A unique slate of life experiences first brought Lauren to the Arctic, guiding expeditions across the northern latitudes as a photographer and expedition leader. Lauren was born in Lismore, Australia, but spent her formative years in the midwest of the United States. An interest in the entertainment industry led her to study in Los Angeles and she ultimately spent a decade working in television marketing in New York City. From here, an enthusiasm for storytelling led to a successful career as a published travel and portrait photographer. It was in this stage of life that she was introduced to the polar regions, and she was hooked almost immediately.
Now in her seventh year working in both the Arctic and Antarctic, she is passionate about the intersections between tourism and science, and how the polar tourism industry can support ongoing research at the poles. Lauren guides across the Norwegian and Russian Arctic, and has journeyed to the North Pole fifteen times, co-leading a project collecting sea ice and atmospheric data in the hopes of contributing to a better understanding of our changing climate. She co-founded a non-profit dedicated to leveraging the reach of polar tourism to create opportunities for research and learning through scientist-led citizen science. She looks forward to sharing the many wonders of the remote Arctic with our guests.