Allison Fong is a microbial oceanographer and polar ecologist specializing in the roles microbes play in biogeochemistry and marine ecology. Formerly, she was a researcher at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (Germany) and an Ecosystem Team Co-coordinator for the MOSAiC Project (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate). Now she is based in Rhode Island (USA),  funded by the National Geographic Society to conduct work in the Arctic and Southern Ocean. Her new work builds on bridging stronger narratives between science and storytelling and how humans have a place in ecosystems. She has more than 500 days at sea and spent 9 of 13 months in the central Arctic during the MOSAiC expedition (2019-2020) leading Team ECO to capture the pulse of Arctic life. She has studied microbes from the waters off of Rapa Nui to microbes encased in remote Arctic sea ice.

 

Allison is dedicated to service and community action. During her graduate studies at the University of Hawaii Manoa, she served on the Board of Directors for the Association of the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) from 2011-2014. Today, she continues her work with ASLO as a member of the Education and Outreach Committee, leading the ASLO Storyteller Series since 2016. She was also a fellow of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Marine Working group from 2016 - 2018. She continuously engages with broad audiences via talks, ranging from high school math students to undergraduates, and was invited to give a virtual talk at the California Academy of Sciences Night School event (start at 22:02 min).​ She was also highlighted by ABC News as part of their Voices Series: Women and Climate Change (April 2021). She was also featured in GEO Magazine (December 2020) and CBS News (November 2020) speaking about passion, the importance of science, and taking action against climate change.

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Currently, she serves on the Navigating the New Arctic - Community Office (NNA-CO) Advisory Board (2024 - 2026), is a member of the Polar Educators International Council, and consults for the Ocean Conservancy and the Ocean Visions organization.