National Geographic Explorer Tierney Thys connected ocean science, storytelling, and the fabrics we wear.

A Life for the Living Ocean
Remembering National Geographic Explorer Tierney Thys

Years ago in Monterey Bay, marine biologist Tierney Thys slipped into the water beside a giant ocean sunfish—an animal so strange it looks almost unfinished. In that quiet encounter, the creature that would define her career revealed something she would spend a lifetime sharing with others: the possibility of forming a deeper relationship with the living ocean.

Marine biologist, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Tierney Thys devoted her life to revealing the wonder of the sea and inspiring others to care for the natural world. A pioneering researcher of the giant ocean sunfish (Mola mola),  she became one of the species’ most passionate ambassadors, studying these enigmatic giants in places ranging from California to the  Galápagos and Indonesia.

A  National Geographic Explorer since 2004 and Research Associate at the  California Academy of Sciences, Thys built bridges between scientific discovery and public storytelling. From 1998 to 2008, she served as  Research Director at the Sea Studios Foundation, helping produce acclaimed documentary series, including Strange Days on Planet Earth and Shape of Life. Her later educational films and TED talks—from plankton to sharks to marine plastic pollution—reached global audiences.

Her curiosity extended across disciplines. Working with fellow National  Geographic Explorer Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, she helped develop the Blue  Room Project, exploring how immersive nature imagery can improve well-being in incarcerated populations. She also collaborated with neuroscientists to study how exposure to nature affects the human brain.

Thys also reached younger audiences in unexpected ways. As the Daily  Explorer in the online game Animal Jam, she helped introduce wildlife science to a global community of more than 70 million young players.

Throughout her career, she led numerous National Geographic Expeditions, guiding travelers and students across the world’s oceans and encouraging them to see the sea not as a distant wilderness but as a living community worthy of care.

Over time, she began noticing a troubling pattern in many of the ocean environments she studied: marine ecosystems increasingly contaminated with microplastics, much of it shed from petroleum-based textiles.

During the COVID years, she co-founded the nonprofit Around the World in 80  Fabrics, promoting biodiversity in natural fibers and alternatives to synthetic textiles that pollute the sea. In the week before her passing,  she saw the cover of her forthcoming book, Fabric: The Natural History and Future of Clothing  (Insight Press, September 2026), written with National Geographic anthropologist Carroll Dunham, exploring how our textile choices affect ocean health.

Tierney  Thys spent her life building relationships—with the ocean, with its creatures, and with the people she inspired to care for them. Across decades of exploration—from Monterey Bay to the open ocean—Tierney Thys helped people see the ocean as a living system that connects us all.

Read a beautiful reflection on Tierney’s life written by her sister Danielle Thys:
The Ocean Legacy of National Geographic Explorer Dr. Tierney Thys