Structural Engineer

Born and raised on the coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, I developed a deep connection to the water from an early age. Long summer days spent along the shoreline nurtured my appreciation for clean beaches and waters, and the fragile beauty of marine environments. Protecting the sea that shaped my childhood felt deeply personal and became my first passion.

After earning a degree in Structural Engineering in Bulgaria, I joined a pioneering company that repurposed recycled plastics and other waste materials into structural elements for affordable housing. Working in such an innovative environment shaped my understanding of how engineering can not only transform construction but also protect the environment. Now based in the United States, I continue to focus on energy-efficient and eco-friendly housing, making sustainable living my second passion.

However, my love of travel has taken me across the globe, giving me firsthand insight into the environmental challenges our planet faces. From the heavy air pollution in Indian cities to the rapid deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon, from the melting glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro to beaches in Bali, scattered with plastic waste, I’ve witnessed the devastating effects of climate change. Among these experiences, the state of the world’s oceans has affected me most profoundly, reinforcing a lifelong conviction: the health of our seas depends on the actions of people everywhere.

Believing that everyone can make a difference if they simply choose to act, I decided to join eXXpedition. Why? Because now we need all hands-on deck, from helping with research and data gathering, to learning and understanding the actual processes of plastic pollution, to raising awareness in our own communities, and reshaping public opinion. It is time.

Building Sustainability

Harriet is a scientist turned sustainability consultant who is happiest in, on, or next to the sea.

After Emily Penn came to speak at her school in 2017, Harriet was inspired to dedicate her career to sustainability, beginning with a degree in Biochemistry before working as an environmental research assistant at the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford. Currently, Harriet applies this scientific training to industry, working in building and infrastructure sustainability. Together with her sponsorship partner, Rockwool Group, she is keen to understand the built environment’s contribution to plastic pollution and how change can be actioned in this industry.

Ultimately, she hopes to use the knowledge that she has gained through research, industry work, and her involvement in Exxpedition to policymaking for environmental recovery, with a particular focus on the ocean environment she cares so deeply about.

Conservation Architect

Nicola spent much of her childhood messing around in boats or on the shore in Norfolk. She is a practicing conservation architect based in London.

She wishes to understand more about our environment at first hand, and share the stories and science.

She approaches the voyage with an open mind, willing and wanting to learn from the Ocean, eXXpedition team, crew and the people we will encounter on land.

Dr. Aishath Shaira is working as a Lecturer and Assistant professor at Maldives National University, Faculty of Science and Engineering and Technology (FEST). She graduated from University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa with a Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science (hons) (Chemistry), a Master of Science (Chemistry) and a PhD in Chemistry. She had also obtained a teaching advanced diploma in Chemistry and Mathematics from the Maldives College of Higher Education.

Aside from lecturing, she also supervises undergraduate student research projects and takes part in different Research Projects, as well as working in South Asian Nitrogen Hub project as a researcher since 2022.

Engineering - Sustainability

Amy is an engineer in resource management currently focussing on treatment of household waste following work as a consultant on hazardous and industrial wastes. She was drawn to this work following her research into the feasibility of using untreated pyrolysis oils to power large marine vessels and is determined to design out waste. As a result, she believes that waste and pollution are lost resources and also in the power of research and accurate data to enact change.

She has always loved the environment and grew up surrounded by nature and travelling which has allowed her to understand first-hand the power of it to support all forms of life, reinforcing the need for us to protect it now. Amy is a strong believer in the power of education to empower people to take individual action and is a keen STEM ambassador.

Excited by the artic virtual voyage, Amy is looking forward to getting stuck in!

Architect & Environmental Artist

Lula is an architect, artist, and environmental activist from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She learned to love the ocean from Paddleboarding, the discipline that opened her eyes and made her conscious about the health of the ocean and the impact that our consuming habits have over it.

She founded Water Journey, a movement communicating sustainability through art and water sports. Her art consists in transforming plastic waste she finds at Rio de la Plata River, into pieces of art to raise awareness about the plastic pollution affecting the seas and inspire people to connect with Mother Nature through their habits. For her, art evokes sensitivity and helps to understand this topic from an intimate perspective.

When she is not in the City working you will find her surfing at Chapa or Uruguay or traveling to the mountains to hike and ski. Her connection to nature is what drives her life’s purpose.

Engineer

ANA is a final year student of Water Management and Environmental Engineering at University of Ljubljana. Coming from Slovenia, she spent all of her summers sailing the Adriatic sea with her family, where her love of ocean and sailing began. Ana is passionate about traveling, because it enables her to experience different cultures, ways of living and take on new adventures. She can’t wait to experience this voyage with these inspiring women from which she says she’s sure that she’ll learn so much.

HEATHER is a retired sheet-metal worker from San Francisco, California.

She worked for thirty years in the building trades and says she is very handy to have about!

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Heather believe life is made up of a series of opportunities, and it’s our job to grab hold of them with both hands and grow.

In April 2015 she reached Everest Base Camp 5,364 metres (17,598 ft) deep into the heartland of Nepal. Heather completed her greatest challenge to date via Kongma la Pass after being forced down the mountain the previous October due to snow.

Director and Co-Founder

As co-founder of eXXpedition EMILY has seen first hand how much plastic ends up in our ocean. She has spent the last decade exploring the high seas from the tropics to the Arctic – enabling scientists, filmmakers and interested individuals to gain access to the most remote parts of our planet.

She has organised the largest ever community-led waste cleanup from a tiny Tongan island, trawled for micro-plastics on a voyage through the Arctic Northwest Passage, rounded the planet on the record-breaking biofuelled boat Earthrace, and worked on a sailing cargo ship trading western supplies for coconuts.

Emily splits her time between running eXXpedition and developing upstream solutions to the ocean plastic issue with corporate partners, scientists and government bodies. An experienced public speaker, Emily gives talks around the world at conferences, universities and global companies about her adventures and issues relating to our oceans, human mindset and future society.

You can find more information on Emily’s projects at www.emilypenn.co.uk.