Author, storyteller, and chief technology officer at a software corporation, Mark Laxer invented virtual ecotourism (vEcotourism). He is co-founder and President of Chimp-n-Sea.

Dr. Sara Lourie’s interests lie in natural history, taxonomy, biogeography and conservation. Her current areas of research are taxonomy of seahorses (genus Hippocampus) and their relatives, marine biogeography (especially South East Asia), the application of biogeography to marine conservation planning, and the interrelationships of biodiversity databases and their role in conservation planning. Sara is co-founder and Secretary of Chimp-n-Sea.

Dr. David Browne works for the Canadian Wildlife Service on national policy for migratory birds and species at risk. He has co-produced a documentary film on community efforts to conserve coral reefs in Indonesia and has focused on the link between urban development and nature conservation. He defended his doctorate (freshwater ecology) at McGill University in February, 2008. David is Treasurer of Chimp-n-Sea.

Author of Earth From Space, Andrew Johnston is a geographer at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum. His research includes remote sensing techniques for observing environmental and geophysical processes and he also performs a wide range of education and outreach activities. Andrew is the Technical Director of Chimp-n-Sea.

A lecturer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dr. Elanor Bell conducts research in the field of marine microbial ecology. Her interests span polar to tropical aquatic environments, including lakes, sea ice, coastal marine and deep sea systems. She has a strong interest in conservation and is the Education Director at Chimp-n-Sea.