact of marine pollution from these sites, Dr Carter utilizes a unique combination of cutting-edge photogrammetry, scientific technical diving and community engagement never before applied to these pollution sites. Through such an innovative approach not only is the data required to manage these sites collected, but also capacity is built within the local Pacific communities to effectively respond to these threats. Dr Carter’s work in this space has seen him provide technical advice to the United Nations, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the Government of Australia. Dr Carter’s passions for exploration and conservation can be seen as the driving force behind his work combining hard-earned training and advanced technology in an innovative and impactful way.
Link to List of EC50 2023 members The Explorers Club 50 (EC50) was established in 2020 to amplify the communication of science so that it is more inclusive and represents the many diverse voices in the global scientific community. “We're hoping to find or inspire the next Buzz Aldrin, Jane Goodall, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, or Kathy Sullivan. We see our EC50 members as being the next generation of individuals who will take us further into space, conserve our earth and oceans, and protect at-risk species worldwide," said Richard Garriott de Cayeux, president of The Explorers Club. "At a time where science is often under attack, we need to ensure that this next generation of scientists and educators are given as many platforms and resources as possible to conduct and promote their work,”.
