Samantha Joye is an oceanographer, an educator, a deep ocean explorer, and a vocal ocean and environmental advocate. Joye is a Regents’ Professor and also holds the Athletic Association Professorship in Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia; she is a Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences. She is an expert in microbial geochemistry, focusing on hydrocarbon and trace gas dynamics, and works in both blue water and near shore ocean environments.