Dr. ROBERT D. BALLARD
(1) President, Ocean Exploration Center Sea Research Foundation;
(2) Professor of Oceanography, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island Director, Center for Ocean Exploration;
(3) Emeritus, Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution;
(4) Founding Chairman of the Board and Chief Scientist JASON Foundation for Education; (5) Chairman of the Board Odyssey Corporation;
(6) Explorer-in-Residence National Geographic Society
(7) President, Ocean Exploration Trust
Educational Career:
University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S. Physical Science, Majors: Chemistry/Geology; Minors: Physics/Math; University of Hawaii, Graduate School in Oceanography; University of Southern California, Graduate School in Marine Geology; University of Rhode Island, Graduate School in Oceanography. Ph.D. Marine Geology and Geophysics
Scientific Career:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: 1969 – 1997; University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography Professor of Oceanography (Tenured), Director and Founder, Center for Ocean Exploration - present
Honorary Doctoral Degrees: (22)
Scientific Awards and Honors (selected):
American Association for the Advancement of Science Newcomb Cleveland Prize for Best Article of the Year in Science; First Secretary of the Navy; Chair in Oceanography; Boston Museum of Science Washburn Award; Discover Magazine Scientist of the Year; National Geographic Society Centennial Award; Westinghouse/American Association for the Advancement of Science Award; Sigma Xi - William Proctor Award for Scientific Achievement; American Geological Institute Award; Computerworld/Smithsonian Institution Award; Harvey Mudd College Wright Prize for Science; United States Navy Robert Dexter Conrad Award for Scientific Achievement; Science Service/Science News Award for Contributions to Science, Youth, and Exploration; The Kilby Award for Contributions to Science and Technology; Honorary Director, Sigma Pi Sigma, Physics Society; Hubbard Medal, National Geographic Society; American Geophysical Union “Excellence in Geophysical Education” Award; Livingstone Medal – Royal Scottish Geographical Society; Member, Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering; National Maritime Historical Society Distinguished Service Award; National Endowment for the Humanities Medal; Geological Society of America Public Service Award
Military Career:
2nd Lt. in U.S. Army Intelligence, U.S. Navy Line Officer, Ens., LTJG, Lt., Office of Naval Research, Naval Oceanographic Liaison Officer/Assigned to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Deep Submergence Program; Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve – Naval Intelligence
Military Awards and Honors:
Distinguished Military Graduate, U.S. Army; American Defense Preparedness Association Undersea Warfare Div. David Bushnell Award; Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Award for Undersea Achievement; Valley Forge Military Academy Order of Anthony Wayne Citation; United States Navy Robert Dexter Conrad Award for Scientific Achievement; Lone Sailor Award, The United States Navy Memorial Foundation; The Robert M. Thompson Award for Outstanding Leadership from the Navy League Award; Naval Order of the United States Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award.
Career in Public Education: Jason Foundation for Education:
Founder and Chairman of the Board1989-present; Immersion Presents: Founder and Chief Scientist.
Television Specials:
“Exploring the Ocean Bottom – The Cayman Trough” – Office of Naval Research- Tom Craven Film Productions; PBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Dive to the Edge of Creation”; PBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Born of Fire”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Secrets of the TITANIC”; National Geographic Television Special: “The Explorers: A Century of Discovery Video”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Search for Battleship BISMARCK”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Last Voyage of the LUSITANIA”; National Geographic Television Special: “30 Years of National Geographic Specials Video”; IMAX Film “The Living Sea”; PBS/NOVA Television Special “TITANIC Lost Sister”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “Lost Treasures of the Deep”; TBS/National Geographic Television Special: “The Battle of Midway”; National Geographic Television Special: “Lost Ships of the Mediterranean”; PBS 2-hour Special “Lost Liners”; Geographic Society/NBC Television Special: “Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack”; National Geographic Society/PBS Television Special: “In Search of Noah’s Flood”; PBS Special: American Experiences: Scientific American Frontiers: “Beneath the Sea"; National Geographic Society Television Special: “The Search for Kennedy’s PT-109”; National Geographic Society Television Special: “Lost Subs: Disaster at Sea; National Geographic Society Television Special: “Quest for Phoenicians; National Geographic Society Television Special: "Ghost Ships of the Black Sea"; National Geographic Society Television Special: "TITANIC - The Final Secret"; National Geographic Society Television Special: “Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition”/ “Gallipoli’s Deep Secrets” by Prospero Productions/History Channel; National Geographic Channel: ”Save the TITANIC with Bob Ballard”; National Geographic Channel: “Fires of Creation” – Alien Deep; National Geographic Channel: ”Wrecks of the Abyss” – Alien Deep; National Geographic Channel: “Its Alive” – Alien Deep; National Geographic Channel: “Ocean Fury” – Alien Deep National Geographic Channel: “Inner Space verses Outer Space” – Alien Deep
