Conservation Scientist. National Geographic Explorer. Technical Diver.

Conservation and Exploration

Arzucan “Zuzu” Askin is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist, sailor, CCR diver and HSE Class IV commercial diver specializing in research and media projects focused on the intersection where human society meets the ocean.

A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) with a passion for exploration, she recently returned back to land after a year of marine science and advanced technical dive training as the recipient of the 2021 European Rolex Scholarship.

Her scientific work at the intersection of oceans and society, has taken her across the globe, from the monitoring of coral reef health in the waters of Hong Kong, the tracking of illegal fishing activities in Malaysia, ghost gear removal from wrecks in Turkey and monitoring of tourism impacts on whale sharks in the Maldives all the way to acoustic monitoring of blue whales in uncharted Arctic waters.

A United World College alumna, she was selected as a 2019 UNLEASH Innovation Lab Talent for SDG 13 (Climate Action) and has been shortlisted as one of the 12 “Women and the Ocean Changemakers” by the Economist Group’s World Ocean Summit 2020. In 2021 she was awarded the European Rolex Scholarship which saw her embark on a year of highly advanced dive training, storytelling and marine research projects around the world.

Arzucan holds an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford and currently works on supporting the establishment of new collaborative shark research initiatives in the Maldives with the Miyaru Programme. She is also a team member of Kogia, a nonprofit free media library and production studio dedicated to protecting marine life.

Driven by a dedication to innovation and impact, Arzucan’s focus is on developing transformative solutions for the protection of marine megafauna and the livelihoods that depend on these animals. She brings together science and storytelling to catalyse change and inspire audiences to connect with marine life from the Equator to the Arctic.

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