Matt Potenski, Field Expeditions

Matt is a marine biologist and underwater photographer. He worked on research projects with the Rutgers University Marine Field Station, the Guy Harvey Research Institute, the Bimini Biological Field Station-Sharklab, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). His research focuses on the biology, ecology, and behavior of shark and ray species. Two of his main study subjects (whale sharks and southern stingrays) are the subject of focused ecotourism industries.

Matt leads SRI expeditions to North Carolina, the Caribbean, Cocos Island, the Galapagos, and East Africa. It was on these expeditions that he blossomed into an award-winning wildlife and conservation photographer. Matt won the grand prize in the prestigious Ocean Views competition in 2009, his still photography has appeared on the BBC, Discovery (Shark Week) and NBC, in magazines such as DAN's Alert Diver, and he has completed photo assignments for the Save Our Seas Foundation and the PEW Institute. His image of a hammerhead shark also graces the cover of SRI's 2019 calendar.