Published Books:
“Photographic Atlas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Rift Valley”; "Exploring Our Living Planet"; “The Discovery of the TITANIC” (10 Languages); “The Discovery of the BISMARCK” (8 Languages); “The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal” (5 Languages); “Exploring the LUSITANIA” (2 Languages); “Explorations” (2 Languages); “Lost Liners” (4 Languages); “Return to Midway”; “The Water’s Edge”; “Eternal Darkness”; “Graveyards of the Pacific”; “Adventures in Ocean Exploration”; “Collision with History-The Search for John F. Kennedy’s PT-109”; “Mysteries of the Ancient Seafarers: Ancient Maritime Civilization”; “Return to TITANIC”; “The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard”; "TITANIC: The Last Great Images"; “Archaeological Oceanography”; “Bright Shark” (6 Languages); “Exploring the TITANIC” (7 Languages); “The Lost Wreck of the ISIS” (5 Languages); “Exploring the BISMARCK” (2 Languages); “Explorer”; “Ghost Liners”
Other Multi-Media Activities:
Host, TBS/National Geographic “Explorer” Television Program and “On Assignment”; Co-Creator and Consultant to NBC Premier Season of “SEAQUEST DSV”; CD-ROM “Deep Sea Explorer”
Mult-Media Awards and Honors:
International Film Festival Award for “Secrets of the TITANIC”; #1 Best Seller, New York Times for “The Discovery of the Titanic”; #1 Best Seller, London Times for “The Discovery of the Titanic”; Emmy for Best Documentary “Search for Battleship Bismarck” #1 Best Seller, New York Times for “The Discovery of the Bismarck”; #1 Best Seller, London Times for “The Discovery of the Bismarck”; Texas Bluebonnet Award; Emmy for Best Documentary “Last Voyage of the Lusitania”; Virginia State Reading Association Young Readers Award “Exploring the Titanic”; Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary Film; NII Award for Best Internet Site for Education; Webbie Award for Education; Blue Ocean Film – best Documentary in Exploration and Adventure – “Alien Deep”
Other Awards and Honors:
Underwater Society of America Science Award; Marine Technology Society, Compass Distinguished Achievement Award; CuttySark Science Award and Science Digest; University of California-Santa Barbara Distinguished Alumni Award; Underwater Society of America, Northeast Region Diver of the Year Award; American Society of Magazine Photographers Innovations in Photography Award; Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award, Director, Explorers Club; American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award; University of Rhode Island Alumni Association Distinguished Science Award; Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Pioneer Award; Order of Magellan, Circumnavigators Club; Explorer’s Club Medal; Commonwealth Award; Lindbergh Award; Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
Scientific Publications: Selected from 75 publications in refereed scientific journals.
1970, Emery, K.O., Ballard, R.D., and Wigley, R.L., A dive aboard BEN FRANKLIN off West Palm Beach, Florida, Marine Technology Society Journal, v. 4, no. 2, p. 7-16
1974, Bellaiche, G., et al., Inner floor of the Rift Valley: first submersible study, Nature, v. 250, no. 5467, p. 558-560.
1975, Ballard, R.D., Bryan, W.B., Heirtzler, J.R., Keller, G., Moore, J.G., and van Andel, Tj.H., Manned submersible observations in the FAMOUS area: Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Science, v.190, p. 103-108.
1977, Ballard, R.D. and van Andel, Tj.H., Morphology and tectonics of the inner rift valley at latitude 36°50'N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 88, p. 507-530.
1977, Ballard, R.D. and van Andel, Tj.H., Project FAMOUS: Operational techniques and American submersible operations, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 88, p. 495-506.
1977, Heirtzler, J.R. and Ballard, R.D., Submersible observations at the site of 332B area, Initial Reports of the Deep-Sea Drilling Project, Leg 37, v. XXXVII, p. 363-365.
1977, Houghton, R.D., Heirtzler, J.R, and Ballard, R.D., Submersible observations of the New England Seamounts, Naturwissenschaften, v. 64, p. 348-355
1978, CYAMEX Scientific Team, Découverte par submersible de sulfurespolymétalliques massifs sur la dorsale du Pacifique oriental, par 21°N (Project RITA), C.R. Acad. Sciences Paris, t. 287, p. 1365-1368, December.
1979, van Andel, Tj.H. and Ballard, R.D., The Galapagos Rift at 86°W: 2. Volcanism, structure, and evolution of the rift valley, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 84, no. B10, p. 5390-5406.
1979, Ballard, R.D., Holcomb, R.T, and van Andel, Tj.H., The Galapagos Rift at 86°W: 3. Sheet flows, collapse pits, and lava lakes of the rift valley, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 84, B10, p. 5407-5422.
1979, CAYTROUGH, Geological and geophysical investigation of the Mid-Cayman Rise Spreading center, Initial results and observations, in Deep Drilling Results in the Atlantic Ocean: Ocean Crust. M. Talwani, C.G. Harrison, and D.E. Hayes (eds). Maurine Ewing Series, AGU, vol.. 2, pp. 66-93.
1979, Corliss, J.B., et al., Submarine thermal springs on the Galapagos Rift, Science, v. 203, p. 1073-1083.
1979, CYAMEX Scientific Team, Massive deep-sea sulfide ore deposits discovered on the East Pacific Rise, Nature, v. 277, p. 523-528.
