Skip to Content
Alumni profile

Chris Linder, SM ’96

Photographer shoots research in progress
February 20, 2013

Growing up in Wisconsin, Chris Linder devoured stories about Jacques Cousteau, Robert Peary, and others who ventured into forbidding environments seeking knowledge.

Chris Linder

Eager to follow their example, Linder earned a BS in oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy and an SM in ocean engineering from the MIT–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. Along the way, he discovered a talent for photography and visual storytelling that’s helped him build a worldwide reputation as a documentarian of field research in far-flung places.

Linder’s spectacular photography is featured in books including his 2011 Science on Ice: Four Polar Expeditions as well as in magazines, films, museum exhibits, and interactive educational programs. His independent assignments have included sea ice and phytoplankton research aboard icebreaking ships in the Arctic, river water analysis from dugout canoes in Africa, and multidisciplinary studies on the release of carbon and other nutrients from thawing permafrost in the remote Kolyma River watershed in Siberia. (See his work online at www.chrislinder.com.)

“To me, science is more than numbers on a spreadsheet,” he says. “By photographing scientists at work in the field, I aim to show how creative thinking and resourceful problem-solving are essential to discovery.”

Linder’s images offer natural beauty, like delicate crystals on sea ice or penguins in an Antarctic storm. Yet the nitty-gritty of research and the intense focus of men and women on difficult missions are never far away, and Linder’s training provides a special perspective. “As a former scientist, I understand the difficult process of conducting fieldwork,” he says. “You have to have an idea, secure funding, assemble a team, get to the field site, get your equipment to work. When I cover an expedition—sometimes for weeks—I try to portray every aspect of the scientific process. The full story has more power than any single image.”

Essential mentoring came from WHOI senior scientist Glen G. Gawarkiewicz ’81, who was one of his thesis advisors; when Linder joined WHOI as a technician after three years of service as a Navy meteorologist, Gawarkiewicz became his supervisor. “Glen is very keen on public education about science; I had just picked up a camera, and he encouraged me,” recalls Linder. He also credits WHOI senior scientist Robert Pickart, PhD ’87, who hired Linder to document a 2002 Arctic expedition.

When not traveling, Linder lives in Seattle with his wife, pathologist Meghan Delaney, and children Eva, six, and Ian, two. They enjoy camping, and Linder runs or bikes daily.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

Data analytics reveal real business value

Sophisticated analytics tools mine insights from data, optimizing operational processes across the enterprise.

The Biggest Questions: What is death?

New neuroscience is challenging our understanding of the dying process—bringing opportunities for the living.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.