Torre Stockard

Torre’s curiosity about the natural world has lured her along meandering pathways of exploration. After earning her PhD in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, she went on to study the diving physiology of penguins, seals, and whales. Her eclectic career has taken her on oceanographic research vessels, to the top of the Greenland ice sheet, and to Antarctica, where she spent six unique field seasons studying emperor penguins in a camp affectionately known as “Penguin Ranch”. This experience fueled her passion to explore how animals thrive in challenging environments.  A stint at National Geographic taught her the power of storytelling, and since 2007, she has served as a naturalist on several Antarctic cruises, where she strives to enhance visitors’ experiences to the fullest. She loves to make science fun, and delights in watching the reactions of new visitors upon encountering their first penguin.

Torre loves to feel humbled by nature, and some of her memorable experiences were scuba diving under the ice in Antarctica and being amazed at how you can walk through a field of heath flowers right up to the edge of the Greenland ice sheet.

The romance of the Polar Regions came to Torre literally, when she met her husband-to-be in Antarctica.  They enjoy life with three cats in rural Washington state. She is an avid life-long birder; enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and music; and seizes every opportunity possible to explore wildlife around the world with her photographer husband.