Deborah Kelley is a Professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. She has participated on over 30 blue water cruises routinely using robotic vehicles, and has been on over 50 Alvin deep–‐sea submersible dives, to depths of up to 12,000 feet. She is author or co‐author of over 80 publications on submarine volcanoes and seafloor hotsprings.