1980, RISE Project Group, East Pacific Rise: Hot springs and geophysical experiments, Science, v. 207, no. 4438, p. 1421-1433.
1981, Ballard, R.D., Francheteau, J., Juteau, T., Rangan, C., and Normark, W., East Pacific Rise at 21°N: The volcanic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes of the central axis, Earth and Planetary. Science Letters, v. 55, no. 1, p. 1-10.
1981, CYAMEX Scientific Team and Pastouter, L., Submersible structural study of Tamayo Transform Fault: East Pacific Rise, 23°N (Project RITA), Marine Geophysical Research, v. 4, p. 381-401.
1981, CYAMEX Scientific Team, First manned submersible dives on the East Pacific Rise at 21°N (Project RITA): General results, Marine Geophysical Research, v. 4, p. 345-379.
1982, Ballard, R.D., van Andel, Tj.H., and Holcomb, R.T., The Galapagos Rift at 86°W: 5. Variations in volcanism, structure, and hydrothermal activity along a 30 km segment of the rift valley, Journal of Geophysical Research, 87, p. 1149-1161
1982, Hekinian, R., Francheteau, J., Renard, V., Ballard, R.D., Choukroune, P., Cheminee, J.L., Albarede, F., Minster, J.F., Charlou, J.L., Man'y, J.C, and Boulegue, J., Intense hydrothermal activity at the axis of the East Pacific Rise near 13°N: Submersible witnesses the growth of sulfide chimney, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
1983, Francheteau, J. and Ballard, R.D., The East Pacific Rise near 21°N, 13°N, and 20°S: Inferences for along-strike variability of axial processes of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 64, p. 93-116.
1984, Ballard, R.D., Hekinian, R., and Francheteau, J., Geological setting of hydrothermal activity at 12°50'N on the East Pacific Rise: a submersible study, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 69, p. 176-186.
1985, Renard, V., Hekinian, R, Francheteau, J., Ballard, R.D, and Backer, H., Submersible operations at the axis of the ultra-fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (17°30' to 21°30'S), Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 75, p. 339-353.
1988, ARGORISE Group, An ANGUS/ARGO Study of the Neovolcanic Zone along the East Pacific Rise from the Clipperton Fracture Zone to 12° N, Geo-Marine Letters, v 8, 131-138.
1988, ARGORISE Group, Geological Mapping of the East Pacific Rise Axis (11°19'-10°53'N) Using the ARGO and ANGUS Imaging Systems, Canadian Mineralogist, v. 26, 467486.
1991, Ballard, R.D., Yoerger, D.R., Stewart W.K., Bowen, A., Argo/Jason: A Remotely Operated Survey and Sampling System for Full-Ocean Depth, IEEE, Oceans ‘91 Proceedings, v. 1
2000, Ballard, R.D. Mc Cann, A. M., Yoerger, D., Whitcomb, L., Mindell, D., Oleson, J., Singh, H., Foley. B., Adams, J., Piechota, D., and Giangrande, C., The Discovery of Ancient History in the Deep Sea Using Advanced Deep Submergence Technology, Deep Sea Research, Part I, v. 47, pp. 1591-1620.
2000, Ballard, R.D., The History of Woods Hole’s Deep Submergence Program, in Fifty Years of Ocean Discovery - Landmark Achievements of Ocean Sciences, National Research Council, Ocean Studies Board, National Academy Press, pp. 67-84.
2001, R. D. Ballard, Fredrik T. Hiebert , Dwight F. Coleman, Cheryl Ward, JenniferSmith, Kathryn Willis, Brendan Foley, Kathrine Croff, Candace Major, andFrancesco Torre, Deepwater Archaeology of the Black Sea: The 2000 Season atSinop, Turkey, Amer. Jour. Archaeology., v. 105, no. 4, p. 607-623.
2002, Ballard, R.D., Stager, L.E., Master, D., Yoerger, D., Mindell, D., Whitcomb, L.,Singh, H., and Piechota, D., Iron Age Shipwrecks in Deep Water Off Ashkelon, Israel, Amer. Jour. of Archaeology. v. 106, no. 2, p.151-168.
2005, Ballard, R.D., Deep Water Archaeology, TerraMarique: Studies in Art History and Marine Archaeology in Honor of Anna Marguarite McCann, Oxbow Books, Oxford, Great Britain.
2005, Ballard, R.D. and C. Ward, Searching for Deep-water Ships in the Black Sea, p. 124-126, in Beneath the Seven Seas, editor George F. Bass, Thames and Hudson.
2008, Ballard, R.D., Searching for Ancient Shipwrecks in the Deep Sea, inArchaeological Oceanography, edited by R. D. Ballard, Princeton University Press.
2012, M. L. Brennan, R. D. Ballard, C. Roman, K. L. Croff Bell, B. Buxton, D. F. Coleman, G. Inglis, O. Köyağasıoğlu, and T. Turanlı, Evaluation of the modern submarine landscape off southwestern Turkey through the documentation of ancient shipwreck sites, Continental Shelf Research, v. 43, pp. 55-70.
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