As MBARI’s Science Communication Fellow, Maddie produces a variety of multimedia content around MBARI’s research, technology, and people. Her specialties lie in motion design, videography, graphic design, and illustration. All of these skill sets stem from her passion for using engaging visuals to break down complex scientific concepts for lay audiences.

Before joining MBARI, Maddie worked as a videographer and motion designer at Complexly, an online video production company responsible for educational YouTube series such as Crash Course and SciShow. She also previously interned with the video production team at the National Geographic Society.

In 2020, Maddie received her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology from Duke University, where she conducted an undergraduate thesis on learning behavior in brittle stars. During her time at Duke she also received a minor in Visual Media Studies and produced explainer videos for student engineering projects, earning the 2019 Richard Merritt Memorial Award for Student Science Journalism for a video about a student-designed whale tag.

Maddie’s unending curiosity about the ocean was sparked by a childhood spent scuba diving around the vibrant waters of the Philippines. Now that she’s on the other side of the Pacific, she hopes to share the wonders of the marine world with a wider audience and inspire others to become stewards for a healthy ocean and planet.

You can explore her work in her online portfolio.